NT: Arafura Games cancelled because of SARS

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NT: Arafura Games cancelled because of SARS

(Changes keyword from Sport Arafura)

By Karen Michelmore

DARWIN, April 23 AAP - The SARS epidemic has claimed its first major Australian sportingevent, with the cancellation of the 2003 Arafura Games today.

The Northern Territory government today pulled the plug on next month's eight-day event,which attracts thousands of athletes from more than 25 countries, mostly in the Asia-Pacificregion.

Less than 26 days before the $2 million Arafura Games were due to kick off on May 17,NT Chief Minister Clare Martin said there was simply too much uncertainty to ensure theevent's success.

"While it's extremely regrettable that this year's Games has had to be cancelled, webelieve this is the only responsible decision," Ms Martin said.

The decision was made late last night following a lengthy meeting of the NT government cabinet.

It is one of the first major international sporting events in the world to be cancelledfollowing the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The flu-like virus has killed more than 230 people and infected some 4,000 worldwidesince it first emerged in southern China in November.

The Sevens rugby tournaments in Singapore and Beijing also were called off becauseof health fears.

Registrations for the 2003 Arafura Games had fallen by half - from around 5,042 in2001 to 2,280 this year - because of uncertainty about SARS, and a number of teams hadpulled out of the event.

The Judo and Lifesaving events had already been cancelled because of declining registrations,Ms Martin said.

The cancellation is expected to have a huge impact on the NT economy, particularlytourism, with several hotels now vacant.

In May last year, the NT government said the 2001 Games had injected $5.13 millioninto the local economy.

The government said it would today formulate a plan to attract people to Darwin overthe period when the games were to have been held.

Ms Martin said the decision was not based on whether Darwin could manage the healthrisk of people coming for the games, but on the event's viability with declining numbers.

She said Australia was not a health risk.

"I don't think they ... see Australia as a health risk and I certainly dont see Darwinor the territory as a health risk at all," she said.

"(But) we have to look after the viability of the games and we have to also recognisethe fears to those who were participants and we also have to recognise the fears of thosein our local community.

"It's a decision that had to be made and it had to be made now."

However, there was no doubt hanging over the upcoming cricket Test between Australiaand Bangladesh, to be held in Darwin in July.

"The cricket's on - get the bat and ball ready," NT Sports Minister John Ah Kit said.

"We are going with it."

AAP km/tnf/br

KEYWORD: SARS ARAFURA LEAD