Ottawa has advanced to the next round of the bidding process to host the 2021 Canada Summer Games, one of the country’s top sporting events.
The Canada Games Council’s latest announcement on the competition included a list of the four Ontario communities still contending to be host: Ottawa, Niagara, Sudbury, and the combined bid of Kitchener/Waterloo/Guelph/Cambridge.
The next phase requires the cities to submit a Comprehensive Host Community Bid proposal in which they must demonstrate the strength of the bid and highlight the community’s vision of hosting, the Games’ legacy potential and other advantages. The proposals are due Jan. 31.
The Canada Summer Games is the country’s largest multi-sport event which is held once every two years. The event will bring many tourists, top athletes, and more dollars to the city, said Coun. Jody Mitic, the city’s sports commissioner, in a statement provided to Centretown News by his chief of staff.
“Things like volunteerism or community pride are all direct results of the actual hosting of the games but they then have very tangible legacies as well,” said Patrick Kenny, the council’s director of marketing and communications. He added that athletes use the competition as an important stepping stone to further success.
In the 2016 Olympics, he said, 40 per cent of the members of the Canadian team were Canada Summer Games alumni. More than 60 per cent of the athletes who received a medal had previously competed at the CSG. Swimmer Kennedy Goss and runner Andre De Grasse are CSG alumni that competed in the Rio Olympics.
The last Canada Summer Games were held in Sherbrooke, Québec in 2013 and they attracted 16,000 visitors and produced an estimated $165 million in economic impacts, according to a Sept. 12 news release. The 2017 Games will be held in Winnipeg.
“It’s the right size of opportunity for Ottawa, it would be a good fit,” said Mitic. “With the variety of athletic events, we have a lot of the natural features and existing facilities that would fit this type of sporting event.”
The Terry Fox Athletic Facility, which is well-known for track and field, and the Nepean Sportsplex, which works for baseball, soccer and swimming, are some of the venues being considered. Sports chair members have been selected to ensure that the facilities are in adequate condition.
“The good news for our city is that a lot of these facilities are already, from a technical perspective, at the standard that the summer games requires or exceeds the standards,” said Mitic. He added that there are improvements that have to be made, but he says he thinks they are very minimal.
Mitic says the size of the venues in Ottawa gives an advantage over some of the other the regions like Waterloo, Niagara and the greater Sudbury area whose smaller size can affect the space for facilities.
He added that Ottawa should have a further advantage since the proximity of the venues will provide a better experience for the athletes, their families and the fans.
“Our venues are all within a very compact distance of each other. I’ve heard that some of the other cities have longer drives between venues; they’re more spread out.”
Kenny said all four communities are on equal footing and have the opportunity to “put their best foot forward” in the next round of assessments.
There were speculations about the city building facilities for the games if chosen. Nicki Bridgland, founder of the Ottawa Sport and Social Club, said the city building facilities for the event would be a bonus for the community after the games are over.
Ottawa attempted to host the games in 2001 but lost to London. Thunder Bay hosted them in 1981. The 2021 Canada Games will mark the third time the event is hosted in the province of Ontario.