There was a “buzz” and “sense of excitement” across Tauranga at the weekend as the 2023 Zespri AIMSims Games officially began. 

The first sporting codes of the tournament began on Saturday before yesterday’s ceremonies officially opened the week-long event at Mercury Baypark. 

More than 22,000 officials, supporters, and junior athletes have descended on the city for the 18th AIMS Games. 

A record 373 schools have registered bringing 11,733 athletes who will compete across 25 sporting codes. That is 50 more schools than last year and 12 more than the event’s peak of 361 in 2019. 

The 2023 tournament will also welcome back international schools from the Cook Islands, Fiji, and Samoa. 

Tournament director Kelly Schischka said it was amazing to see so many months of hard work finally come to fruition. 

“The opening ceremony is such a nice way to officially open the Zespri AIMS Games and there’s such a buzz and sense of excitement for our athletes. 

“It’s already been a busy weekend, with 3x3 basketball, gymnastics, futsal, cross country and sailing starting, but tomorrow is when the majority of the codes start. It promises to be another incredible tournament.” 

The stadium was filled with thousands of excited students dancing and cheering for the entirety of the opening ceremony. 

The vibe was set before it started with a band from Mount Maunganui Intermediate playing songs to get the crowd amped up followed by Tauranga Intermediate School’s powerful kapa haka performance. 

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The Hits radio hosts Jono and Ben had banter to cater to everyone throughout the event, saying there were more people competing than at the Olympics. 

They continued to entertain the crowd, from getting a selfie video with the crowd saying “up the Wahs” to be sent to the New Zealand Warriors, starting a Mexican wave, and having a race with large balls in the crowd. 

AIMS Trust chairman Henk Popping welcomed everyone to the week and promised a “fantastic” tournament, and a guest speaker, Tauranga City Councillor commissioner Shadrach Rolleston, said it was great to have our Pasifika whānau from Fiji, Samoa and Rarotonga. 

Black Ferns Sevens player Georgia Millar and All Blacks Sevens player Ngarohi Black made an appearance, and had a brief sitdown with the hosts. 

Olympic silver medallist Black said he had “vivid” memories of playing sevens at AIMS Games when he was younger. 

Millar’s advice for students was to “have fun, suck it all up, and make the most of the experience”. 

The ceremony continued to keep the crowd pumped, a sign of what was to come for the coming week. 

There was a mini circus performance which included a girl doing handstands on chairs, a man using a jump rope while on a unicycle, and someone juggling on stilts. 

Kiwi artists Muroki and Georgia Lines got all the students singing away under the colour lighting. 

Tauranga Intermediate School principal Cameron Mitchell said it was “fantastic” to see thousands of students “doing their thing” and making lifetime memories. 

Tauranga Intermediate principal Cameron Mitchell. 

“It’s been an incredibly positive vibe and it’s great to see kids happy and competing at a national level.” 

He said the students had worked hard at their schools to prepare for their opportunity to shine. 

His school had 285 students competing. 

“The loudest cheer I’ve ever heard” 

Taranaki’s Zach Graham, 12, reckons four scoops of ice cream for dessert would be the best way to celebrate his win at the para-race at the AIMS Games 2023 cross country. 

And his proud dad watching on couldn’t ask for a more special Father’s Day. 

Zach Graham. Photo / Jamie Troughton, Dscribe Media Services 

It’s the first time Graham, of Highland’s Intermediate, has entered the cross country at the AIMS Games, entering into two races; the para-race, and the school relay with his classmates. 

Graham has low vision and needs a walking stick, but walked the 800 metre track with his dad in the morning to get familiar with it. 

There were also visibility markers placed around the track to help him see where he needed to go. He stuck close to the white rope which outlined the path for runners to keep him going the right way. 

“It was tiring,” he said, once the race had finished, with his throat hurting during the race and it being difficult to judge how much further he had to go, the more tired he got. 

But crossing the finish line was a special feeling. 

“That was the loudest cheer I’ve ever heard,” he said of him and the other competitors crossing the line. 

“It was quite cool.” 

He started training for it at the beginning of the term, with one training after school on Mondays and during school on Wednesdays. 

Graham also competed in the 1km able-bodied relay course with his school and said, before the race, he might need a bit longer to recover from that distance. 

He first came to AIMS Games last year and competed in the indoor bowls, where he will be competing against other athletes with disabilities tomorrow. 

If he had to choose, he’d choose bowls, as it was something he’s been doing for longer, and it doesn’t exert his energy like running. 

He’s been doing bowls for the last three years at the local New Plymouth club with his dad and grandad, who are also keen on the sport. 

Peter Graham and son Zach Graham. Photo / Jamie Troughton, Dscribe Media Services 

His dad, Peter, has been supporting his son all day, and said it’s been a special Father’s Day. 

“It’s nice having this time with just us,” he said, with his partner and the other two kids at home for the week. 

He said he was “very excited” to watch his son not only take part in the race, and him doing well was the icing on the cake. 

He said bowls “runs in the family” and, as an avid bowls player, he was excited to see his son compete again this year. 

Cira Olivier is a social issues and breaking news reporter for NZME Bay of Plenty. She has been a journalist since 2019.