Photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo Inc. / vicntPhoto courtesy of © Can Stock Photo Inc. / vicnt
London

London To Host Youth Basketball Championships

In a slam dunk for London, the city has landed a record number of Ontario Cup Provincial Basketball Championships.

Tourism London announced on Tuesday Ontario Basketball (OBA) selected the city for five championships in the spring of 2017 and 2018. No other city was chosen to host as many championships as London over the next two years.

“We are delighted to be hosting five Ontario Cup age categories in the Forest City in 2017 and 2018,” says Jason Jansson, executive director, Ontario Basketball. “The continued efforts of Tourism London and the four OBA members clubs to host the Provincial Championships in the City of London is a true testament to community engagement and collaboration.”

The Ontario Cup sees boys and girls compete in nine age categories at weekend tournaments throughout the province. London hosted four championships this past spring.

Securing the five championships for London was a joint effort between Tourism London, the London Ramblers, London CYO, Gold Medal, London 86’ers, and the London Board of Basketball Officials.

Director of Sport Tourism for Tourism London Cheryl Finn says the local clubs came together to provide an athlete-centered approach to hosting each of the championship weekends.

"This is a unique approach that we are very proud of and hope it proves as a template for other local sport organizations to work towards," says Finn. "These weekends are important to Tourism London’s hosting portfolio as large numbers of athletes and their families, staying to compete in our city, over several weekends significantly contributes to the economic impact related to this event.”

An estimated $23-million of economic impact is generated from the entire 18 Ontario Cup events, according to Tourism London.

Other cities hosting championships include Windsor, Ottawa, Brampton, Niagara, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Milton.

 

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