Durham Region 2019 Ontario Parasport Games receives national PRESTIGE Award

Whitby, Ontario –  The Durham Region 2019 Ontario Parasport Games has been recognized by Sport Tourism Canada with a 2020 PRESTIGE Award for Canadian Sport Event of the Year (Group B: budget less than $1 million). The Games was also a finalist for Sport Event Legacy of the Year.

After three years of preparation, the Ontario Parasport Games were successfully hosted in Durham Region from February 8 to 10, 2019. More than 500 participants, including over 300 athletes, traveled from across the province to compete in 11 sports at eight venues.

Following the Games, 94 per cent of participants reported they had an excellent or good overall Games experience and 92 per cent of volunteers said they enjoyed their volunteer experience.

Recipients were announced on March 4 during the online PRESTIGE Awards, hosted by Olympian, World Cup medalist and CBC Broadcaster, Kelly VanderBeek, after being postponed last year due to pandemic restrictions.

The Games brought $678,000 in economic impact for Durham Region and a $111,900 Legacy Fund—nearly 500 per cent over the target for the fund. The legacy funding is currently being used to raise awareness about opportunities and participation in parasport and adaptive sport in Durham Region, including:

• A grant program to support youth from lower income families to participate in parasport, in partnership with Durham-based not-for-profit Their Opportunity.
• The Parasport School Grow It program delivered in partnership with Abilities Centre and the Durham Adaptive Sport Collective, to introduce four parasports, which includes providing instruction and equipment, to 25 to 30 schools in Durham Region.
• An adaptive sport festival hosted in Durham Region.
• Sledge Hockey accessibility upgrades for a rink at Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby.
• Durham Adaptive Sport Collective initiatives to grow adaptive sport participation.

To learn more about Sport Durham, visit SportDurham.ca.

Quotes

“Durham Region is home to some of the GTA’s best sporting complexes and venues, making us a premier sport tourism destination and a great place to host events like the 2019 Ontario Parasport Games. Our passionate and diverse region has been instrumental in making Durham an inclusive community, and we look forward to hosting sporting events like this again in the future. Thank you to everyone involved and congratulations on this outstanding achievement.”

- John Henry, Regional Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Region of Durham

“Hosting these Games was no small undertaking, and Durham set out to host the best Games yet. The organizing committee spearheaded by Sport Durham, along with more than 300 volunteers, delivered everything Durham needed for success. By sponsoring, volunteering, knitting toques and filling the stands, our community really answered our call to “Be the Roar” and help make our Games a memorable experience for everyone.”

- Don Terry, Games Co-Chair

“When we developed our bid to host the Ontario Parasport Games, our goal was to celebrate inclusiveness and accessibility, and help grow awareness and participation in adaptive sports. This award serves not only to honour the efforts of everyone involved, but also further those goals. Thank you to everyone who helped in the Games’ success—when we all play together, we all win together.”

- Lori Talling, Games Program Manager and Sport Tourism Specialist, Region of Durham 

Quick Facts

• Durham Region is home to a variety of services and accommodations in support of memorable, accessible sport event experiences. With venues suitable for hometown teams or major international events, Durham’s award-winning edge is its location advantage and the care we take to create lasting legacies and memorable experiences for participants. To learn more about sport tourism in Durham Region, visit SportDurham.ca.
• Sport Durham is a program of the Region’s Economic Development and Tourism Division, providing a full range of sport tourism services, including bid development, venue coordination, participant and visitor experience development, assistance with accommodations, transportation, catering and event hosting logistics, event promotion, media relations and more.
• The Durham Region 2019 Ontario Parasport Games has previously been awarded the coveted 2019 Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Economic Development Excellence and a 2019 EDCO Award of Excellence for Tourism Attraction & Tourism Product Development (Urban-Over 100,000 Population). The Games was also a finalist for Tourism Industry Association of Ontario’s 2020 Ontario Tourism Awards of Excellence Tourism Event of the Year.

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For more information, contact Corporate Communications.