Participants converge on Cairns for 2023 Masters Games

An Olympic gold medallist and a NQ Cowboys legend, as well as thousands of everyday masters-aged athletes have arrived in Cairns to be part of the sixth biennial Great Barrier Reef Masters Games (GBRMG).

The 2023 GBRMG got underway yesterday, with FNQ Games ambassador and Cowboys icon Matt Bowen putting 30 students from the Trinity Bay State High Rugby Academy of Excellence through their paces with a special NRL clinic.

This morning, 30 keen squad members got some valuable pointers from Games ambassador and Olympic legend Leisel Jones OAM at Tobruk Memorial Pool.

This afternoon, the Hasbeens all-stars Basketball team, which includes Chris Anstey, Sam Mackinnon, and Matt Burston, will share their knowledge with 30 eager students at the Cairns High Bou-wa Centennial Hall.

In what is expected to be a rousing event, the public is welcome to join athletes tonight for the 2023 GBRMG opening ceremony at Barlow Park from 6pm.

Emulating other major sporting games, GBRMG participants will march into the arena and around the athletics track proudly bearing their sports signs while being supported by local entertainers, including a fire dancer, Taiko drummers and Brazilian dancers.

Leisel Jones will officially launch the Games, while Matt Bowen will light the Games Cauldron, which has been provided by Origin Energy.

More than 2300 athletes are taking part in this year’s event, from 25 to 28 May, across 18 sports, from archery to track and field, basketball to cycling, and rugby league to tennis.

Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said this year’s Games had once again attracted participants from wide and far, with more than 2,400 athletes to take part over four-days of competition.

“Our team behind the Games has worked tirelessly since the last competition to deliver a fantastic sport and social program that will not disappoint,” Cr Manning said.

“This year’s Games will include participants from right across Queensland, as well as every Australian state and territory, and international competitors from New Zealand, USA, Singapore, India, Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands.

“Of course, there is much more to the Games than the thrill of competing.

“It is also about friendship and camaraderie through the medium of sport, and is also a great opportunity for Cairns to showcase itself to a wider audience.

“I am sure we will see plenty of participants taking time out at the end of each day, touring our beautiful region, visiting our many attractions, and sharing those memories with friends and family, hopefully enticing them to visit the Tropical Far North in the future.”

There are numerous official social events planned:

• Delivered with hub partner, The Jack Hotel, there are themed dress nights today (Thursday), Friday and Saturday, with prizes on offer for the best dressed attendees
• There is also an athletes-only Barn Dance at the Sugar Shed on Saturday
• The Great Barrier Reef Masters Games Sportsperson’s Dinner returns on Friday evening at Pullman Cairns International Hotel, which is sponsored by Wolf Lane Distillery. The dinner will feature a panel of sporting legends, Leisel Jones OAM, Matt Bowen and Joyce Lester OAM.

The Great Barrier Reef Masters Games are presented by Cairns Regional Council and Tourism and Events Queensland with the support of Team Elite.