High standard ensures bright future, says Toomey

THE 2018 Winter Games were officially declared closed on Saturday afternoon at Cardrona with a flag parade, waiata and kapa haka performance from members of the Mount Aspiring College and Wanaka community kapa haka group.

The games comprised 17 events across six venues, the feature being the junior world championships at Cardrona.

Winter Games chief executive Marty Toomey said there was no part of the games he was not proud of.

For New Zealand to host the next generations of snowsports stars was ‘‘amazing’’, he said. ‘‘Some of these people will be the names of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Some of the kids here which weren’t known will be on the podiums and we can follow them through the next three years.’’

‘‘I think some of the kids who’ve spent time watching all of these events over the last two weeks would’ve seen some things and will go out and try some things they maybe wouldn’t have thought about before. That’s what it’s all about, too; showcasing the sport to the world.’’

Toomey also paid homage to the Kiwi athletes, who ‘‘stepped up’’ and ‘‘did very well to perform at that level’’.

Now an annual event, the Winter Games had a bright future, he said, and it was just about sticking to the high standard this year’s event had set.

‘‘I think our big bit is we stick to delivering things we’re really really good at and delivering them at a level of quality that we know the world’s athletes want to come to; and we can do that.’’