THE flooding emergency has forced Swan Hill Basketball Association to cancel its junior tournament for the third year in a row in a crushing blow for the economy.
All motels and caravan parks from Swan Hill to Kerang were booked out for the event, with hundreds of players and their families from 10 associations across the state set to converge on the town for the weekend.
But with the basketball stadium being turned into a relief shelter for displaced Mallee residents, SHBA administrator Kylie Kelly said cancelling the tournament was the right call.
“The council decided to make it a shelter which is obviously needed, and were more than happy with that decision,” she said.
“It’s devastating. You think of the kids – they haven’t been able to do anything for two years and now some of them can’t even go on school camps because of these floods, let alone a basketball tournament.
“But all that’s important is everyone needs to stay safe and from the people we have spoken to, they have been really positive and showing us support that we’ve made the correct decision.”
The tournament has been cancelled the previous two years due to the COVID pandemic, but was set to bounce back in a big way this year with large participation numbers.
Swan Hill Rural City Council director of development and planning Heather Green said the stadium was currently being set up as an emergency relief centre, for residents from surrounding communities who have chosen to evacuate their homes due to flooding.
“Unfortunately, whilst the event would have provided a significant tourism boost, the tournament cancellation is a matter of public safety for competitors and their families,” Ms Green said.
“Council will support the Swan Hill Basketball Association in planning future events like these and would welcome this event back to the region.”
Ms Kelly said the tournament was vital for the tourism industry in Swan Hill.
“We had 10 other associations coming and they have about four teams each,” Ms Kelly said.
“All motels and caravan parks from Swan Hill to Kerang were booked out, so we notified them yesterday, which adds another layer of disappointment.”
One of these motels was the Quality Inn, which had almost all of its reservations for this weekend cancelled, according to Tony Kelly.
“Our 24 rooms were fully booked and we’ve cancelled three-quarters of those already, which I predict will be all by Wednesday,” he said.
“It will no doubt be a significant hit to the revenue of the area, but when you weigh it all up, the risk of people trying to drive through floodwaters, it’s not worth it.
“The call they made is the best thing they could have done.”
In better news for motels and accommodation parks in the region, the influx of SES crews, Victoria Police and many more could see the loss of this weekend balanced out.
“We take in a lot of emergency service workers,” Mr Kelly said.
“So yes, this weekend will hurt us, but in the long run, we should be alright.”
The SHBA will hold a meeting soon to decide whether to reschedule or cancel the tournament altogether, but Ms Kelly said the former isn’t looking likely.
“We haven’t made a decision yet – hopefully we can reschedule – but all other sporting competitions are in the same boat with rescheduling due to COVID, so finding some time on the basketball calendar will be tough,” she said.
