The Ontario Summer games kicked off from July 30 to August 2, bringing young athletes from across the province into the Waterloo Region.
The Ontario Summer games is a multi-sport youth event bringing together some of the most talented athletes across the province. The games bring together approximately 4200 participants from across Ontario, over 600+ coaches and staff and over 1000 volunteers.
Beyond the competition, the games were also expected to generate more than $6 million in economic activity throughout the region.
The games included 23 sports, hosted in 19 venues across Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo. Wilfrid Laurier University played a major role in hosting the games, serving as part of the athlete village and hosting over 1000 of the athletes across its residence buildings.
Laurier also hosted 3 sports: Field Lacrosse, Flag Football and Wushu, which if you’re wondering, is a sport derived from Chinese martial arts, combining striking, acrobatics and weapon forms. It was held in the Athletic Complex beginning Friday Morning and continuing throughout Saturday and Sunday.
Field lacrosse took place at Alumni Stadium, beginning with pool play on Friday. Teams returned Saturday for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds before the competition concluded Sunday with consolation, bronze-medal and gold-medal games.
Flag football followed an even faster schedule. Both the U17 boys’ and girls’ divisions began pool play Friday before moving into the playoffs on Saturday. The boys’ gold-medal game was scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday, followed by the girls’ championship at 5 p.m.
The games also officially kicked off with the opening ceremonies happening at University stadium.
Athletes from across Ontario came together for a parade before taking part in the official athlete oath and celebration of the Games. The ceremony also included live entertainment, including a performance from DJ Z-Spinz.
For some athletes, the Games also provided an opportunity to compete close to home. Waterloo Region athletes included 11 year-old Klara White and 13-year-old Dru Schraud, who were among the local competitors taking part in the Games. Their participation was part of a much larger weekend that gave young athletes from communities across Ontario the opportunity to compete at a provincial multi-sport event.
From athletes living together in university residences to competitions taking place across three cities, the Ontario Summer Games turned the Waterloo Region into a provincial sporting hub for the weekend, a truly invaluable experience for Laurier to have hosted.
Contributed photo from Region of Waterloo: Ontario Summer Games website
