Paradise Mayor Dan Bobbett, left, and St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen say the legacy venues left in their communities by the Canada Games will be key in growing local sports. (Julia Israel/CBC)
The venues leftover from the Canada Games will leave a lasting legacy in the St. John’s region, and two mayors in the area say they can’t wait to see where those facilities take the sports in their communities.
Paradise Mayor Dan Bobbett told CBC News the Games brought high levels of excitement to his town, which borders on St. John’s. The event was highlighted by the creation of a brand new beach volleyball court in his town, and the first running of high-energy box lacrosse, which was hosted at the Paradise Double Ice Complex.
“[Athletes] thought it was top notch, and that’s great for us to know that, actually,” Bobbett said.
Bobbett said he’s already excited to see how those sports could potentially develop in the coming years. He hopes community leaders can work to grow the sports — which weren’t prevalent in the area before the Canada Games — and to help attract more people and competitions to a young, growing town.
“Box lacrosse is a sport that is not a high profile sport in the province. So now we’re going to be, you know, tasked with the responsibility of growing that sport. So that’s exciting as well,” he said.
“They’ve got, you know, Canada Games venues, I guess, to practice on and get better … and compete at a different level at the next Canada Games, and the one after that, and the one after that.”
Box lacrosse isn’t widely played on the Avalon Peninsula, but Bobbett says community leaders can help it grow following its success at the Canada Games. (Mike Moore/CBC)
St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen said he’s eager to see how sports tourism can grow in Newfoundland and Labrador’s capital city, by using the facilities and the knowledge organizers and volunteers gained from hosting the two-week multi-sport competition this summer.
St. John’s will host the Montana’s Brier in December, and has added national and internationally certified sporting venues as a result of hosting the Canada Games.
“We have taken what we’ve did very well, and we’ve brought it to another level,” Breen said.
Breen said the experiences the Games provided could lead to other opportunities down the road. He specifically cited his admiration for the criterium race in Canada Games cycling — a 1.3-kilometre high speed bike race that used parts of downtown St. John’s as the track.
“I think there’s an opportunity there to have more of those types of events here in the city,” he said.
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