Games

In 1994, the Suncorp North Queensland Games were again hosted by Mount Isa.

One of Australia’s leading rock bands of the time, The Baby Animals, were secured for the opening ceremony by the Mount Isa West Rotary Club. The Games were officially opened by Minister for Tourism, Sport and Racing, Bob Gibbs in front of 10,000 people

A variety of sports were again included in the Games, with skydiving, camp drafting, croquet, off-road motor racing and water skiing some of the more unusual inclusions.

During the Games, the Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association moved their Queensland Cycling Championships to Mount Isa in order to increase participation in the event by incorporating it into the Games. Townsville hosted five events, ice skating, yachting, off-shore yachting, volleyball and darts due to the facilities not being available in Mount Isa. The yachting event was actually the annual Townsville to Dunk Island Yacht Race.

The feature of the Games was the Road Race, a 120 km ride from Cloncurry to Mount Isa. Olympians Kathy Watt (Gold Medal 1992 Barcelona) and 2x Olympian Kendrick Tucker competed in the event, which boasted a $10,000 prize pool. Sixty-two riders nominated for both the men’s and women’s events. The Australian Institute of Sport strongly supported the event, sending many athletes, including an AIS Road Team. Following the success of the race, the Australian Cycling Federation asked the Copper City Cycling Club to host the event each year.

In all, the 1994 Suncorp North Queensland Games were a great success. There were approximately 8,000 competitors and it was the first Games to show a profit.