Budding stars swarm to Tauranga

Aquinas College sailor Lachlan Dillon gets some practice on Tauranga Harbour ahead of the Aims Games.

Coastal city to host largest sporting event in Australasia

About 5000 athletes attend the Commonwealth Games, and the Olympic Games draw 10,000 in a good year. It is impressive, then, that more than 8000 athletes aged 11-13 - and their coaches and supporters - will converge in Tauranga for the annual NZCT Aims Games.

Among these, 1164 netballers, 640 rugby players, 644 cross-country runners and 768 basketballers will give their all to their discipline: already hockey, tennis, water polo and netball are at venue capacity.

The Aims (Association of Intermediate and Middle Schools) Games are a strategic partnership between Sport Bay of Plenty, Tauranga City Council and the four western Bay of Plenty intermediate schools. The consortium seeks to encourage sporting achievement through opportunities to experience competition at an elite level, with an emphasis on celebrating fair play and enjoying success.

There is a strong focus on equity and participation: 19 Northland schools and 18 South Island schools will make the journey to Tauranga to compete this year. Smaller rural schools such as Taihape's Rangiwaea School will send just one pupil, while Tauranga Intermediate has 24 competing teams. Oturu School cross-country runner Jayde Florian is the northernmost competitor, with Tahuna Normal Intermediate swimmers Charlotte Underwood-Nicola and Madison Wills travelling from Dunedin in the Far South.

The Games have grown exponentially since the first "small festival of sport" in 2004. Tournament director Vicki Semple believes the Games' success is largely due to participant enjoyment: "Word of mouth has become our biggest marketing tool. We had 7500 athletes, managers, parents and supporters who went away buzzing last year and they've obviously shared the secret. This tournament is now the biggest of its kind in Australasia and it's hard to think of any other sporting event in this part of the world that would come close."

Tauranga's beautiful harbour lends itself to water sports and Yachting New Zealand chief executive David Abercrombie is excited about the introduction of sailing to this year's agenda. "Tauranga is a proven breeding ground for sailing talent, having produced the likes of Peter Burling, the Saunders siblings and the Meech siblings. Being part of the Aims Games will help to profile our sport to children aged 11-13 years and their parents. We see it as a very positive thing and look forward to working together with the event organisers to make the sailing event a success."

The Aims Games were recently recognised for excellence at the annual Sport New Zealand Sport and Recreation Awards. The Games also add economic value to the Bay of Plenty region, and Tauranga City Council manager for strategic events Pip Loader is enthusiastic: "This event has shaken up Tauranga's reputation as a summer-only city and shows the region can host major events all year round."

The Games' organisers are keenly aware of the environmental impact of such a large-scale event, and continue their commitment to sustainability goals. Aiming for the "greenest games yet", they have a target to divert 60 per cent of the waste from landfill through reduction, reuse, recycling and composting. Green Teams will be on hand to guide participants through waste management procedures.

The Green Teams aren't the only ones who will be on high alert through the week. Sporting scouts will do well to pay attention to some of the rising talent at this year's Games: golfer Rose Zheng already plays off a 2 handicap and returns to defend her 2014 Aims title, while recent prodigy Nathan Xu is the lad to watch in table tennis. Participants may also have a chance to meet sporting heroes with sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke and Black Sticks star Gemma Flynn among the sports stars attending this year's Aims Games.

NZCT Aims Games

What: 248 schools, 19 sporting codes
When: September 5-11 (opening ceremony Sunday, September 6)
Where: Tauranga, Bay of Plenty

For more information: www.nzaimsgames.co.nz