Wagga Wagga will welcome approximately 1,000 young athletes from across state next year after the Bill Jacob Athletic Centre at Jubilee Park was selected to host the 2023 Little Athletics NSW Kumon State Combined Carnival on 4-5 March 2023.
More than 80 events will take place across the two days of competition, providing a fun and exciting sports event.
Little Athletics NSW recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Wagga Wagga City Council to bring the carnival to the city.
Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga Councillor Dallas Tout said Council is excited to have been chosen as the venue for the family-friendly event, which is held at a regional venue each year.
"Jubilee Park is a great venue for events of this size and sporting calibre, as shown by the success of NSW Touch Association's (NSWTA) Junior State Cup Southern Conference carnivals which have been held at the precinct for the past four years," Cr Tout said.
"We are looking forward to seeing the young athletes and their supporters gather in our city over the first weekend in March next year.
"The event has the potential to deliver significant economic benefits to the local community, from our cafés and restaurants to our accommodation providers."
It is anticipated the event will draw more than 3,200 people to the city, including the athletes, relatives, coaches, officials and staff.
Little Athletics NSW CEO Rebecca Shaw said the organisation was delighted to bring the LANSW State Combined Carnival to Wagga Wagga in 2023.
"We last hosted the event in the Riverina in 2018 and it was a great success," Ms Shaw said. "The Bill Jacob Athletic Centre at Jubilee Park is the perfect venue for an event such as this."
At the State Combined Carnival, athletes participate in all the events on offer for their age group and points are allocated for performances recorded in each event, based on the Little Athletics NSW Multi-Event Point score system.
Little Athletics is a uniquely Australian sport for children aged from Tiny Tots of 3 years to 17 years.
The events are specially modified to suit the ages and abilities of children and has a wide range of running, jumping, throwing and walking events.
It offers young people activities and skills that will stand them in good stead for their sporting future.
Registrations for the Carnival will open later in the year. Any young athlete who is a registered member of a Little Athletics Centre can participate.
