We must cement our edge for sports

IT is no secret Cairns is a hotspot for international sports teams, but the region can’t afford to rest on what we have.

The Australian Athletics team is in the final preparations for their World Championships campaign at Doha, and part of the Australianbased squad has made Cairns their last stop before heading to Qatar.

Earlier this year, Cairns hosted the national swimming and water polo teams ahead of their world titles.

Deputy mayor Terry Jones pointed to facilities and Tropical North Queensland’s climate as reasons for these teams coming to visit, and hinted there might be more news to come, particularly ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

The athletics team is likely to make Cairns its last stop before the Olympics, while we can expect to welcome back the Dolphins and Stingers for their preparation. But why stop there. Sydney FC came to Cairns to play a pre-season friendly against a FNQ Select XI at Barlow Park, and while that’s a world-class athletics facility, an oval-shaped venue is not spectator-friendly for sports played on a rectangle field.

Earlier this year, there was talk a joint Cairns-Papua New Guinea NRL team could pave the way for a new rectangular stadium which could hold about 25,000 people.

The Rugby World Cup, which started tonight and you can watch live on Kayo, will be played in Japan, and Cairns could have provided the perfect pre-tournament base for any national team.

Shorter flights to Asia are always hailed as a reason as to why these teams choose Cairns as their pre-tournament base, but the region needs to invest in appropriate infrastructure to keep up.

Otherwise, we’re going to see these teams bypass Cairns and choose to play out of or prepare at Townsville’s brand new, spanking 25,000 seat stadium – already touted as a possible Rugby World Cup venue should they successfully bid for hosting rights – and we can’t afford to relegated to the sideline.

Strike while the iron is hot and make the dream a reality.