This photo appeared in The University of Newcastle Bulletin, No. 12, August 3, 1992

The text was:

"NIB Games

On the eve of the opening of the Olympic Games in Spain, many of the most promising young athletes from around NSW were gathering in Newcastle to participate in the Hunter Academy of Sport's second annual Regional NIB Games.

About 600 young athletes from the Hunter, Illawarra, North Coast, and Western Regions took part in the Games, which followed on from last year's highly successful inaugural event.

The official opening on Friday, July 17, by NIB Health Fund's Managing Director, Mr Colin Hayes (sic - correct surname is Rogers), at the Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium, began four days of competition in 13 different sports, including track and field athletics, basketball, netball, cricket, tennis, cycling, rugby union and rugby league.

Speaking at the official opening, which was attended by representatives of the HAC and other local sporting bodies as well as local Council Members and Parliamentarians, Mr Rogers said the Games gave young athletes the chance to participate in a very high level of competition in a friendly manner.

"The NIB Games were a great success last year, and have grown to become a wonderful opportunity for young people to test their skills in a high level of competition in a sportsmanlike, friendly manner," Mr Rogers said.

Executive Officer for the HC, Mr Ken Clifford, said that months of hard work had gone into the preparation for the Games, which once again proved to be a hugh success.

"The support we received from the different regions was overwhelming," Mr Clifford said. "For many young athletes, the NIB Games provides one of the few opportunities to participate in a high level of competition outside the capital cities."

Young Hunter Region athlete, Natalie Evans, said at the official opening, that the Games provided young competitors like herself with valuable experience, as well as the chance to make new friends and renew old acquaintances.

The four days proved to be a showcase of young talent, with the standard of competition in all sports very high. Mr Clifford said the regions were very evenly matched, and cliffhanger games decided the overall winner in a number of sports. One of the most outstanding matches of the games was in netball, when teams from Illawarra and Hunter emerged from six round-robin games undefeated to meet each other in the final. At the final whistle, the teams were locked at 14 all, and the winner was decided by tallying up goals scored for and against each team during the competition. Illawarra came out on top by a narrow margin. In other sports, outstanding performances from the Hunter Region maile and female basketball teams saw them come through the competition undefeated, and in cricket, the playoffs between undefeated teams from the Hunter and North Coast scheduled for Saturday, July 18, in Gresford were unfortunately washed out.

Mr Clifford said the success of this year's NIB Games will ensure they become an annual event. "Everything about the whole event has been excellent," he said.

Next year organisers hope to extend the games to include teams from each of the six regions in NSW, as well as visitors from Victoria, Queensland, and the ACT.

Pictured: Mr Colin Hayes congratulates HAC coach, Peter Taylor

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