The Alice Springs Masters Games and Arafura Games have been postponed until 2022 and 2023 respectively, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gunner Government has announced.

The government brought back the Arafura Games last year, after the CLP had scrapped them citing high costs with little economic benefit. Last May, the Gunner Government announced the games would be back in 2021 before completing a cost benefit analysis.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner told Mix 104.9 Monday morning that the decision to defer the games wasn’t based on costs, but rather uncertainty over international travel next year.

However, he said not holding it would save “around $5 million, I think”. It was previously reported the 2019 games cost $8 million. Mr Gunner added that he did not know how much the Masters Games cost.

Mr Gunner said it came to the point that the government didn’t want to book venues now for the Masters Games if they weren’t certain the games would be able to go ahead.

“That’s why we had to make the decision now,” he said.

According to a statement released by the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Culture, COVID-19 had made it impossible to plan ahead with both multi-sport events as it relies heavily on the participation of interstate and international athletes and takes years of careful planning.

Thirty per cent of Alice Springs Masters Games participants fall into the vulnerable age category for COVID-19, while the majority of Arafura Games participants come from overseas, which remains a significant unknown, the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Culture statement’s said.

 “To say we are disappointed to have had to make this decision is an understatement, but we’re committed to the Arafura Games and under a Territory Labor Government we will see them return in 2023,” Minister for the Arafura Games Natasha Fyles said.

The Alice Springs Masters Games was originally scheduled for October 2020, and the Arafura Games was originally scheduled for May 2021.

“We are unable to guarantee a 2020 Masters Games to the standard of previous years, and we can’t risk sports and individuals investing time and money in an event that either can’t go ahead or does not meet expectations – so deferring the Games makes sense,” said Tourism and Sport Minister Lauren Moss.

Territory Alliance MLA Robyn Lambley said the government had rushed the decision to defer the Masters Games and pledged to bring them back next year if elected in August. She added that more than half of participants are Territorians and that the event should have been scaled down to permit more local content.

“This is a wasted opportunity to kick start our regional tourism industry, stimulate business and lift our spirits,” Ms Lambley said in a statement. “We cannot go four years without a Masters Games in Alice Springs. The government has not thought through the implications of this and clearly does not care. Whilst we have several full-time NT Government staff employed to organise the Masters Games in Alice Springs, bring it on.

“Territory Alliance is committed to the regional areas of the NT and will ensure we are not overlooked or ignored like we have seen under Labor.”

Mr Gunner said he “hoped” the postponement of the Arafura Games would not mean it ends.

“The first games was just getting it back open again and the second one was going to be really important, so it does hurt,” he said. “It’s not the same boost if we had done two in a row. I don’t think it’s the death of it but it just makes it  a lot harder and really slows down the rebirth of it.”