Cairns Sports Guide: Taipans, Ironman & Reef Racing

Cairns' sporting culture is shaped by the tropical environment and the outdoor lifestyle that the Wet Tropics provides, with the Great Barrier Reef water sports (scuba diving, snorkelling, sport fishing), the Atherton Tablelands mountain biking and trail running, and the city's growing triathlon and endurance sport community providing a sporting landscape that is distinctive from any southern Australian city. The Cairns Taipans NBL basketball club provides the city's primary professional team sport following.

Cairns Taipans (NBL Basketball) — the Cairns Taipans are North Queensland's primary professional sporting team, competing in the National Basketball League from the Cairns Convention Centre arena. The Taipans' passionate fan base and the compact arena atmosphere create one of the NBL's most electric home-court environments, with the club's North Queensland identity and the tropical city setting providing a distinctive NBL experience. The Taipans' 2021 NBL Championship (defeating Perth Wildcats in the grand final series) is the peak of the club's achievement.

Cairns Ironman and endurance sports — the IRONMAN Cairns triathlon (June) is one of Australia's most scenic and popular long-distance triathlon events, with the swim in Trinity Inlet, the bike course along the Captain Cook Highway to Port Douglas and back, and the marathon run along the Cairns Esplanade creating a distinctive tropical endurance event. The Cairns Ironman consistently sells out and attracts international athletes from across the Asia-Pacific.

Sport fishing and reef fishing — the Great Barrier Reef sport fishing scene (black marlin, coral trout, red emperor, mackerel) is world-renowned, with the Cairns game fishing fleet (based at the Cairns Marlin Marina) targeting the world's largest black marlin in the Coral Sea canyon during the October-December season. The annual Lizard Island Black Marlin Classic is one of game fishing's most prestigious events.

Trail running and mountain biking (Atherton Tablelands) — the Atherton Tablelands trail running and mountain biking network provides Cairns with world-class off-road endurance sports terrain, with the Tablelands' volcanic soil trails, the rainforest single-track, and the crater lake terrain providing event venues for the Bump Track Trail Run and the Atherton Mountain Bike Park events.

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