COFFS Harbour is set to host the biggest annual sporting event on the Australian Sikh community calendar.

The 34th Australian Sikh Games are scheduled to be held over the Easter long weekend on 15-17 April in various venues across Coffs Harbour.

The Australian Sikh Games are the premier sporting and cultural event for the Australian Sikh community.

The annual event attracts up to 100,000 people over the three days of sporting competition, with 3,500 athletes competing in fourteen different sports.

The Australian Sikh Games are held each year in a different capital city or major regional area, with the event attracting people from across Australia and overseas, including athletes and spectators from Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the U.K.

The Sikh Games feature a variety of traditional Indian and Australian sports, with members of 80 Australian and eleven international clubs taking part.

Coffs Harbour will play host to a number of different sports over the Easter long weekend.

The opening and closing ceremonies of the Sikh Games, as well as the cricket, kabaddi, and soccer events will be held at the Ce.x Coffs International Stadium.

Badminton, basketball, netball and volleyball competitions will be held at Sportz Central, while hockey will be held at the Coffs Coast Sport & Leisure Park.

The venue for the golf competition is yet to be determined.

Other sports to be played at the Sikh Games include athletics, Australian Rules football, tennis, touch football, and tug of war.

Woolgoolga Coffs Harbour Sikh Sports Club committee member Gurinder Bhangal explained to News Of The Area the importance of hosting the Sikh Games.

“The Punjab region of India is renowned for its sporting history and has a reputation for producing world class athletes,” he said.

“It is no surprise therefore to see that Sikhs have taken their enthusiasm for sport with them across the world.

“The Sikh Games not only bring together people with a passion for their sport but also represent an occasion for the wider community to celebrate their cultural identity, as Sikhs and as Australians.

“The Woolgoolga Coffs Harbour Sikh sports committee are looking forward to hosting the Sikh games this year, due to Covid, the annual event has been cancelled for the past two years.

“The cancellation has made this year’s event mean a lot more not only to the local community, but to all those across Australia due to the long wait.

“We are praying for some dry weather over the Easter period to ensure the event is successful.”

 

By Aiden BURGESS