The first ever Katherine Gift will be held at the Showgrounds on Friday.
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The winner gets to go to the more famous Stawell Gift, Australia's premiere athletics carnival - plus win $500 and a sash.
The gift, one will be held in Katherine and another in Darwin, is part of an athletics program geared towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Olympian and Commonwealth Games competitor Kyle Vander-Kuyp will be in Katherine for the event.
It has been opened to communities of the Territory with the winners of the Indigenous races for both the male and female races winning two trips to Victoria for both the Parkdale and Stawell Gifts.
The Katherine Gift will be run at 6.30pm on Friday with registrations opening at 5.30pm.
Entry is free and competitors must be 14 years of age or older.
The program began with Tim Mason joining forces with Western Australia and two time Olympian and former Stawell Gift Winner Dean Capobianco.
This is the first time the event has been held in NT and builds on the Kimberley Gift in Western Australia that has been conducted for the past two years.
The objectives of the program are:
- Use running carnival calendars as the vehicle to identify potential sporting talent in Indigenous communities
- Expose organisations across sports, education, business and government to emerging Indigenous talent
- Engage communities to support the aspirations of young Indigenous Australians
- Provide young Indigenous Australians with opportunities to build pathways to success for themselves and future generations
Races 1. Killara Gifts 100m for Indigenous Men 14 years and over plus $500 total and sash 2. Killara Gifts Gift 100m for Indigenous Women 14 Years and over plus $500 total and sash 3.
Killara all comers Invitation 100m Hcp $500 total plus sash.
Winners of the races for men and women will receive return airfares and accommodation to compete in both the Parkdale Gift and Stawell Gift valued at over $2000 each.
"So if you think you or your friends are fast get to the these venues for the Dash for Cash," race organiser Tim Mason said.
"In the past there has been four indigenous winners of the Stawell Gift, the first one being in 1878 Robert Kinnear through to the most recent winner, Josh Ross, who has won it twice".
"The Darwin and Katherine Gift events are a great opportunity for aspiring athletes - and the opportunity for the winner to run at the historic Stawell Gift is fantastic," Kyle Vander-Kuyp said.
He will be in attendance at both events and conduct a clinic and talk about his athletic experiences and the future.
The Killara Foundation is the major sponsor of both events.
Killara Foundation executive director Kane Bowden said: "We are delighted to support the first ever Katherine and Darwin Gifts and I can't wait to watch the heats in Darwin at half time of the reserves of the St Mary's/Nightcliff NTAFL game at PSC BM Oval - the finals will be at half time of the Premier League Game."
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