AUSTRALIA Day’s traditional Across the Harbour swim may have made its last splash, with organisers opting to scrub the Stockton/Newcastle event indefinitely due to concerns over competitor safety.
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But organisers of the Sparke Helmore Newcastle City Triathlon and the Nobbys to Newcastle Ocean Swim say they have no concerns about running their events.
Stockton Surf Life Saving Club announced last week they would not hold the event in 2017, and said it would be unlikely to resume in its traditional form again.
“Increased marine activity has made it difficult to maintain competitor safety, so the event has been cancelled and a new event in the future will be introduced to take it’s place,” the club said in a statement.
“Stockton SLSC would like to thank it’s sponsors and many volunteers for your support of this event over the past few decades.”
Paul Humphreys, event director of the Sparke Helmore Newcastle City Triathlon, said it remained all systems go for his community sporting event being staged at The Foreshore on February 26.
The city’s iconic triathlon festival will have a new home base this year, moving from Shortland Compound near Nobbys to the Queen’s Wharf precinct.
The swim leg of the various triathlon races will hug the shoreline of the foreshore and Horseshoe beach.
“We’re confident that the swim will be safe and the water safety will be adequate to monitor any marine life,” Humphreys said.
“I respect their decision but really we are quite different swims. Theirs is across the harbour and ours hugs the shoreline.”
Nobbys to Newcastle Ocean Swim race director Lee Howes, from Newcastle Surf Life Saving Club, echoed Humphreys’ sentiments, saying she was confident they had “plenty of surf craft and support” for swimmers.
The two-kilometre ocean swim was originally set down for last month but had to be postponed due to massive swells and has been rescheduled for this Sunday.
