The bid committee for the 2021 Canada Summer Games isn't too concerned that Guelph has stepped back from being part of the bid to host the games.
"Different communities in the region will be involved in different ways," said bid committee spokesperson Ted Katz. "Guelph will continue to be involved.
"It's always been a Waterloo Region bid. Other communities will be involved."
The Canada Summer Games are held once every four years for junior athletes and include 3,500 athletes, 1,000 coaches and 450 officials taking part in 19 different sports.
They are expected to bring in $160 million to the host region.
Last April it was announced that Guelph would be part of the regional bid, along with Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.
But upon further review the city decided to step back.
"It just wasn't the right fit," said Deputy CAO Colleen Clack.
Moving forward Guelph would have had to have become a "named guarantor" for the games, which means financial guarantees and potential financial risk, Clack said.
The city would also have had to pony up $20,000 in an attempt to help win the bid.
So far any costs were covered by the Regional Sports Tourism Office.
There would also be a mandatory financial commitment towards upgrading facilities for the event and the city does not have that money.
"Yes, there was financial risk associated with it, absolutely," Clack said.
"It made more sense for the Region of Waterloo to be the primary hosts moving forward."
Clack said that while it is still early in the process, Guelph could potentially host one or more sporting event at facilities that meet the requirements, such as Guelph Lake for rowing or the Alumni Stadium for track and field.
She said it is not uncommon to explore potential events through the Regional Sports Tourism Office and then decide not to move forward with interest.
"Its' not that we pulled out," Clack said. "We pursue bids all the time that people are not publicly aware of.
"Sometimes we're the lead bid, sometimes we're a support bid and sometimes we're not involved at all," she said.
Last September Regional Sports Tourism Office manager Sherry Doiron said a regional bid was something new.
"In the past, it's been one city primarily bidding for the games, or partners with one key city being the driver," Doiron said at the time. "Having multiple cities is new."
Newfoundland was originally supposed to host the games but withdrew.
The winning bid will be announced at the end of March.
