A new sporting event for athletes over 30 coming to Guelph next summer got its official launch Tuesday.
Organizers, sponsors and dignitaries gathered at Spring Mill Distillery to kick off the The Guelph Games: Canada's Masters Championships and put out a call for more local partners and sponsors to become involved.
The Guelph Games is a four-day event planned for the end of June that will see 1,000 over-30 athletes and their families and friends descend on Guelph as they compete in seven sports: beach volleyball, soccer, athletics, basketball, slow pitch, ultimate Frisbee and pickleball (a combination of badminton, table tennis and tennis).
Most of the events will take place at the University of Guelph, where many of the athletes will also stay, with Carden Street being blocked off and a beach volleyball court being temporarily installed in front of city hall.
"We have been talking about bringing this event to Guelph for many, many years," said Helen Stoumbos, a partner in Gleam Media, who is behind the event.
"There's really nothing for athletes over 30 on a regular basis and we feel Guelph is the pefect place for it. I don't think there's a better city to host this event.
"People are going to know Guelph. This will be the event Guelph is known for."
The games will be modelled after The Huntsman World Senior Games, an over-55 event which started in the 1980s in a small town in Utah with 280 athletes. Now they attract 11,000.
Stoumbos hopes to make The Guelph Games an annual event.
John Sleeman is the event's brand ambassador.
"One of the things we liked about the games is that it's a new venture," Sleeman said. "We saw this as a chance to get in on the ground floor. We think it's going to be very successful."
Various Guelph sports organizations will run their sport: soccer, volleyball, ultimate Frisbee, basketball. Evergreen Centre will run pickleball.
Athletes will be divided into divisions based on skill level.
"Anybody can participate. They're for all," Stoumbos said.
The games has its own web site at theguelphgames.com.
