At the end of seven days of intense competition, The University of Western Australia has emerged victorious, winning the coveted title of the 2016 Australian University Games Overall Champion University on home turf.

The Australian University Games attracted more than 6000 student-athletes from 40 tertiary institutions across Australia, competing in 34 sports in Western Australia’s spectacular capital city, Perth.

The University of Western Australia stole the show, securing 12 of the 33 gold medal pennants on offer to be crowned winners, managing to overcome rivals The University of Sydney and University of Technology, Sydney each taking home eight pennants.

The John White Spirit of the Games trophy, awarded to the university that displays outstanding sportsmanship, fair play and respect for self and others, was awarded to Monash University.

The University of Western Australia also managed to take home a second major trophy, the Doug Ellis Per Capita trophy, recognised as the university that has won the most pennants per student numbers.

Australian University Sport CEO Don Knapp is pleased by the level of sportsmanship and high quality athleticism displayed by the student-athletes.

“A key aim of Australian University Sport is to enable student athletes to participate in competitive sport at regional, national and international levels through a dual education and sport pathway,” Mr Knapp said.

“Student-athletes that came to Perth experienced the highest quality intervarsity competition available in Australia, as well as outstanding sporting facilities provided by the City of Perth.”

“Thanks to the support of the Australian Sports Commission, the Government of Western Australia, Tourism WA, the City of Perth, The University of Western Australia, Curtin University, Murdoch University, Edith Cowan University and The University of Notre Dame, the Games has achieved its highest ever level of participation when the event has been held in Western Australia.”

The Western Australian Government, through TourismWA, is proud to support the Australian University Games as part of events calendar, showcasing Australia’s best events in spectacular destinations.

The Red Bull Campus Cricket National Final was also held as part of the 2016 Australian University Games, with The University of Sydney taking out the title. The Sydney team will represent Australia at the 2017 Red Bull Campus Cricket World Final in Sri Lanka.

The National Final is the pinnacle competition for university cricketers and provides a platform for student-athletes to impress the national stage and take their career from campus to international level, creating a legacy for high performing cricketers to reach the international stage.

The Australian University Games will go to the Gold Coast in 2017.

Media references

Originally published at Uni Sport Online

Mia Herriman

Marketing Communications and Events

UWA Sport