Sport
7 August, 2024
Mount Isa to host North Queensland sports awards
Nominations soon open and the gala ceremony will be staged in October.
Mount Isa is preparing to host the North Queensland Sportstar Awards on October 26.
It is the first time the awards night has been held in Mount Isa since its inception 33 years ago.
Bringing the event to the city has been a long-held ambition for mayor Peta MacRae, who was a North Queensland Sports Foundation (NQSF) delegate during her previous terms as a councillor.
“It’s an exciting opportunity being the first time it’s been held in our city – this is something I have been lobbying for,” she said.
“Mount Isa has a rich and varied sporting history and it will be a great way for us to celebrate that.”
Nominations open on August 14 for the eight award categories with a prize pool of more than $12,000.
The awards include Rural & Remote Sportstar of the Year, Junior Sports Star of the Year, Athlete with Disability Sportstar of the Year and the prestigious NQ Sportstar of the Year.
Previous winners include silver medal winning paralympic swimmer Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson who will again represent Australia in the para-swimming team at the Paris Games later this month.
NQSF chief executive officer Stephen Farrell said the awards night and gala dinner was about celebrating the tireless dedication required to excel in sport.
“These awards really celebrate our athletes from the grassroots,” he said.
“We want to recognise the hurdles that rural and regional athletes have to overcome to compete at the state or national level.”