The City of Kamloops has long called itself the tournament capital of Canada.
Time to edit that title, River City, as Kelowna, not Kamloops, appears to be the place where people want to play.
On Thursday, the City of Kelowna said that for the second year in a row, it has been recognized by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance as the top mid-size city in Canada for hosting sports events.
The mid-size city ranking applies to communities with populations from 50,000 to 150,000.
In what was a B.C. sweep, Kelowna was first, with Kamloops second and Victoria third.
According to the city, the award recognizes the collaboration between the City of Kelowna and Tourism Kelowna on attracting national championships and international competitions hosted in 2019 and those awarded for 2020 and beyond.
“We remain committed to partnerships that continue building Kelowna’s national reputation as a host city for sports excellence, tournaments and major events like the Apple Triathlon and Okanagan Marathon,” said Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran.
“Sports and event tourism are important draws for travel to Kelowna, and a key component of the tourism sector’s $1.25 billion in annual economic output.”
In cities of over 500,000, Montreal was first for a third consecutive year, followed by Quebec City and Edmonton.
In cities with populations between 150,000 and 500,000, Kingston, Ont., was first, followed by Halifax and Richmond, B.C.
In the smallest population, under 50,000, Charlottetown, P.E.I., was first, with Collingwood, Ont., second and Summerside, P.E.I., third.
In overall rankings, regardless of city size, Montreal was first, Edmonton was second, Quebec City was third, Toronto was fourth and Regina was fifth.
Charlottetown, Winnipeg, Kingston, Ottawa and Saskatoon rounded out the top 10. Kelowna was 12th while Kamloops was 14th. Vancouver was 21st.
In a 2019 interview, a City of Kamloops spokesperson said the River City hosted approximately 110 sporting events a year.
Tourism Kelowna says the number of sporting events that Kelowna hosts varies from year to year, but it’s more than 100 per year. It said in 2019, 116 tournaments, sport-related events and camps held in city facilities.
For 2020, Tourism Kelowna said the city’s list included 13 national and nine international events.
For 2019, Tourism Kelowna said events the city hosted included Skate Canada International, the Apple Triathlon, the national slo-pitch championships, the boys’ lacrosse national championships (U15 and U18), the Western Canadian rugby championships and the Canadian Firefighters Curling Championship.
For 2020, events on tap were 13 national events, such as the Memorial Cup, and nine international events.
According to Tourism Kelowna, the city attracts two million visitors annually.
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