2023-04-18 23:50:09
Quebec will be the scene of the Canada Games in the winter of 2027, which will mark the return of the event to the city which saw its birth 60 years earlier, in 1967.
The news was confirmed Tuesday at the Center de glaces, in the greatest decorum, to the point where even the national anthem of Canada preceded the announcement in due form.
For now, there are no specific dates that are cast in stone for the presentation of the two-week competition, which will bring together athletes and parathletes.
Everything indicates that the competitions will take place in February or March, after discussions with other flagship winter events in Quebec such as the International Pee-wee Hockey Tournament, the Carnival and the Pentathlon des neiges.
“It would be completely absurd to put yourself in the same niche as the existing ones, primarily for a question of the availability of infrastructure, hotels and restaurants. What we want is a winter period that is continuous, ”suggested Mayor Bruno Marchand, at a press conference.
Photo provided by the City of Quebec
The mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, and the minister Isabelle Charest had an easy smile at the time of the announcement, in the presence of Line Blouin, of the Canada Games Council.
Yukon Disclaimer
The Canada Winter Games were to be held in the Yukon in 2027, until the latter withdrew at the end of November.
The Minister responsible for Sports, Recreation and the Outdoors, Isabelle Charest, quickly returned with her team to identify the Quebec cities most likely to seize the ball.
“We did an overview of where the possibilities lay with infrastructures ready to host the Games. We immediately proposed Quebec. The context of the 60th anniversary also weighed in the balance,” said Isabelle Charest, also present at the Ice Center.
For the moment, the competition sites have not been chosen and certain sports, such as alpine skiing, could eventually be presented outside of Quebec City, at Le Massif or Mont-Sainte-Anne.
Bruno Marchand mentioned that investments of $9 million, shared equally between the Government of Quebec, the federal government and the City, would be necessary in terms of infrastructure.
The overall envelope should be around 35 million, with 11 million from each government, and the rest via a financial package “which remains to be developed”.
Photo d’archives
On February 11, 1967, Quebec City hosted the first Canadian Winter Games and then Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was visiting Quebec.
An opportunity to seize
“That’s seizing an opportunity. We don’t always have all the answers, but it’s too interesting for the region. It must be a pretext to put the youth in motion, ”pleaded the mayor.
According to Sports Tourism Canada’s economic impact analysis, the last editions of the Games would have generated spinoffs of $77 million to $110 million for the host communities and provinces.
Mr. Marchand estimates that almost all the necessary infrastructures for the various sports are in place, apart from a center dedicated to curling, which he had already presented in his election commitments.
According to Minister Charest, four provinces have shown interest in winter 2027. The Canada Games, which feature athletes aged 17 to 18 on average, are awarded in rotation to the different provinces.
Other interested provinces
Quebec had already been designated as host of the 2031 Games and will not lose this status. Usually, the organization of the Canada Games requires six years of preparation, but the time should not run out despite tighter deadlines.
” Zero ! We are Quebec! We are ambitious, so we won’t run out of time,” smiled Bruno Marchand, adding that he didn’t see this news as a springboard to larger-scale international competitions. “If the opportunity comes, we will evaluate it, but we don’t go to this stage to go to another one afterwards. The last Canada Games to be hosted in Quebec were in Sherbrooke, in the summer of 2013.
What they have said
“The stars were aligned as 2027 marks the 60th anniversary of the inaugural Canada Games. The Canada Games are the only amateur multi-sport event in the world to offer athletes and para-athletes the chance to be brought together on the same schedule.”
– Line Blouin, Canada Games Council Board Member.
“In 2015, we visited facilities like this [le Centre de glaces] in the Netherlands and to see that today bring us events like the Canada Games, it’s fantastic. We are going to receive thousands of athletes, there will be a great excitement in Quebec”
– Jonatan Julien, Minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale.
“It’s perfect for a city like Quebec. It’s a good size event. The Canada Games were an extraordinary event for me. It will motivate all young winter sports. I’m sure it will be a huge success.”
– Pierre Harvey, former Olympian in cross-country skiing who experienced the Canada Games in Brandon in 1979.
“It’s great, the Canada Games. I remember the team spirit. It’s still something impressive and satisfying. You live with the team of your sport, but also the Quebec team. Don’t underestimate the power of a Team Quebec coat or toque. It’s got something special.”
– François-Olivier Roberge, former Olympic athlete in speed skating who was at the 2003 Canada Games in Bathurst.
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