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The Ontario Games Program started in 1970 in Etobicoke as a showcase for amateur sport. They have now become Ontario’s largest multi-sport event, including both team and individual sports.
Provincial level athletes from ages 12 to 18 qualify through a regional selection process conducted by the Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs). The Games take place every two years and are awarded through a bidding process. They are supported by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport in collaboration with host communities.
For many young athletes, the Ontario Summer Games is the highpoint of their sporting career, while for others the Games are a stepping stone for the Pan Am Games or even the Olympics.
About the Ontario Summer Games
I have been fortunate to have participated in the Ontario Summer Games twice now and enjoyed both experiences. For my first games in 2014 I had only been racing the laser radial for about a month and found it to be a great learning and development opportunity. This year I had the opportunity to share some of my learnings over the last two years with other up and coming racers.
The theme of this year's games was "bring it home."
To our young athletes, we issue the challenge of coming to Mississauga with energy and enthusiasm, intending to ‘bring home’ wonderful experiences and quite literally, awards, accolades and hardware that come from being successful during team and individual competitions. ‘Bring It Home’ is intended to be positive and a motivating phrase to encourage athletes to get to the finish line with their best.
I want to thank the province, Ontario Sailing, our coaches, The City of Mississauga, our host Port Credit Yacht Club, all of the volunteers, and my fellow participants/ competitors for making this years games a memorable and successful event.