Winter Games chief executive Arthur Klap has hailed this year's event as the best yet.
The fourth biennial Winter Games, which featured about 600 athletes in events at Queenstown, Wanaka and Naseby, wrapped up yesterday after 10 days of action.
One of the biggest winter competitions in the world - and the only one in the southern hemisphere - included curling at Naseby, slalom events at Coronet Peak, cross country skiing at the Snow Farm, and halfpipe and slopestyle events at Cardrona.''
I'm over the moon. It's gone extremely well,'' Mr Klap said.''
Everything from the weather generally co operating really well, the quality of the venues and the work the skifields have done.
''The level of competition we have got - we have had exceptional fields right across all sports.
''Definitely the best Winter Games we have had'' was his assessment of the event.
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden said she was impressed with media coverage of the event.
''It's amazing - God, we look good.''
She said it lifted the district's reputation to have world class athletes competing on Queenstown and Wanaka skifields, not just for competition but for the area to be seen as a viable training destination.''
I think it was an absolute winner this year having the opening up Coronet [Peak] as opposed to in town.
''They got a whole lot more local people involved and I've had lots of conversations about how awesome it was to be up there,'' Ms van Uden said.
Mr Klap said about 3000 people attended the opening ceremony at Coronet Peak, and public interest in this year's games had been higher than in the previous three.
More people were calling for the event to be held annually, and a business case study commissioned by Sport New Zealand, and being carried out by Ernst & Young, was under way, he said.
The independent study is expected to be completed in the next couple of months, and the Winter Games New Zealand and Snow Sports New Zealand boards will make a decision before Christmas.
If it became an annual event - the Cardrona Alpine Resort is supports that move - it was unlikely to be held next year, Mr Klap said.
''I don't think that would be feasible. But what we might do is get some events together to keep that momentum rolling.
''But really, from 2017 on, it would become annual.''
Winter Games chairman Sir Eion Edgar last week raised concerns another southern hemisphere country might step in and take over if the games remained biennial, which Mr Klap ''absolutely'' agreed with.
Supporters of the event becoming annual include FIS Secretary general Sarah Lewis, who watched the final two days of the Winter Games.
Ms Lewis, who is based near the FIS headquarters in Oberhofen, Switzerland, said it was ''fantastic'' to hear how much support partners and businesses had for the proposed change.
Before the weekend, her only visit to the Winter Games was during the inaugural event in 2009, and she believes it has gone from strength to strength.
''It's great to see how it's evolved and to see how it has established in the community,'' she said.
