Funds assist state swim competition
Gippsland Swimming Inc will receive a $5000 Baw Baw Shire grant to host the Victorian Long Course Country Swimming Championships in Warragul in January.
Council has allocated the funds through its community funding assistance program.
The long course country championships is a state event, held annually by successful country districts.
A report to council said Gippsland Swimming Inc, in conjunction with council and Warragul Swimming Club, applied for and successfully won the rights to host the 2019 event for the first time in Warragul.
The event will be held over the Australia Day long weekend in January.
Officers said visitors to the Warragul area were expected to deliver a direct economic benefit of $494,000.
A report to council said the event allowed athletes (both able bodied, para and disabled) to swim at a state of the art country pool with facilities that supported all competitors. Competitors living in Gippsland have a chance to compete in a local pool.
Cr Tricia Jones said it was exciting to be hosting the swimming championships for the first time.
“It is exciting that 700 competing swimmers and 2000 spectators will come to our shire that long weekend,” she said.
Cr Mikaela Power said not only would the event attract a number of competitors but also visitors to the area.
She said the event was a reflection of the efforts of Gippsland Swimming.
Cr Michael Leaney said sporting events in regional Victoria were an important part of the visitor economy and an important part of economic development for the shire.
Cr Peter Kostos told councillors to cast their minds back to the rhetoric of the swimming club during discussions about the new pool. He said the club said “if you do this, we will get this…well we are getting this.”