Challenge Wānaka events cancelled for 2022

Jan 25, 2022

From the Challenge Wanaka Sports Trust.

"The Challenge Wanaka Sports Trust and Integrity Homes Challenge Wanaka team are sad to announce the cancellation of the 2022 Integrity Homes Challenge Wanaka Festival. This decision has been made due to the emergence of Omicron in the New Zealand community and the entire country moving into the Covid-19 Protection Framework Traffic Light level red setting.

The team went through different operational scenarios and concluded that the socially responsible action to take was to cancel the event to protect the health of our athletes, tamariki, supporters, volunteers, staff and wider community here in Lake Wānaka and across New Zealand. As a non-for-profit, community based organisation, we have had to make this incredibly hard decision for all involved. But the whole team believe it is the right decision considering the uncertainty we are all faced with and our duty of care. We feel for all our wonderful competitors and know they have put many hours of hard work into preparing for our events.

Furthermore, by cancelling now, before the 31 January deadline, we allow competitors to receive a 75% refund or a transfer to the following year. After the 31^st January, the festival would incur considerable financial outlay it would not be able to recoup limiting our ability to provide a refund to our loyal athletes.

“We have been working tirelessly on options on how we can continue,” commented Bill Roxburgh, Race Director. “But we strongly believe this option is the best for our competitors and community alike, in the face of what could be a prolonged length of time in the red light setting. We do not want to cause any extra burden on our healthcare system and the amazing frontline workers at this crucial point in time for Aotearoa. Traditionally, we bring in athletes and families from across our nation to beautiful Lake Wānaka, and this simply does not seem like the right thing to do, considering the predictions of how this outbreak could project over the coming weeks.”

Dr Andrew McLeod, Challenge Wanaka Sports Trustee, Local GP and athlete reiterated, “The experience from the US, UK and Australia suggests we can expect Omicron to be causing illness for at least the next 2 months.”

On a positive note, we are working on hosting a virtual event with Challenge Family and their new Global Digital Training Partner, Rouvy for our competitors, as we realise everyone has put so much time and effort into training for the event we all love. More details of that will come in the following weeks and we look to have some great prizes up for grabs.

We will be offering competitors a 75% refund or free entry to our 2023 events. Please email [email protected] if you would like a refund, if you paid by direct debit or your credit card has expired since your entry we will need full bank details to repay the 75% entry fee.

All applications for the refund will need to be made by midnight Monday 14th February, there will be no more refunds after this date.

If you would like us to transfer your entry for 2023, you don’t need to do anything and we will email an entry code out in mid-March for you to re-enter online. This entry code will need to be used by the 31 July 2022.

The 2023 edition of the Integrity Homes Challenge Wanaka will be held on 18^th February 2023 and the entries for that event will open on 4^th April 2022.

This cancellation covers all events below:

Integrity Homes Challenge Wanaka Festival events:

Wanaka Medical Social Triathlon – 13^th February 2022
Integrity Homes Challenge Wanaka Festival – 17^th – 19^th February 2022

Thursday 17 Feb 2022
Bay to Bay Swim – open to all swimmers
Puzzling World Intermediate Challenge
Mitre 10 Challenge Wanaka Adaptive Triathlon
Mitre 10 Secondary Schools Triathlon

Friday 18 Feb 2022
Puzzling World Junior Challenge Wanaka Triathlon
Integrity Homes Challenge Wanaka Friday night Showcase