SportHost Victoria – Hosting Venues and Facilities for Local and International Sporting Events

Quarterly Newsletter

Fall 2007 Edition

2007 has been an incredible year for sport tourism in Victoria bringing the most attention to the city since the Commonwealth Games in 1994.

Victoria this year has hosted 7 International Tests and World Championships highlighted by the U-20 World Cup Soccer and the World BMX Championships. The Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance has committed to producing an economic impact study for the World Cup Soccer in Victoria and the BC Ministry of Tourism, Sport & Arts with Royal Roads is producing a report for the BMX Championship. It is forecasted that these two events alone generated more than $10 Million in direct spending in Victoria.

The Victoria Region hosted 6 Canadian Championships and 8 Provincial Championships.

There are more than 12 Annual Invitational Tournaments and events such as the Royal Victoria Marathon (attracting over 4,000 visitors) and the Pacific Cup Hockey Tournament (142 teams with more than 4,000 visiting participants). All of these are now listed on the SportHost Victoria website.

Our region also was selected for the Canadian National Women’s Softball Training Camp prior to their attending the International Championships in Vancouver this summer and of course Bear Mountain proudly hosted this years Vancouver Canucks NHL training camp.

Our 2010 Winter Olympic strategy continues to pay dividends as we announced being selected to host the 2009 Canadian Women’s Curling Championship (Scotties Tournament of Hearts) and as previously announced, the Bear Mountain Arena will host the 2009 RBC Royal Bank Cup National Jr. A Hockey Championships, both just one year away from the start of the 2010 Games. The economic impact for the Scotties is expected to be similar to our hosting of the 2005 World Men’s Championships (more than $20 million).

We already have on the books for next year the BC Mixed Curling Championships, the Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials, the World Curling Tour’s Bear Mountain Classic, the Canadian National Junior Squash Championships, the RCGA University/ College National Championships and the 2008 Olympic Games Women’s Field Hockey qualifying Tournament. Not a bad start for sport tourism in 2008 & 2009.

Hosting sport in Victoria is big business. In fact this business sector generates in an average year over $50 million economic impact and when we bid and win the rights to host international, national, and provincial events, the impact is increased significantly depending on the scope of the event. The sector is primed for growth only limited by our capacity determined by available sport and accommodation facilities.

In the case of sport here in Victoria, the line from the movie Field of Dreams does apply “build it and they will come”. The Saanich Commonwealth Place Pool built for the Commonwealth Games, has over the last 13 years attracted more international, national, and provincial championships than any other pool in the country. The opening of both the Bear Mountain Arena and the Save On Foods Memorial Centre has meant we are again able to host world class hockey, curling, and figure skating events. Clearly our next major challenge will be to add capacity including facility improvements, seating and equipment to host world class field sports on a regular basis rather than having to having to rely on external support and resources for one off special events such as World Cup Soccer, World Championship Cycling, and Olympic Qualifying Field Hockey.

The opening of the Pacific Sport Institute next September will increase our capacity to attract national sport associations to locate their training centres here in Victoria adding to the National Triathlon, Athletics, Cycling, Diving, and Rowing programs already calling Victoria home.

It is significant and very much appreciated that Victoria’s sport tourism strategy is gaining the attention called for to be competitive in the provincial, national and international market place.

The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce has created a committee focused on the Business of Sport, the West Shore Economic Development Agency has announced they are going to make sport tourism a priority for their region, the City of Victoria has financially supported the regional sport tourism partnership from it’s inception in 2000, View Royal has contributed and we are hoping our other municipalities will recognize how significant this market is to their economies and their communities well being by joining in the development of our region as a place where people should come to stage their tournaments and championships. “Victoria is Where Champions are Made”.

Victoria’s Sport Tourism Partnership is pleased to announce the appointments of Rodd McCormack (Island Displays), Dan Brady (Howard Johnson Hotels & Resorts), John Wilson (Wilson’s Transportation), and John Juricic (etraffic solutions), to its Board of Directors. They join representatives of PacificSport Victoria, Tourism Victoria, the University of Victoria, Camosun College, the City of Victoria, the West Shore Economic Development Agency, the Greater Victoria Hotel Association and Western Economic Diversification Canada.

We truly have the opportunity to make Victoria the Capital of Sport Tourism in Canada.

“Victoria is Where Champions are Made”.