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Thunder Bay to host 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games

Thunder Bay will host the games in 2020, which is expected to provide a boost to the community and local economy.
Special Olympics 1
Excitement filled a room at City Hall as Thunder Bay got the nod for the host city of the 2020 Special Olympics Winter Games

THUNDER BAY - Blair McIntosh couldn’t finish his sentence before he was bombarded with cheers.

The Special Olympics vice-president on Friday announced Thunder Bay was successful in its bid to host the 2020 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games.

“This a wonderful moment for our community,” said Paul Burke, the city's special events developer.

“It’s a win all-around.”

The news sent the crowd of about a dozen Special Olympic athletes gathered at Thunder Bay city hall for the conference call announcement into a frenzy.

“Thunder Bay showed that they wanted these games very badly,” McIntosh said. “The community support for this bid was tremendous.”

“I knew from the very get-go that we were going to nail it,” said Special Olympics ambassador James Matijasic.

The Heart of Gold campaign that lobbied for the Games to be held in the Lakehead was a success, and now Thunder Bay will have a lot to look forward to in the city's 50th golden anniversary year.

“The work starts next week,” Burke said jokingly.

“It was a lot, but I think we came through for the community of Thunder Bay. You saw it today - when our local Special Olympians are in the house the excitement is high.”

Those athletes are looking forward to the home-field advantage when they compete in three years.

“Since Thunder Bay was a small city, I never thought we could hold a big competitive event for 2020,” said basketball player Edwin McCauley. “2020 is going to be excellent.

In terms of economic impact, Burke expects a “much, much higher” total compared to the $5.4 million earned at last year’s games in Corner Brook, N.L., due to the addition of bowling.

He is predicting that 750 volunteers will be needed, a similar figure to the 2011 provincial games that were held in Thunder Bay.

"This community really comes together for Special Olympics," Burke said.



Michael Charlebois

About the Author: Michael Charlebois

Michael Charlebois was born and raised in Thunder Bay, where he attended St. Patrick High School and graduated in 2015. He attends Carleton University in Ottawa where he studies journalism.
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