International Children's Games - A first for Napier and NZ

Published: 18 September 2014

Last Updated: 6 January 2015

The countdown began mid 2014 for the team of some of Napier’s best young sportsmen and women, who head to Australia in December the same year to compete in the 48^th International Children’s Games (ICG) at Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia.

The Napier Port Children’s Games team of 18 competitors, aged 12 to 15, supported by the Napier City Council, will be the first New Zealand team to compete at the event, being held between 6 and 11 December 2014.

They were selected with the help of Sport Hawke’s Bay and will be competing in swimming, BMX, sailing and football.

Following an invitation from Lake Macquarie’s Mayor, Napier Mayor Bill Dalton is leading the delegation to the games. The delegation will also include coaches for each of the codes.

The ICG brings together athletes, coaches and city representatives from around the world in a city to city event.

The games’ aim is to “enable, develop and advance the meeting, understanding and friendship of students from different countries around the world, promoting the Olympic ideal”.

For more information about the 2014 Games, visit the ICG website.

Fundraising activities:

MTG Century Theatre showed hit movie Guardians of the Galaxy on 2 October as a fundraiser for the Napier Port Children’s Games team.

Peter Quill, aka Star-lord and his rag-tag assortment of new friends take on some of the nastiest villains in the universe, to the tune of an awesome 80's soundtrack.

All proceeds of the tickets go towards the team. Tickets were sold for $15.

While the Games’ host city meets the cost of accommodation and meals for each delegation, fundraising is required to cover the team and the delegation’s costs of travel, uniforms and competition attire – so every dollar raised is gratefully accepted.

The fundraising drive has included a three-course dinner and charity auction at The Thirsty Whale, Ahuriri on 15 September, hosted by former All Black Norm Hewitt. Just over $7000 was raised in ticket sales from the auction, which included a jersey and ball signed by the host when he played for the Hurricanes in 1998, and donations on the night.

The All Blacks and the Pumas also donated signed jerseys, which were auctioned off at a post-Ranfurly Shield match function on 14 September, raising an additional $2800.

The teams:

View the young and talented Hawke's Bay athletes heading to the games here.

Key sponsors and donations:

The Napier Port has become the naming rights sponsor for the talented team (see news story here). A donation of $5000 has been received from the  Jarrod Cunningham Youth Sport Trust.

Related stories:

New sponsor for Napier team

Ultra-marathon runner to introduce Napier athletes at fundraising evening

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