This year's NZCT AIMS Games has cracked another milestone, breaking through the 8000-athlete barrier for the first time.

With late entries providing a final burst, 8007 intermediate-aged competitors from 261 schools across New Zealand will be in Tauranga from this weekend (September 6-11), battling it out across 19 different sporting codes.

The AIMS Games will include 64 sailors as yachting makes its debut at the sporting extravaganza. Photo: Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services.

The massive numbers include 1164 netballers, 640 rugby players, 644 cross country runners and 768 basketballers. Yachting's debut has also attracted strong interest, with 64 sailors lining up for the Anchor-sponsored on-water event.

The tournament has grown every year since it started in 2004, and director Vicki Semple said it has started to create its own legacy.

'When we first started out with a few hundred competitors, we never would've dreamed the event would grow so much,” she says.

'The best part is that it gives every competitor the chance to compete in an event that's bigger than the Commonwealth Games and nearly as large as the Olympics, soaking up all the great things about sport like camaraderie, adventure and competition.

'By the end of next week, another 8000 athletes will be heading home inspired.”

The geographical spread of schools competing is impressive - 19 Northland schools have entered, with 18 schools heading up from the South Island.

Oturu School cross country runner Jayde Florian, based just out of Kaitaia, is the northern-most competitor, while Tahuna Normal Intermediate swimmers Charlotte Underwood-Nicol and Madison Wills are making the trek up from Dunedin.

A number of schools - such as Taranaki's Auroa School, Taihape's Rangiwaea School and Breens Intermediate in Christchurch - are represented by just one athlete, while at the other end of the scale, Tauranga Intermediate has 24 teams competing across the 19 sports, Mount Maunganui Intermediate 23 and Bucklands Beach Intermediate in Auckland 17.

There's no shortage of talent either. Bucklands Beach will again feature the lowest handicapped golfer at the tournament, with Rose Zheng - playing off a 2 - back to defend the girls' title she won last year as a Year 7.

Nathan Xu (Wairau Intermediate) is a rising table tennis prodigy, while future stars across all sports are liberally sprinkled throughout.

The tournament has already built up an impressive alumni - the likes of junior All White Alex Rufer was a prodigy in Palmerston North Normal Intermediate's title-winning AIMS Games squad in 2009, while world champion double sculls rower Zoe Stevenson played hockey for Tauranga Intermediate in 2004.

World champion surf lifesaver Danielle McKenzie was a multisport marvel from Murrays Bay Intermediate in 2006 and 2007, while New Zealand women's sevens player Tyler Nathan Wong (Blockhouse Bay) was in the girls' soccer tournament team in 2007.

'Some of our early athletes are already out there as elites, competing on the world stage,” explains Vicki. 'We're also seeing former sporting internationals line up to coach their local school teams and ensuring that future stars will continue to emerge from all manner of codes.”

It's not just the athletes who benefit from the week-long tournament - the wider Bay of Plenty also gets a big boost.

An economic benefit study last year found the tournament generated 37,500 visitor nights and contributed $1.96 million to western Bay of Plenty's economy, while it was also recognised for event excellence at the annual Sport New Zealand Sport and Recreation Awards in Auckland recently.

'This event is now a significant contributor to the economic prosperity of our city and that's reflected in the support Tauranga City Council gives it each year,” says Pip Loader, TCC's manager for strategic events.

'It's shaken up Tauranga's reputation as a summer-only city and shows the region can host major events all year round.”

The massive interest this year has also given organisers a further challenge - hockey, tennis and water polo competitions are all at capacity, while netball has a full draw of 96 teams taking part.