The NSW State Championship for Karting NSW has been cancelled. Scheduled to be run at Dubbo at the beginning of October, the event is just one of many being impacted by the COVID-19 situation in New South Wales.
Karting NSW Chair Ilona Meyer distributed the following communication explaining where the organisation sits on that, plus other matters.
Dear KNSW Members,
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 situation has deteriorated to the extent that the level of uncertainty we are currently experiencing in our competition is unprecedented.
KNSW has been forced to make the very difficult decision to abandon the NSW State Championships, after recent Public Health Order announcements it has become clear that there was no chance that we will be able to effectively run it this year.
Similarly, the national Rotax Pro Tour and Australian Kart Prix events are at risk of being abandoned. We anticipate making a further announcement on these national events in the very near future.
Our hearts go out to all of the competitors, officials and volunteers who have put so much time and effort into this year’s events, only to see them stop so abruptly. We look forward to returning with a bang in 2022, or hopefully sooner should the COVID-19 situation suddenly improve.
At present KNSW is clinging to hope that the COVID-19 situation in regional NSW will subside to enable a few remaining events to take place. We will be conservative in our decision-making around these events – always following the health advice at the time and most importantly remaining committed to ensuring the safety of our karting community.
KNSW Clubs all over the state have also had to make hard decisions in recent weeks. For Greater Sydney Clubs in particular this has seen events cancelled or postponed – as it now becomes clear that there is no current NSW Government sanctioned roadmap out of lockdown for community sport. More recently regional Clubs have also had to deal with lockdowns just as the racing calendar was increasing in momentum.
Our overwhelming response to our Clubs at this time is one of gratitude. While KNSW works as quickly as we can to provide the most up-to-date information when health advice changes, we know that actioning that advice falls on the shoulders of volunteers. A heartfelt thank you to every one of our dedicated volunteers across the state for your ongoing commitment to our sport.
While the outlook remains uncertain, rest assured that KNSW are heavily engaged in discussions with other sporting codes, as we constantly share ideas on a path out of the current predicament.
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That also extends to participating in forums with Sport NSW and a wider group of State Sporting Organisations, as well as the Office of Sport and the Minister for Sport, The Hon. Natalie Ward.
Representations on behalf of KNSW have already been made to the Minister directly for a financial assistance package for the sporting sector in addition to providing support to the Office of Sport and the Minister in formulating a plan to ensure a timely return to sport.
We have made applications and received government support through the recently announced business support packages to assist in ensuring we are in a position to rebound strongly in 2022. We will keep you updated with any further developments.
Separately, this week KNSW attended a Hearing at the Supreme Court of NSW in relation to claims brought against it by Karting Australia relating to the repayment of TDF loans and/or back-dated interest for Tamworth Kart Club, Coffs Harbour Kart Club and Combined Districts Kart Club. KNSW defended these claims and requested the return of approximately $600k from the AKA Track Development Fund Trust.
A large number of the karting community dialled in to listen to the proceedings – and we thank you for the overwhelming messages of encouragement and support from karters and industry across the whole country.
The judgment was reserved, and we shall advise of the outcome of the decision as soon as it is handed down. I take this opportunity to thank our legal team on the outstanding job they did on behalf of our clubs and KNSW.
On a very positive note, a team of dedicated volunteers have been performing in-depth testing of our all new MyKarting™ Portal in preparation for an October go-live release date. In parallel to this, we continue to export our data from the current system, apply configuration and finalise development in the new system.
We very much look forward to going live with the KNSW owned purpose-built system that features additional functionality and is significantly easier to use than other systems. We expect the new system will be very much welcomed by Clubs, Competitors and Officials alike.
Finally, with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting us on many fronts, we encourage you to all look out for one another, check-in with a mate, and access the resources available at https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhe…/Pages/default.aspx if you or someone you know requires assistance with their mental health.
Should you have any questions or require further clarification please do not hesitate to make contact with Karen or Donna who will help in any way they can – Monday, Wednesday & Friday.
Stay safe and please look after one another.
Regards
Ilona Meyer
Chair, Karting New South Wales
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