The 2020 Memorial Cup in Âé¶čAV was ânot meant to be,â according to a city staffer.
But that doesnât mean the city doesnât have to pay for it.
The top junior hockey tournament in the country, hosted by the Canadian Hockey League, was slated to take Âé¶čAV by storm in May.
âThe 10-day festival would have been an event like no other,â said Doug Nicholas, the cityâs sport and event services manager.
The COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in those plans as it gained steam through the first few months of the year, eventually culminating in the event being entirely cancelled.
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In August 2018, city council agreed to support a bid and committed $225,000 towards hosting the prestigious junior hockey event in 2020.
The CHL announced Âé¶čAV won that bid in October 2018. It was anticipated that the tournament would bring over 10,000 visitors to the city between May 21 to 31, 2020 with an economic spinoff of more than $12 million to the local community.
Though none of the cityâs initial commitment has been handed over to the host society, significant planning had taken place, resulting in losses of approximately $265,000. The city also estimated an economic spinoff of more than $12 million to the local community during the event.
Those costs will be shared between the city, the Âé¶čAV Rockets and the WHL, amounting to around $90,000 from each organization.
The cityâs funds would come from the initial $225,000 commitment, which is currently in a reserve. The remaining $135,000 would remain in reserve for a future bid to host the 2023 Memorial Cup, the next time the tournament would be in Western Canada.
âThat is the silver lining in all of this. Discussions are underway in getting Âé¶čAV its opportunity to host the Memorial Cup,â said Nicholas.
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
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