The 2022 Challenge Wānaka Festival has been cancelled, organisers announced this morning (Tuesday January 25), due to the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and the red alert level setting.

Thirteen events were scheduled to take place between February 13 and 19, from triathlons to swim events, but Challenge Wānaka race director Bill Roxburgh said cancelling the event was the right decision given the risks Omicron poses.

“We have been working tirelessly on options on how we can continue,” Bill said, “but we strongly believe this option is the best for our competitors and community alike, in the face of what could be a prolonged length of time in the red light setting.”

Wānaka athlete Braden Currie finished in second place in last year’s Challenge Wanaka Half. PHOTO: Supplied

With athletes and families from across the country traveling to Wānaka, continuing the event “simply does not seem like the right thing to do, considering the predictions of how this outbreak could project over the coming weeks,” Bill said. 

Challenge Wānaka is New Zealand’s biggest triathlon festival and it is the second major local event to be cancelled following the announcement of the Covid-19 traffic light level changing to red.

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Because Challenge Wānaka cancelled the event before the end of January, competitors can receive a 75 percent refund or a transfer of their ticket to the 2023 event. If organisers waited until after January 31, it would not be able to recoup the significant financial outlay, Challenge Wānaka said in a statement.

Over 100 kayakers taking part in the Roys Bay Challenge Wanaka Multi in 2020. Photo: Lennon Bright Photography.

Challenge Wānaka plans to host a virtual event for competitors and more details will be shared in the coming weeks.

The 2023 edition of the Integrity Homes Challenge Wanaka will be held on February 18 2023 and the entries for that event will open in April this year.

Anyone with a Challenge Wānaka ticket can email [email protected] to receive a 75 percent refund and all refund applications must be made before February 14. Ticket holders who want to transfer their entry to 2023 should wait for an entry code via email in mid-March which will allow them to re-enter for next year’s event.