Winter Games NZ (WGNZ) is the largest snow sports event in the Southern Hemisphere and is held annually in the Southern Lakes District, at Queenstown and Wānaka Ski Areas.
The Games are organised by the Winter Games New Zealand Trust with the support of the Government of New Zealand, Sport and Recreation New Zealand and the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
History The inaugural New Zealand Winter Games was held in August 2009 in Dunedin, Queenstown, Wānaka, and Naseby, which are all situated in the Otago region of New Zealand. Events included alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, and snowboarding, as well as two demonstration events of winter triathlon and luge. Canada was the overall winner of the games, with the United States and Japan in second and third respectively.
The second Winter Games were held in August 2011. Methven, which is situated in the Canterbury region, was added as a venue alongside the venues from the previous Games. The number of events was increased from seven to nine. Editions of Winter Games NZ continued to be held every two years, with events in 2013, 2015 and 2017.
In 2018 Winter Games NZ became an annually held event.
COVID-19 2020 saw the introduction of a new and innovative team format known as Obsidian. Due to the borders being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Obsidian consisted only of New Zealand athletes and was praised for its athlete-focussed, content-driven vision.
In 2021 Winter Games NZ was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Post-COVID 2022 saw the return of international athletes to Winter Games NZ, with FIS Australia New Zealand Cup events held across Snowboard and Freeski Park and Pipe at Cardrona Alpine Resort, and Super G, Giant Slalom and Slalom disciplines at Coronet Peak. The North Face Frontier 2* and 4* events were held at The Remarkables Ski Area. Winter Games NZ also held an international invite only Big Air event as a nod to Obsidian.
The 2023 edition of the Winter Games NZ saw the inaugural international Obsidian go down, the four teams representing four corners of the globe competing in Big Air, Park Jam and Backcountry Freestyle. The international Obsidian was held alongside the 2023 FIS Park & Pipe Junior World Championships, FIS ANC Alpine schedule and Freeride 2* and 4* events.
Winter Games NZ 2024 saw the return of FIS Park & Pipe World Cup events to New Zealand snow, the first time since 2019. With a FIS Freeski Halfpipe World Cup and a FIS Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup on the schedule, the best of the best descended on Cardrona to earn valuable qualification points towards the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games.
The FIS ANC Alpine programme was held at Coronet Peak and The North Face Frontier 2* and 4* events were held at Treble Cone and The Remarkables. Cardrona was also the venue for the FIS ANC Snowboard Halfpipe and the FIS ANC Freeski Slopestyle competitions.
List of Games Year Hosts Dates Nations Competitors Sports Events Ref 2009Details Dunedin, Naseby, Queenstown, Wānaka 21 – 30 August 41 816 7 51 2011Details Dunedin, Methven, Naseby, Queenstown, Wānaka 13 – 28 August 36 887 9 38 2013Details Naseby, Queenstown, Wānaka 15 – 25 August 699 5 13 2015Details Naseby, Queenstown, Wānaka 21 – 30 August 445 5 27 2017Details Naseby, Queenstown, Wānaka 25 August – 10 September 42 846 7 2018Details Naseby, Queenstown, Wānaka 24 August – 8 September 7 2019Queenstown, Wānaka27 August – 11 September52020Queenstown, Wānaka12021CANCELLED2022Queenstown, Wānaka42023Queenstown, Wānaka42024Queenstown, Wānaka4
Sponsors and partners The Winter Games attracted big brands like Sky, The North Face, Forsyth Barr, Skyline, Mediaworks, Red Bull, Audi, Air New Zealand, Asahi and Champagne Mumm. Synonymous with quality, innovation and style, these names have been the sponsors of the games in past years, and have wowed watchers with their brand activation.
References
External links Official website