On the 26 and 27 July the Townsville Sports Reserve will come alive with The Challenge Games. With over 1000 children participating this is a unique athletic carnival. Students from all over North Qld from as far south as Mackay, west Mt Isa and north from Mosman. The Challenge Games covers all disabilities and encourages all children to achieve at their own level of ability as well as have fun and make new friends.
We are very excited to have as our special guest this year George Logothetis the head coach of the National table tennis team. We have included table tennis and Swish table tennis (for vision-impaired participants) this year for students to try. Jenny Hill the Mayor of Townsville will be opening the event on Wednesday morning, with a host of other dignitaries attending. There will also be a march past of all students and the Pimlico State High School band will play for the march past and also we have the Vincent State School signing choir.
As well as the main theme being Fun and Participation for all. There is also a more serious sporting side during “The Challenge Games”. Children can enter the Gail Brodie para-athlete trials to check their times and distances with other para-athletes with the same classifications to maybe look at a para-athletic career. We have had a number of former students go onto Paralympic glory.
Each year we introduce new and exciting sporting experiences to our participants. This year we have an exhibition of Wheel Chair Rugby League and Table Tennis as well as an exhibition of Race running.
The Challenge Games encourages all children with a disability to have fun and participate in as many or as few events as they want. The participants can participate in fun activities like Frizbee or Fling a Magic. They can also participate in the more traditional events like athletics and long jump. Each child is a winner as they receive a ribbon for each event and some are wearing numerous ribbons during the two-day carnival. (15000 ribbons are given out).
The Cowboys always volunteer during the two days. This year will have the police also volunteering. Being a community event our local businesses and national companies sponsor The Challenge Games and without their financial support this fantastic event wouldn’t occur. We are always looking for more sponsors to make this yearly event in Townsville even better.
The Challenge Games has won many awards but none more exciting than being chosen at the Australia Day awards in Townsville as the “Best Community Event for 2016” This award sums up the feeling the Townsville community has for “The Challenge Games”. The small committee works tirelessly on a completely voluntary basis to present a unique carnival for North Queensland.
With Brisbane hosting the 2030 Olympic Games we are encouraging and supporting all the children to look to the future to one day represent North Queensland at the Paralympics.
