General News
10 June, 2026
The gift that keeps on giving
THE dust has settled on one of the most talked-about Stawell Gift carnivals in recent memory, with organisers now turning their attention to building on the event’s success in 2027. Stawell Gift Event Management chair Murray Emerson said the committee had now had time to properly review the 2026 carnival, which drew major national and international attention through the appearance of global sprint stars Sha’Carri Richardson and Christian Coleman.
“Everybody was very happy about the result,” Mr Emerson said.
While crowd figures were close to the previous year, Mr Emerson said the broader impact of the carnival had been significant, particularly through media exposure, international interest and the profile generated by Richardson’s win in the women’s Gift.
“We were pretty close to steady figures on the last year,” he said.
“I would have expected it might have been a little bit better, but it was about the same as the year before, so we’re tracking pretty well.”
Mr Emerson said international viewing figures and media attention had elevated the Gift to a level of exposure not previously seen in the event’s history.
“There’s no doubt about that,” he said.
“The international interest is at an all-time high. It’s never been anywhere near that before.
“That’ll create some opportunities for us. We’ve just got to work out how we harness those opportunities.”
Mr Emerson said media interest in the event was about triple what organisers would normally expect, with around 30 outlets showing interest compared with the usual 10 or 12.
He said Richardson’s global profile had undoubtedly boosted attention, but the Gift had also benefited from a period of unprecedented strength for Australian athletics.
“Australian athletics is at an all-time high at the minute,” he said.
“Athletics Australia has some wonderful runners, and they’re showcasing their wares all around the world.
“We’re heading into a peak period, I think.”
The 2026 carnival delivered one of the Gift’s defining modern moments when Richardson, running from scratch, stormed home to win the women’s Gift in front of a packed Central Park crowd.
Mr Emerson said the event had also performed strongly behind the scenes.
“From our point of view at the Stawell Gift, it was a great event,” he said.
“Everything was very positive, and we’re all very happy with it.”
Attention has now turned to how organisers can build on this year’s momentum.
Mr Emerson said the connection with Richardson and Coleman’s management group had opened a valuable pathway into the international sprinting market.
“We’ve just got to work out now what we can do to top it next year,” he said.
“We’ve got a foot in the international market there.
“Sha’Carri’s manager looks after 20 of the fastest runners in the world, so that gives us an opportunity to attract some of those athletes to Stawell.”
Mr Emerson said Richardson and Coleman had been delighted with their Stawell experience, including the way they were received by organisers, sponsors and the community.
“They were ecstatic,” he said.
While the challenge now was building on this year’s momentum, Mr Emerson said organisers were optimistic about the future.
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