The 2024 Ontario Summer season Video games (OSG) have been good for enterprise.
“The hotels have been full, and we’ve heard a lot of great things from restaurants as well,” says Zanth Jarvis, director of Sport Tourism with Tourism London.
“It was a great impact on tourism for the city this weekend.”
Three-thousand 5 hundred athletes and their households have been within the Forest Metropolis over the course of 4 days, because the OSG returned to London for the primary time since 2018.
“The Olympics is a goal of mine, and this was kind of like a mini-Olympics,” mentioned Sam Moore, a London volleyball participant who attends Oakridge Secondary Faculty.
There have been 18 sports activities at venues round London and the encompassing space.
Championships and medals have been handed out on Saturday and Sunday.
“I’m feeling amazing because it is one of the biggest tournaments of the year,” mentioned Aiden Zhao, a Toronto, Ont. teen who received bronze in desk tennis.
Alex Wei (high left) and his doubles associate Aiden Zhao received bronze in desk tennis throughout the Ontario Summer season Video games in London, Ont. (Brent Lale/ London)
“We practice and train a lot for this, so, it does feel rewarding.”
Lexa McCord, 14, of Orillia was shocked to win the ladies 300m hurdles in Athletics.
“I had school season, but I’m not a part of a track club or anything, so this is like my first time doing this,” McCord advised CTV instantly following her race.
“It’s been really fun meeting new people here.”
Athletes have been housed in dorms at Fanshawe School and Western College, giving them the texture of an Olympic Village.
“It is my first time coming to London,” mentioned Alec Wei, a desk tennis participant from Ottawa.
“The dorms are pretty good. Everyone has their own separate room which was great. I was happy to win a medal but honestly, the result doesn’t matter. We just came here to have fun with our friends.”
From the huge opening ceremony with 7,000 individuals and a live performance by Reve, to packed venues, it was precisely what Tourism London had envisioned.
“Events like the Brier or those major events, you can only do once every couple of years,” mentioned Jarvis.
“These grassroots minor sports tournaments, not the Summer Games, but some sort of minor sports tournaments, we have pretty much every single weekend throughout the summer. It’s really those are those events are really what makes sport tourism, thrive in our city.”
