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Darwin Wheelchair Tennis Competition Moved Because Courts Were Built On A Slope

Darwin Wheelchair Tennis Competition Moved Because Courts Were Built On A Slope

The slope was a whopping 49.5 centimetres.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Darwin was all set to host an international wheelchair tennis competition called the Arafura Games at the International Tennis Centre.

Where else would you want to have it?

Wheelchair tennis is hard enough without a slope.
PA

But sadly, the event has been moved after organisers realised the centre court had a 49.5cm slope. Hardly something you want when you're competing on wheels. Surely, that'd give someone an unfair advantage.

Interestingly, it would be a disadvantage to players on both sides of the court as the slope doesn't run from front to back by from side to side.

Organisers had the choice of waiting to level the playing field, so to speak, or just move it to another venue.

It's not as if the planners of the venue intended the court to be lopsided, but, according to the Guardian, the ground on one side started to sink, causing the weird level.

PA

Tennis NT chief executive Sam Gibson told the NT News: "We were given assurances from the project manager (AECOM) that they were going to get it done in time for the Arafura Games but unfortunately that hasn't come to fruition."

This type of awkward moment has happened to Darwin before, in 2015, after officials realised the Parap pool was 50.3 metres long and not the standard 50m.

Then treasurer Joe Hockey flew to the city to announce $4.5 million was being spent on upgrading pools, including Parap.

"I'm very pleased to be here with Natasha and the elected representatives of City of Darwin to make a 50-metre pool, 50 metres," he said.

Kind of strange that this could ever happen, but clearly they do.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Weird, Australia