Ballarat secures alternative sporting national championships

April 2023 will be a spectacular month of alternative sports for Ballarat which will host three separate Australian championships.

Ballarat will be the host city for the:

• National Canoe Polo Championships: Lake Wendouree, 7th-9th April

• National Basketball League 3 x 3 National Hustle Championships: Selkirk Stadium, 21st-22nd April

• Australian Ultimate (Frisbee) Championships: Victoria Park, 22nd-25th April

In a further coup, the City will also host the Victorian Disc Golf Championship from 22nd-23rd April to align with the Australian Ultimate Championships, making for a frisbee frenzy at Victoria Park.

City of Ballarat Councillor Ben Taylor said hosting the events was crucial for Ballarat on multiple fronts.

Taylor pointed to economic impacts of hosting competitors and spectators from all over Australia, the activation of Ballarat’s diverse sporting facilities and the chance for locals to witness a sport they might not have seen before.

“It’s so important to show that we are open to a diversity of sporting events in Ballarat,” he said.

“As important as the mainstream sports are to the city, there is so much more that we are capable of hosting and highlighting.

“Whether it’s flying frisbees in Victoria Park, clashing canoes on Lake Wendouree or the spectacular 3x3 basketball, it’s going to be an incredible few weeks.”

All events will be free for the public to attend.

Victoria Park’s disc golf course opened in Victoria Park in 2020, while the 3x3 basketball courts were launched last year and were used for the 2022 National Championships in January, 2022.

For the canoe polo, which is essentially a highly-physical version of water polo only with players competing in canoes, it will be the first time the sport has been held on Lake Wendouree.

Attracting the sport events aligns closely with Goal 2 of the Council Plan: 2021-2025: A healthy, connected and inclusive community.