EVENT’S EXIT WILL HURT STRUGGLING ECONOMY

THE Gold Coast is an events city and has made its reputation on being the place which can draw in crowds and leave them coming away delighted.

From the days of the Coolangatta Gold in the 1980s to the Indy Carnival in the 1990s and 2000s, there is no shortage of success stories.

Less of a money-spinner but no less successful has been the city’s hosting of major surfing events at Snapper Rock. In the past 20 years the events once known as the Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Pro were a cornerstone of the annual calendar.

Watching the world’s best surfers cutting through the waves and battling it out at one of the world’s great breaks was a right of passage for young grommets and surf fans alike.

It is therefore deeply concerning that the Gold Coast is on the verge of losing the event to NSW.

World Surf League remained silent yesterday but on its face, it seems absurd to demand the state government pay for the quarantine costs of its athletes when this accommodation has not been given to any other sporting code in the past year.

The state government, local business leaders and the surfing community quite understandably feel a sense of betrayal and sadness that the city will lose this event.

While NSW may be able to give its operators a big payday, the sport of surfing, fans and southern Gold Coast businesses are all losing out. The Corona Open is set to become history but the Coast will still be surfing’s home