Grant to sport still a secret

A MYSTERY sporting event that could be coming to the Far North next year will receive a $75,000 investment from Cairns Regional Council.

The council yesterday, in a closed session at its ordinary meeting, voted in favour of entering into a funding agreement with the yet-to-be revealed provider to secure the event in 2019 for a three-year run.

Council chief executive John Andrejic was delegated authority to finalise all matters relating to the event.

Acting mayor Terry James said the council could not say what the event was due to commercial-in-confidence.

However, he said, it was a sporting event that had never been held in the city before.

“We have a lot of major events,” he said.

“Sporting tourism has really come alive for Cairns. Our sports tourism is really catching up with our other tourism – and why wouldn’t it?”

The council’s investment in the mystery event comes hot on the heels of Cairns hosting the inaugural Targa Great Barrier Reef tarmac rally next week. The tarmac rally event will return to the Far North in 2019.

Also returning next year will be the Cairns Adventure Festival, the Great Barrier Reef Masters Games, Tour of the Tropics, the Women’s Big Bash League cricket match, and the PBR (Professional Bull Ride) Cairns Invitational.

In 2012, Tourism Tropical North Queensland identified sport tourism as playing a major role in aiding the region’s economic recovery.