The biennial event will be hosted back-to-back in London, first in 2018 and again in 2020.
(London, ON) – The Province of Ontario announced today that London has been awarded the 2020 Ontario Summer Games, making London back-to-back hosts as the Games are held once every two years. Minister Deb Matthews was at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre today to make the announcement, along with Mayor Matt Brown, Tourism London General Manager John Winston, Western University Athletic Director Christine Stapleton, and London 2018 Ontario Summer Games General Manager Dave De Kelver.
“Congratulations to the City of London on being selected as the host city of the 2020 Ontario Summer Games! With your world class venues and facilities, and strong legacy as a premier sport-hosting city, these Games are sure to be an unforgettable experience for athletes, volunteers and visitors. We are pleased to support the 2020 Ontario Summer Games through our Games Ontario program that encourages competitive opportunities for amateur athletes to pursue their sport goals, while boosting local tourism, economic activity and volunteerism. ”
- Daiene Vernile, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport
“We are a sports city through and through and it’s so fitting that we’ve been chosen as host city for the 2020 Ontario Summer Games. We have an army of volunteers at the ready to make this event amazing and we are so proud of our hometown athletes, who I know will do great things. Congratulations to everyone at Tourism London and the team who has worked so hard on this already.”
- Mayor Matt Brown, City of London
“Any time we can showcase our great city and world class facilities to athletes and families from across the province is a positive. London has developed a great reputation when it comes to sport hosting and we look forward to once again welcoming these participants and their families to London to experience more than just our sporting facilities but also some of our one-off restaurants, unique attractions, and everything else London has to offer.”
- Cheryl Finn, Director of Sport Tourism for Tourism London
London is set to host the 2018 Ontario Summer Games in just over 100 days. Preparations have been underway for over a year to host these 3500 youth athletes, coaches, and officials, along with their families in London for the August long weekend, August 2nd – 5th, 2018.
“We’re thrilled with where we’re at in planning for the upcoming 2018 Ontario Summer Games. The community has stepped up to volunteer like we knew they would, sponsors have been fantastic, and everyone’s excited to provide an unforgettable “Olympic-style” experience to these future stars. Much work is still needed to be done and we continue to call on the community for their support however it’s great to see it all start to come together.”
- Dave De Kelver, General Manager of the London 2018 Ontario Summer Games
Hosting the Games in 2018 and again in 2020 allows London to not only realize the positive economic and social benefits, but also provides greater impact on the local sporting community through legacy and hosting experience. The 2020 Games will also create a positive impact on the upcoming 2018 Games by allowing organizers to create multi-year contracts, and provides hosting experience to build and improve upon. The estimated economic impact for the Ontario Summer Games is $6 million.
For more information on the London 2018 Ontario Summer Games including sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, please visit www.london2018.ca.
About the London 2018 Ontario Summer Games
From Thursday, August 2nd to Sunday, August 5th, over 3500 of the province’s top youth athletes, coaches, officials, and fans will converge in London to watch and compete in the London 2018 Ontario Summer Games. Additional details on the Games including venue details can be found at www.london2018.ca, and on our social media accounts, @OSGlondon2018.
About Games Ontario
The Ontario Summer Games is supported by the Ontario Government, through its Games Ontario program. This program delivers or supports multi-sport events, including the Ontario Winter and Summer Games for youth, the Ontario 55+ Summer and Winter Games and the Ontario Parasport Games.
Supporting Ontario sporting events is part of Game ON – The Ontario Government’s Sport Plan, which is encouraging as many people as possible to play organized sports, helping Ontario's high-performance athletes pursue excellence and promoting increased tourism and economic development.
