Residents can join in the excitement as Ottawa bids to host the Canada Summer Games in 2021 by registering their support at Ottawa2021.ca (link is external). As part of the bid process, the City wants to showcase the strong community support and enthusiasm for hosting the event.
The Canada Games are this country’s largest multi-sport event for the next generation of national team athletes and represent the pinnacle of interprovincial/territorial sport competition. It would be the biggest sporting event ever hosted in Ottawa.
In addition to the 4,600 elite Canadian athletes who would compete at the Games, the event would bring an estimated 20,000 visitors to Ottawa, creating more than 1,000 jobs and generating more than $150 million in local economic activity.
A community celebration held at City Hall today heightened excitement for the City’s bid, with more than 250 residents attending the party hosted by Mayor Jim Watson, Councillor Jody Mitic, City of Ottawa Sports Commissioner, Ottawa 2021 Bid Committee Co-chairs Cyril Leeder, President of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club, and four-time Olympian Sue Holloway.
The support shown by the community both online and at community events strengthens the City’s bid, which will be evaluated by the Canada Games Council and scored against other bids from Greater Sudbury, Niagara Region, and a partnership between the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. An announcement of the successful bid is expected at the end of March 2017.