Entries are now open for New Zealand’s third international tournament!
The tournament, from 6-8 February 2027, will be held in Palmerston, on New Zealand’s North Island.
The Antipodean nation has a very healthy racketlon scene, having already hosted five tournaments this year and with another coming up in November, as well as 51 events since the start of 2017.
It started with British man Owen Mugridge, who came to New Zealand in 2013 for a holiday and “never left”! He is organising the tournament with Victor Romero, who won this year’s event (Owen missed out on bronze by two points).
Owen says, “We’re really looking forward to hosting another NZ Open here on 6-8 February. It’s a great time of the year in New Zealand, right in the middle of summer and the schools are back so also a great time to be a tourist.”
“You can tie your trip in with some super adventures around the north and south island of New Zealand, see the country AND play some of your favourite sports.”
“Our venue at Massey University (Palmerston North) has everything onsite, with some great social events planned for the evenings. During the tournament we will also have a massage therapist on hand and a table tennis robot for those extra practise sessions.”ย
“We have a great racketlon community here in New Zealand, with about eight tournaments every year, and we would love to welcome the global racketlon community to the NZ Open 2027. See you soon! Four sports, one love.”
On-site accommodation is available through Massey Venues, with options at the Sport & Rugby Institute and Wharerata on the Manawatลซ campus. Rates are from just NZ$80 (40 Euro) per person per night. Players can contact Massey Venues to confirm availability and booking details.
As for the activities, New Zealand’s tourism board says, “Heritage collections, art galleries and urban street art are prominent in Palmerston North, and go hand in hand with the colourful array of cafes and dinning options that will take your taste buds on a tour of the world.”
Many racketlon players will surely appreciate the New Zealand Rugby Museum, the first museum dedicated to the sport, with loads of memorabilia from the iconic All Blacks over the eras. (As many racketlon players come from nations that do not play rugby much: New Zealand has status in the game of rugby as Brazil does in football.) Visitors can also test their rugby skills in the ‘Have a Go’ area.
International travellers can fly into Auckland and transfer to Palmerston North Airport, just around ten kilometres from the venue, or fly into Wellington and take the train or drive about two hours north to Palmerston North.
The HKFC-Racketlon SWT Hong Kong Open 2027 is planned the weekend after so players can combine the two if they want!
The World Tour (outside of New Zealand and Australia) has already had great representation from New Zealand, mostly in the form of Sion Wiggin, an excellent player from New Zealand who was based in and played many tournaments in Europe from 2022 to 2024, reaching a high of World No.9.
Obviously distance is a big issue but hopefully this tournament can spark some interest in New Zealand bring one side (or even more) to the World Championships in coming years!
You can enter the tournament on Tournament Software now.
