Is Weet-bix Tryathlon too pricey?

More children are missing out on sports opportunities because of ‘‘hefty’’ registration fees, with the Weet-bix Kids Tryathlon one example, a school principal says.

‘‘I just don’t understand why it costs somuch,’’ Don Mclean said of Sanitarium’sweet-bix event held in Nelson recently.

While the principal of Hampden Street Primary School supported the concept of getting children involved in amulti-sport event, at over $50 per child for entry, the Tryathlon was beyond many families’ budgets, he said.

He questioned if the event served advertisers better than children.

‘‘Along with the expensive entry fee, when you turn up at the event you are bombarded by corporate sponsorship.

‘‘If you’re going to charge so much, is there a need to have so much corporate signage all round the venue and all over the t-shirts?’’

Inequality was growing in sport overall, with ‘‘hefty’’ registration fees at sports clubs stopping some families signing up, Mclean said.

Youth sport should not be subsidising top athletes, he said. ‘‘I would have thought the emphasis would have been trying to get kids into sport, and making it affordable and cheap to get them in there.

‘‘The parents can see if their child’s enjoying it ... then they might be able to find the money for it after that.’’

Sanitarium said it helped disadvantaged children and communities take part in its Tryathlons nationwide, with around 10 per cent of participants’’ receiving support each season.

Spokesman Pete Davis said the tickets were heavily subsidised, with full cost well over $100 a child.

The events were expensive to run, with costs including set up and pull down crews, health and safety and medical staff, volunteers, toilets, freighting containers around, as well as t-shirts, medals and swim caps for the children, Davis said.

Sponsors helped bring ‘‘gravitas’’ to the event, boosting the children’s sense of achievement from having participated in a large scale event, while signage didn’t add to the cost, he said.