2013 Winter Games NZ will be second only to Olympics
Winter Games NZ has announced its plans for the 2013 event, which will run 12-25AUG13. The Games will increase its standing on the international winter sports circuit with the inclusion of six World Cup events. Global governing body FIS actively approached WGNZ to host the events as a lead up event to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, being staged just six months later. It is therefore expected to attract the majority of the world’s top elite athletes to New Zealand.
A subsequent meeting of the WGNZ Board and senior management staff resulted in a tightening of the programme. Sports unlikely to attract at least six out of the 10 best have been removed from the programme, meaning ice hockey, figure skating, short track speed skating and winter triathlon have all been dropped in the interim. It has also meant that Dunedin and Mt Hutt will not feature in 2013.
Graham Budd of Destination Queenstown said the new compressed format for the Games, while ambitious, could only benefit
the region and New Zealand’s profile as a premier winter sports destination. “It’s incredibly exciting to be significantly raising the bar in terms of delivery and international profile of the Games, positioning it as a premier winter sports event, second only
to the Winter Olympics.”
