Kelowna named Canada’s best mid-sized city for hosting sports events

There’s a reason the 2020 Memorial Cup is coming back to the Okanagan.

Kelowna has been recognized by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance as the top mid-size city in Canada for sport hosting.

The honour puts Kelowna ahead of other Canadian cities with a population between 50,000 and 150,000 like St. John’s, Guelph, Red Deer, Abbotsford and plenty others.

“We are committed to establishing Kelowna as a centre for multi-sport excellence, as a host to tournaments large and small, including major athletic events, such as the Apple Triathlon and Okanagan Marathon,” said Mayor Colin Basran.

“With sport and event tourism as a key driver for travel to Kelowna, it contributes significantly to the local economy through tourism’s $1.25 billion in annual economic output.”

Tourism Kelowna’s Major Events Strategy is a key contributor to Kelowna’s ability to succeed hosting big name sports and events.

A recent example is the World Mixed Curling Championships, which came to Kelowna this past fall and contributed $630,000 in new visitor spending to the city.

“Kelowna has established itself as a leading destination for sport tourism and hosting,” says Lisanne Ballantune, president and CEO of Tourism Kelowna.

“We’re on the map and will continue to promote Kelowna’s established reputation as a sought after destination for sport and event tourism.”

Kelowna hosted more than 100 sport events in 2018 and the city is set to host a number of national champions and international sporting events in the near future.

The Skate Canada International is coming to town this fall, while the highly-publicized 2020 Memorial Cup will be played at Prospera Place in May 2020.