Badu Island will host the Jubilee Island-of-Origin rugby league series in 2010 but the KRL has requested the sporting association on Badu to affiliate the organisation with the QRL before the huge event.

Badu’s Cr Wayne Guivarra speaking at the last Origin.

 For the last year there has been conjecture over where the 25th birthday celebrations of the most-popular sporting event in the Torres Strait, NPA and Cape York would be held.

The 2009 carnival was held at the Ken Brown Memorial Oval on Thursday Island after the previous few events had been hosted by Badu.

Badu side Mulga United defeated Western Bears in the grand final of the recent 24th carnival.

Badu Councilor Wayne Guivarra (right), one of the stalwarts of the competition and a parochial advocate for his island hosting the carnival, made the following statements to the large crowd at the presentation ceremony.

You could have heard a pin drop as Cr Guivarra looked at the Sea Swift Origin trophy and said: "You see this Sea Swift Island of Origin trophy. It has only ever left Badu Island on one occasion, and that was on the dinghy ride coming into TI for this event.

"Now it’s going back to Badu. Only Badu has won the shield since Sea Swift secured naming rights sponsorship in 2003," Cr Guivarra said.

But opinions have still been divided about whether Thursday Island would relinquish hosting of the most important birthday celebrations.

Speculation ended on Sunday, July 26, when KRL President Harry Cook told the Torres News that Badu would host the carnival next year.

"Yes, Badu will host 2010 Island of Origin. Providing they affiliate their organisation with the QRL to allow QRL registered players to participate.

"QRL has to sanction the carnival by registering under CDRL or KRL is another option," Mr Cook said in an email to this writer.

It is no certainty, however, that the event will be over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend and players from TSI, NPA and Cape York of islander descent will compete.

"We haven’t settled on a date yet because we have to take our proposed dates to our community for agreement but it we will be recommending the  10/11–14 of June," Cr Guivarra said.

"We will also be seeking community direction on an early July date so that it falls in line with school holidays and doesn’t affect some of our Torres Strait students and their schooling," he said.

NITV is also expected to cover the carnival after missing out sending a crew to TI in June because of the high costs.

In 2008, more than 20 contractors made the long journey from Sydney to Badu taking an outside broadcast truck with them to film the games and the finals series.

Those games were shown on NITV over several months and were a big hit with viewers around Australia.

NITV’s Barefoot Footy Show also sent a team of three to Badu including former MRL star Wes Patten who provided numerous reports and also played with Wagadagam Storm.