The University of Guelph campus will be home to Canada’s largest sport festival this summer.
More than 1,500 athletes will come to the University of Guelph to compete in the multi-sport event on July 6 and 7.
CEO and founder Helen Stoumbos tells CJOY that she’s pleased to see sports celebrated.
“Every time I talk to some of these athletes, they’re so excited to be able to come to an event that’s celebrating sport for all ages. The festival is open to everyone, but the sports competitions are for adults, and I think that’s really special and really unique,” Stoumbos said.
The event is free to attend and it will feature several amateurs, former professional athletes, and Olympians competing in 12 different events.
The sports include beach volleyball and freestyle soccer. There will even be a competition for canines as the event will also host a Canadian Iron Dog competition with Iron Dog Canada.
In addition to the athletes, thousands of spectators are expected.
Stoumbos said social media has played a big role in promoting the event.
“There’s a woman soccer group I’m a part of and that’s how we started rounding up the troops for women’s soccer and getting the outreach out to the teams in California and Hawaii,” she said. “I don’t think we would have been able to reach that without different groups like that where we’re sharing our event and letting other people know about it.”
The event’s social media channels have done a lot for them as she said their biggest audience comes from social media, especially the adults on Facebook.
Stoumbos knows all about competing in front of large crowds as the Guelph native played soccer for the Canadian Women’s national team from 1993 to 2000.
A central midfielder, Stoumbos competed at the 1995 FIFA Women’s World Cup and scored the team’s first-ever goal at the event. She retired from the sport due to injury, then covered the sport as a broadcaster before spearheading the GOOD Games.
She said that not only will the games benefit the sports community, but the event will also help the city economically.
“We’ve already doubled this year. We’re almost at 600 athletes right now, which is huge,” she said. “As we keep growing, I think the economic impact, and what this does for tourism here, is massive.”
Stoumbos said seeing the multi-sport event unfold the way it has and noticing what it offers the community and athletes are among the most fulfilling things she’s ever done.
She said the team has been working really hard for the last five years to bring this event to fruition and is proud of them for working so diligently.
“I think showing off Guelph and our facilities and our city is what we created this for.”
The event includes an opening walk-in ceremony for the athletes on Saturday night.
“I’d love the community to come support that and to come champion these athletes who have travelled from all over to come here to Guelph to be a part of this really unique event,” she said.
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