North Queensland Sports Foundation

The North Queensland Sports Foundation (NQSF) is a not-for-profit established in 1983 to develop sporting events and capacity in regional Queensland..[1] Their flagship event is the North Queensland Games, hosted biennially, which is the largest regularly run multi-sport event in regional Australia.[2][3] The Foundation also hosts an annual Sports Awards[4], has an established Sports Hall of Fame[5], and funds community events through its activity arm Move It NQ[6][7].

NQSF is an associate member of QSport.[8]

History

An arial photo of the Opening Ceremony of the 1986 Suncorp NQ Games in Mount Isa

In 1980, the North Queensland International Games was held in front of a capacity crowd at the Townsville Sports Reserve, the first time that track and field athletes had ever been attracted to North Queensland for an event. Subsequently, the media coverage of the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane further wet the appetite in North Queensland for more sport.

Bob McCullough OAM, an early Chairman of the NQSF, pictured here in 1994

Ken McElligott, the Deputy Mayor of Townsville City Council, convened a public meeting on February 16th 1983 seeking to arrange an overarching body for sports in North Queensland, laying the ground work for what would become the NQSF. In October of 1983 McElligott would be elected to a position in State Parliament and Sports Administrator Bob McCullough OAM would become Chairman of the newly minted North Queensland Games Foundation[9]. Bob would go on to become President of Wheelchair Sports Australia 1986, and then the Australian Paralympic Federation, though he regarded his contribution to the North Queensland Games as his greatest achievement [10].

North Queensland Games

The NQ Games is a biennial, multi-sport festival hosted in different locations across North Queensland. Rotating through four towns (Townsville, Mount Isa, Mackay and Cairns) and attracting approximately 4,000 athletes,[11] it was originally underpinned by financial contributions from its major sponsor Suncorp for the first 25 years[12], though it's now run sustainably through The Foundation.

After the inaugural event was held in Townsville in 1984, the 1986 edition of the Games was purported to attract over 10,000 spectators from Australia and Papua New Guinea[13] across 62 sports to the regional hub of Mount Isa creating the town's first ever traffic jam.[14]

The Games continued successfully through the 1990's & 2000's, with occasional international competitors[15]. Olympic athletes Brett Aitken, and Gold medalist Natalie Cook were notable entrants in 2000s.

Australian Rugby League representative Libby Cook-Black lights a cauldron during the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 NQ Games in Cairns, Australia.

The 2024 Games returned to Cairns in its 40th anniversary,[16] generating a $3 million dollar boost for the local economy with approximately 12,000 visitors and 2,000 athletes involved in 19 sports including international competitors from Oceanic counties such as Nauru and Papua New Guinea.[2] The NQSF was joined by partners including the Queensland Government, and the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS)[17] who ran community engagement activities to identify talent in regional Queensland ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.[18]

Sports Awards

First held in 1991, The North Queensland Sportstar Award is the second-longest running dedicated sporting awards in the State of Queensland.[19][20] The awards recognise the most outstanding junior and senior contributors across 9 categories, from athletes, to coaches, to entire teams[21].

The 2025 edition of the awards were held in Townsville, with hometown athletes Natalie Cook, Sam Thaiday and Gene Miles celebrated in attendance. Over $40,000 in scholarships was awarded to winners[22].

Notable winners

NQ Sports Hall of Fame

In 2025, NQSF inducted its 20th member into the North Queensland Sports Hall of Fame [23]

References

  1. ↑ Griffin, Jess (2020-11-03). "North Queensland Sports Foundation - Community Information Centre". www.cictownsville.com.au. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  2. 1 2 "2024 North Queensland Games". Townsville North Queensland. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  3. ↑ "New stadium to host opening ceremony of regional Australia's largest multi-sport event". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
  4. ↑ "From Local Sporting Heroes To Hall of Fame". www.mackayandwhitsundaylife.com. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
  5. ↑ Nelson, Jade (2025-11-27). "NQ Sports Hall of Fame home announced". North Queensland Sports Foundation. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
  6. ↑ "Move It NQ | Supporting Healthy Active Communities in North Queensland". MOVE IT NQ. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
  7. ↑ Rielly, Janine (2023-09-08). "ActiveKIT invests in physical activity app in North Queensland". Health and Wellbeing Queensland. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  8. ↑ QSport. "Associate Members". www.qsport.org.au. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  9. ↑ "Our Story". North Queensland Sports Foundation. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  10. ↑ McCullough, Robert (2015). In pursuit of achievement - through making things happen. Victoria Point, QLD: Robert McCullough. p. 153. ISBN 9780994423108.
  11. ↑ "North Qld Games loses major sponsor". ABC News. 2010-11-10. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  12. ↑ Sexton-McGrath, Kristy (2010-11-10). "North Qld Games loses major sponsor". ABC News. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
  13. ↑ "(June, 1986)". Trove. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
  14. ↑ Burton, Kim-Maree (2019-06-29). "NQ Games of 1986". The North West Star. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  15. ↑ "Planning on track for North Qld Games". ABC News. 2008-03-10. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
  16. ↑ "North Queensland Games puts Cairns in the spotlight". Ministerial Media Statements. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  17. ↑ "Queensland Academy of Sport engages with community during North Queensland Games". www.ausleisure.com.au. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
  18. ↑ "North Queensland Games puts Cairns in the spotlight". Ministerial Media Statements. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  19. ↑ Reporters, Staff (2023-11-26). "Town vies to host the sportstar awards". The North West Star. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  20. ↑ "Nominations open for the 2023 North Queensland Sportstar Awards". The North West Star. 2023-08-14. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  21. ↑ Council, Townsville City (2025-10-20). "Finalists named for the NQ Sportstar Awards". Townsville City Council. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
  22. ↑ Warburton, Bettina (2025-11-17). "Sportstar awards: all the winners from a record night". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  23. ↑ FOGS (2025-10-31). "Miles, Tallis and Thaiday inducted into North Queensland Sports Hall of Fame". FOGS. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.