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HB NEWS BIG EVENTS ‘AN ECONOMIC DRIVER’ Continued from page 3 going to be a huge draw for said Vittoria Trinchi, Suites by Hilton in St. Ja- cobs. The hotel opened in April 2021 and has strug- gled with the rest of the hospitality industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Trinchi said the wrestling event has resulted in hun- dreds of bookings over sev- eral days this week, and she's looking forward to working with the sports hosting office to accommo- date athletes and teams for future events, including a string of national and pro- vincial competitions an- nounced in recent months. “There's usually a hock- ey tournament happening every weekend across Wa- terloo Region, and hockey is the meat and bones of sport tourism,” Scorgie noted, adding that local groups tend to run those tournaments themselves without a lot of outside help. The hosting office aims to draw resources together er le vel competi ng-dis- tance travel arrangements that have a more signifi- cant economic impact, he said. "A (wrestling) event of this magnitude requires a large number of partners at alllevels of the sport," Scor- goie said, listing Wrestling Canada, the Ont tour Wrestling Association, Sport Canada and, here in Waterloo Region, the Mat- men Wrestling C! “Everyone Soe a Pole to play in delivering a world- class event for these ath- letes," he said. "It's an eco- nomic driver that results in people booking hotel rooms, eating in local res- taurants and experiencing ig our region has to offer." Waterloo Region is what Scorgie refers to as a tier- two host in that it doesn't compete with areas like the GTA but can offer some- thing unique aside from af- fordability. "You might be the big- gest event happening in Waterloo region on a Satur- day, whereas in Toronto, you might be the 58rd event on the list, so wecan be alit- tle more engaged than the hosts in bigger markets," he said. This week's wresting event is a qualifier for Can- ada's Pan ames team that will be going to Santia- go, Chile, in November. Olympic gold medallist Er- ica Wiebe who's aiming to represent Canada at the 2024 Games. Asingle-day ticket costs $15; a full event ass | is available for $50. Chile under 12 are free. Scorgie says part of his mandate is bringing n sporting events to Waterloo Region. The first-ever Ca- nadian Mixed Open Dodge- ball Championships is coming to RIM Park, June 10-11, something he believes will grow the popularity of the sport locally. Other events have taken will be held at ‘aultipie ven, ues across Waterloo Re- gion. “When we lost '20, '21and ‘22. were already spoken for, so we had to wait until '23,” he said. The Canadian Men's Pa- ra Hockey Training Camp and exhibition series will take place in Elmira, ‘Tymezyszyn photo b Olympic gold medalist Erica Wiebe (left) will be competing at March 12-19. The Foxwood Open pro- vincial disc golf tourna- ment val return to Baden Tatore Waterloo Re- gion has also announced that the Ontario Volleyball Provincial Championships. will be in Waterloo in 2024 and 2025. the 2023 Canadian Wrestling Championships in Waterloo this week. Elmira will host the US- PORTS Women's Hockey Championship in 2025. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: A string of nation- al and provincial competi- tions are coming to the region as a result of a focus placed on sport hosting the past few years. We're adding and upgrading nearly 60,000 long-term care beds. See all the ways were helping you connect to care at ontario.ca/YourHealth Paid for by the Government of Ontario Ontario 7] £202 ‘6 YOR ‘Aepsiny, | efo]UOIYD COWeIEM | 7 Bo'9]D|UOIYDOOHE}EM