Restrictions impact Olympian welcome back celebrations
A highly-anticipated celebration for Waipā district’s Olympians and Paralympians is the latest event casualty, as a result of COVID-19 event restrictions.
Tokyo 2020’s Waipā-based Olympians and Paralympians will miss the long-awaited ‘welcome home’ celebration for the first time since the district started holding the community event in the early 2000s.
The ‘Welcome Home’ event is held in celebration of the enormous effort the district’s athletes put in to preparation and training for the Olympics, which are held every four years. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were held earlier this year after the COVID-19 pandemic derailed the Olympic event in 2020.
Waipā District Council Mayor Jim Mylchreest said the home of champions takes pride in celebrating these local athletes with the community but this year COVID-19 has negatively impacted plans.
“Time is not on our side this year. Planning stages were pushed out with athletes having to quarantine following travel, so Council considered joining an event with the existing Great Summer Kiwi Expo.
“After the latest lockdown in August, we are still grappling with the restrictions and are in a place of uncertainty around public gatherings as we head into October. We now have scheduling challenges as athletes begin to head back into competitions and training camps, so the tough call has been made not to host an event this time.” Mylchreest said.
“We’re proud to be Waipā Home of Champions and we appreciate the amount of effort, sacrifice and challenges our athletes and their teams have faced this year. We know our communities were proud of their efforts during the games too.” Mylchreest said.
The Waipā Home of Champions moniker is well-earned, with Olympian training grounds the Avantidrome, Lake Karāpiro, and thoroughbred studs located in close proximity to Cambridge.
Along with the welcome home event, Council has also had to put a hold on any citizenship ceremonies since August due to COVID-19 Alert Level restrictions.
