Calgary/CMEDIA: Calgary has been selected to host the 2024 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said in a release.
“Calgary is proud to have been chosen as the host city for the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games 2024,” said Gondek.
“We look forward to sharing our great facilities and our inclusive community spirit will welcome all with open arms. I know Calgarians will volunteer in great numbers to ensure that this event delivers the experience of a lifetime for these amazing athletes and their families,” said she.
With a history of hosting Special Olympics events, Calgary will be hosting national games for the fourth time.
It was in 2019 that Calgary previously hosted the Special Olympics Alberta Winter Provincial Games and the 1988 Winter Olympic Games.
Tourism Calgary reportedly anticipates the event will pump over $9 million into the city’s economy with around 1,300 participants during the event, in addition to officials, family, friends, and honoured guests.
As a national sporting event for Canadian athletes with intellectual disabilities, athletes in the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games will compete in one of eight different sports; five-pin bowling, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing, and speed skating.
The Special Olympics Canada Winter Games were last held in 2020 in Thunder Bay, Ont.
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