Ottawa the super sports city set to welcome tons of championships

By Dan Plouffe

Basketball, canoe slalom, curling, cycling, figure skating, golf, ice cross downhill, mixed martial arts, rugby, tennis, track-and-field, triathlon and volleyball.

It’ll be a sports lover’s dream in 2016 and 2017 as Ottawa gets set to host major events in each one of those sports (and odds are solid that hockey and football will join that list).

For Ottawa Tourism major events manager Darrell Cox and City of Ottawa sports commissioner Jody Mitic, this is their dream too.

“Being involved with this every day and the excitement of bringing these events to the nation’s capital is a real thrill,” says Cox, who was a finalist for the Sport Tourism Champion of the Year Prestige Award during the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance’s annual Congress, held alongside the Tim Hortons Brier in early March. “It makes you feel proud of your city that you’re hosting these events.”

The plethora of provincial, national and international-level competitions coming to town (see sidebar for a list of confirmed events) is the payoff for efforts that date back a number of years.

The Events Ottawa organization was born in 2011 out of the City’s desire to be “more proactive and strategic in going after events – not just waiting for opportunities to come,” recounts Cox.

“Let’s go out and target what we want,” explains the former long-time employee in the City’s economic development department. “Now we are getting the reputation nationally and internationally as a major event hosting destination.”

Created in late 2014, the sports commissioner’s job – filled by an elected City councillor; Mitic being the first – also showed how serious Ottawa is about attracting major sports events.

“It’s really starting to pay off,” Mitic indicates. “But even before I was in this position, we had people grinding hard to attract these events.”

Having committed resources that doesn’t require a drawn out political approval process to decide to go after events has been critical to Ottawa’s sport tourism success, Cox adds, as has collaboration with the City’s parks & recreation department, and the establishment of the Ottawa Sport Council (in 2013) to connect the sports community.

Add to that the enthusiasm (and funding) to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary of confederation in 2017 and the result is something almost unimaginable like an ice course down the Rideau Canal locks between the Chateau Laurier and Parliament Hill (for Red Bull’s Crashed Ice, coming in March 2017).

“People are excited,” underlines Mitic, who’s been buoyed by the eagerness and enthusiasm he’s seen from the sports community since tackling his new role.

Big bucks in sport tourism
Hosting major sports events carries a ton of positives for communities, but the driving interest remains the economic benefits they can provide for local businesses and tourism, Cox details.

Government and related agencies such as Ottawa Tourism see the value of putting money into hosting, he continues, noting $400,000 of support for FIFA Women’s World Cup games last summer brought an estimated $20 million in economic activity to the Ottawa area, while a national championship may require a contribution of $150,000 to generate an economic impact of $4-5 million.

“The return on investment for that is huge,” Cox notes.

Events often leave a social and infrastructure legacy as well, he adds, such as a new artificial turf field at Wesley Clover Parks alongside FIFA, or a new throwing cage for Terry Fox Athletic Facility when Ottawa hosts the Canadian Track-and-Field Championships in 2017 and 2018.

Top local contenders
While it’s business that may fuel government interest, there’s lots in it for fans of local sport too. With names such as curler Rachel Homan, figure skater Alaine Chartrand, cyclist Mike Woods, runner Melissa Bishop, whitewater kayaker Cam Smedley and triathlete Joanna Brown, there are a remarkable number of Ottawa athletes who will be legitimate contenders for the top when the championship events come to their backyard.

Mitic says that is somewhat by coincidence, somewhat by design.

“We know where we’re strong as far as the sports where Ottawa produces athletes. The Sport Council is really helping us identify that,” signals the Innes ward councillor, suggesting the city’s sports strength comes from having great places to exercise – like running along the canal or cycling from one end of town to other – and the range of activities available in all seasons. “We have all these great sports in the city and each group is very passionate.”

Upcoming Championship Sports Events in Ottawa

Ontario Cup Basketball U16 Girls
April/May 2016

Volleyball Canada 14U Eastern Championships
May 2016 & 2017

Ontario Cup Basketball U16 Boys
May 2016

Canadian 10 km Road Race Championships (alongside Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend)
May 2016

IAAF Pan American Combined Events Cup
June 2016

UFC Fight Night
June 2016

Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships
June 2016 & 2017

Canadian Triathlon Championships
July 2016 & 2017

Canadian Men’s Amateur Golf Championships
August 2016

Tennis Canada Senior Nationals
August 2016

World Junior Girls Golf Championship
September 2016-2018

Canadian Tire National Skating Championships
January 2017

Red Bull Crashed Ice
March 2017

Canadian University/College Golf Championships
May/June 2017

Canadian Track and Field Championships
July 2017 & 2018

Canadian Pacific Women’s Open
August 2017

Canoe-Kayak Canada Whitewater National Championships
August 2017

World Vintage Rugby Carnival
August 2017

Roar of the Rings Canadian Olympic Curling Team Trials
December 2017

CN Future Links Ontario Championship
July 2018