IT is incredibly disappointing both the Mildura Grand Tennis International and the Mildura 100 water ski race look like they won’t be run in 2021.
We all thought with 2020 behind us and the COVID-19 situation improving that we might return to some normality this year – but unfortunately the virus and its ramifications didn’t get the memo.
We certainly aren’t back to normal and with these two events falling by the wayside this year it’s looking unlikely things will be normal in the short to medium term.
These events are massive for the respective clubs, bringing in competitors from around Australia and – particularly with the tennis – around the world.
To lose them this year is a big hit to the clubs and to the wider Sunraysia region.
The ski race brings in hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people to the region and is an incredibly popular and competitive event.
The tennis doesn’t have the same spectator support but with $25,000 on offer for each of the singles titles, Mildura has often been able to see some high-profile juniors come through on their way to bigger and better things – see Ash Barty and Nick Kyrgios.
If these events return in 2022, the Mildura 100 would not have been run since 2019, which when you look at it in isolation is a crying shame given that event’s standing.
It is crucial in the interim for the community to rally around the Mildura Ski Club and the Mildura Lawn Tennis Club to ensure they are positioned to come out of this and host the events again.
A lot of our region’s identity comes from the sporting field, and we can’t let the Mildura 100 and the Mildura Grand Tennis International become footnotes in our history.
