Winter Games a success

New Zealand skier Piera Hudson in action in the slalom during the Winter Games at Coronet Peak....
New Zealand skier Piera Hudson in action in the slalom during the Winter Games at Coronet Peak. PHOTO: WINTER GAMES NZ
"Really strange" weather in the Queenstown Lakes area did not put a dampener on the New Zealand Winter Games, the event’s chief executive has said.

While the competition had been unable to complete "one and a-half" of the 10 events on its programme, chief executive Martin Toomey said that was itself an achievement given the conditions organisers were working with.

"There’s been front after front after front that’s come through in the Southern Lakes with quite heavy rain.

"This year had just a really strange, westerly flow."

Managing the windy and unusually warm weather had posed a challenge for organisers across the entire Games, which ran from August 23 to September 9.

Weather conditions in the first week had resulted in the cancellation of three giant slalom races at Coronet Peak, while conditions at Cardrona on Sunday meant the games’ closing event, the International Ski Federation (FIS) freeski halfpipe World Cup finals, were postponed until Monday.

"When you’re 22 feet above a half-pipe, you don’t really want to get blown around too much," Mr Toomey said.

More than 500 athletes from more than 35 countries descended on Queenstown and Wānaka for the competition.

This year’s Games had been notable for hosting the first two FIS World Cup events to successfully take place in New Zealand since 2019.

As World Cup events were qualifiers for the Olympics, the buildup to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy would "ideally" result in next year’s Games hosting as many as four World Cup events.

"I think there’ll be even more of the big international teams wanting to train in New Zealand in the leadup to the Winter Olympics.

"It attracts the best of the best down here, so that means they stay and spend time in the region, and that’s good for the local economy."