AIMS Games cancelled due to Covid for second year in a row

The country's largest intermediate-aged sports competition has been cancelled for a second year in a row, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

AIMS Games is considered New Zealand's biggest sporting event, with more competitors than the Olympics. 

More than 11,000 students had expected to flock to Tauranga ahead of the week-long competition in September. 

That's until organisers pulled the plug, saying that there would be no way the games could safely continue under Covid restrictions. 

"For the tournament to go ahead, all of New Zealand needs to be at Level 1," AIMS Games director Vicki Semple said. 

"Postponing is not an option, with 25,000 people to accommodate, 1800 officials to organise and 29 venues to be available." 

Acknowledging that many budding athletes will be disappointed by the cancellation, she urged them to look at the bright side. 

"We've been incredibly lucky to have six months without community spread of Covid-19, where our youth have been able to have relatively normal lives," she said. 

"We're so proud the AIMS Games has given them hope, purpose and motivation, which no cancellation can take away."

It's the second year in a row the AIMS Games have been canned, with Covid-19 preventing it from going ahead in 2020.