Officials from the Canada Games Council will be in Sudbury on Aug. 26 to evaluate the technical elements associated with the city’s bid for the 2021 Summer Games.
In a news release Tuesday, the city said the officials will be touring venues and reviewing proposals for the sporting facilities Greater Sudbury would need should the city win the bid to host the games.
“The visit by the Games Council’s Technical Review Committee is part of the bid evaluation process, and involves a detailed review of existing and proposed venues for each of the 20 sports included in the two-week event,” the release said.
Earlier this year, city council approved the $20,000 required to submit a bid to the Canada Games Council. The money was funded by the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation. If the city is successful, it will have to pay the full $30,000 it costs to bid for the games; if the games are awarded to another community, $10,000 of the $20,000 is refunded.
“This is the largest bid opportunity that our community has ever pursued, and the event has the potential to increase our impact on the national and international stages,” Mayor Brian Bigger is quoted as saying in the release. “We have the partnerships, the community spirit, and a willingness to invest in our infrastructure to make Greater Sudbury a real contender in this process. I want to thank council and staff for their foresight and acumen in moving this bid forward.”
A staff report in May said if the city makes the shortlist to host the games, “a minimum capital contribution of $3 million would be required, along with operational funding, from the municipal level.
“Staff will work with finance as well as funding agencies at the federal and provincial levels to determine funding available for this event if the city is selected as part of the short list of bid communities.”
Hosting the games would leverage “significant benefits for the community,” Tuesday's news release said, “including new and improved facilities, a potential economic impact of $165 million, increased visibility for Greater Sudbury on the national stage, enhanced community pride, and increased capacity for hosting major sports events.”
The public is invited to show the technical committee that residents support the 2021 Summer Games bid by coming out to the Northern Water Sports Centre on Aug. 26 at 6:45 p.m.
The goal is “to show the Technical Review Committee just how excited we are to host the games here in Sudbury,” Meredith Armstrong, Manager of Tourism for the City of Greater Sudbury, is quoted as saying in the release.
“Where we are going to be competitive in this round is showing that our community has heart, and that we have spirit. We want to see lots of locals coming out, cheering and showing excitement when this committee comes to town.”
Also bidding to host the 2021 Games are Niagara, Ottawa and a joint bid from Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph and Cambridge. A shortlist will be announced Sept. 9, with the winning bid expected to be announced in spring 2017.
The Canada Games were created in 1967 and has since grown to be the largest single sporting event in Canada. As the Canada Games Council has expressed it, these events are "national events held on a regional level," acting as a catalyst for the growth of sport and recreation across the country.
