Durham to host 2019 Ontario Parasport Games

Durhamregion.com
June 26, 2017
By Keith Gilligan

Once again, Durham Region is throwing out the welcome mat to top-notch athletes.

The 2019 Ontario Parasport Games will be hosted in Durham over a three-day period in February or March. The region expects more than 260 athletes will compete in 10 differing sports.

Games ambassador Don Terry said, “It promises to be an amazing event. We’re even more excited to get going.

“We know the residents of Durham will respond, because they have in the past. It promises to be a games for all time,” Terry added during an announcement ceremony held at the Abilities Centre in Whitby on Tuesday, June 20.

Anthony Lue, a hand cyclist who is also an ambassador, said having the games will increase awareness of parasports.

“Bringing it to Durham is absolutely amazing. The Abilities Centre is so amazing. It allows people to come out and get involved,” Lue said.

Unfortunately for Lue, handcycling isn’t a sport in the games. “Maybe the next games,” he said.

According to the region, the games will generate about $500,000 in economic activity.

It’s the fourth time Durham has hosted an Ontario games. Previous events were the Ontario Summer Games in 2000, the Ontario 55+ Summer Games in 2010 and the Ontario Parasport Games in 1979.

Also, the baseball and softball events during the Pan Am Games were held in Ajax in 2015, while boxing and weightlifting were staged in Oshawa. The Parapan bocce and judo events were staged at the Abilities Centre.

Lori Talling, the sport tourism co-ordinator for Durham, said the event will be an “athlete-centred games.”

The Abilities Centre will be the hub for the games, she noted. “We are beyond excited.”

Tracy MacCharles, MPP for Pickering-Scarborough East and minister responsible for accessibility, said the games “allow Ontario to showcase their athletes.”

The games are about “breaking down barriers,” she noted. “Our government is committed to eliminating barriers. We’ve come a fair way, but it’s a long road ahead.”

MacCharles added, “We’re challenging businesses with 20 or more employees to hire one person with a disability.”

Durham Region chair Roger Anderson said Durham is “thrilled we were selected as the host. Durham Region is home to a diverse, but more importantly, a passionate community.”

Communities can “only reach their full potential when everyone can compete,” Anderson added.

The games are a chance to “highlight the volunteer spirit,” he noted.

“When we come together, it gives everyone a chance to excel. The fans will be rewarded,” he said. “There’s a high level of skill, but more important, of sportsmanship. Thanks to the athletes who will make Durham a shining star.”

Leo Plue, the executive director of the Abilities Centre, said, “With other venues, we’ll put on a great event.”

Depending on what sports will be included, other venues could be Dagmar Ski Resort; Donald A. Wilson Secondary School; Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology; Iroquois Park Sports Centre; Pickering Soccer Centre; and Ski Brimacombe.

Sports could include para-alpine, archery, bocce, curling (wheelchair and visually-impaired), goal ball, para-nordic, sitting volleyball, sledge hockey, wheelchair basketball and five-a-side soccer.