London is getting ready to host one of Ontario’s biggest sporting events that is about to begin in just a few more days.
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The Ontario Summer Games is returning on August 2nd, and will run until August 5th. Over 20 sports will be played, including diving and soccer, and all athletes are youth ranging in age 12-18.
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General Manager Dave De Kelver says this event is a great opportunity for young athletes to strengthen their sporting skills, but youth will also be gaining important social and life skills along their journey.
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“This is an opportunity for them to compete against other athletes from all sides of the province, [and] possibly grow their skills enough to go compete at the national level. Seeing a different exposure to events, they have their own competitions [that] they compete with, but being at a multi-sport event, they start to meet new friends, they meet people from other areas of the province [and] from other sports, and so that gives them an opportunity to see the sport world in a different light.”
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De Kelver adds that young athletes will grow through this opportunity.
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1“[The athletes] are going to appreciate other sports and the work that other athletes are putting in. It’s [beneficial for] personal growth and experience.”
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London will also be hosting the 2020 Ontario Summer Games, and De Kelver says new sports are added each time the games return.
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1“This year, we’ve added women’s ice hockey, also athletics is returning for the first time in a number of years. It hasn’t been determined yet what sports will be in 2020. We have a sense it’ll probably be very similar to what we have this year, but there may be exclusions and some additions.”
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De Kelver says the fact that London is hosting twice in a row does not surprise him, and the Londoner himself says this is the ideal city for events such as this one.
“[London] has terrific sports facilities, and London has a great reputation for hospitality in major events. We’ve done Memorial Cups, we’ve done world figure skating championships, [and] London has a strong volunteer base.”
The Ontario Summer Games began in 1970, and is hosted every two years.
