Ottawa loses bid to host 2021 Canada Summer Games
Honour goes to Niagara Region instead
Ottawa will not be hosting the 2021 Canada Summer Games.
The games were awarded Thursday to the Niagara Region, bringing to end the city's bid, which was officially launched earlier this year.
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On Twitter, Mayor Jim Watson expressed his disappointment with the outcome.
Sad that Ottawa won’t host <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2021CanadaGames?src=hash">#2021CanadaGames</a>, but proud of our Bid Committee & volunteers. Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/CanadaGames">@CanadaGames</a> for considering our City.
—@JimWatsonOttawaThe Canada Games began in 1967 and attract the country's top amateurs in a wide variety of sports every two years — alternating between winter and summer events — with athletes representing their province or territory.
Ottawa's bid committee foresaw using the Terry Fox Athletic Facility at Mooney's Bay for track and field and rugby, while Lansdowne Park and TD Place would have hosted basketball, beach volleyball and soccer.
The pool at the Nepean Sportsplex would have served as the location for swimming events. Many city sporting facilities would have been in for major upgrades if Ottawa's bid was accepted.
Along with the Niagara Region, Ottawa was competing against Sudbury, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph and Cambridge for the right to host the games.
Ottawa would have been the largest city ever to host the games.