Red Deer, the midpoint between Calgary of the Winter Olympics fame and Edmonton, has been a center of sports competition for some time now.
Naturally, the No. 1 favorite sports among the locals became hockey, and the pubs this year in the region began to buzz when they heard the announcement of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship for hockey will be coming to town.
Impact
Woven within its community fabric, the city of Red Deer became known for how its citizens collaborate to not only put on an event but to make it as memorable as possible. Partnering up with Edmonton as a co-host for Hlinka Gretzky U-18 and the Canadian Finals Rodeo, Red Deer has entered a new era as a regional partner to significant sporting events. Edmonton had obtained respect globally as an international host to sports.
By adding Red Deer as a partner, it allows the region to take on more events making the area a sports tourism mecca. The financial benefits to such sports hosting partnerships becomes huge as it establishes all associated businesses to support such hosting.
Economic perks
Just like what the 1988 Winter Olympics did financially for nearby Calgary, the same happened with other world events for other Canadian cities. The advantage, in this case, is that Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary has proximity to each other. Red Deer’s location of being an hour to an hour and a half drive from Calgary and Edmonton makes it convenient to host final events. It can set up while the other two cities run the preliminary events
Financially, the city gets to upgrade all its recreational and professional sports facilities with the help of the Canadian government. Ticket buying moves to a potential of $3.4 million, making it an economic powerhouse while an event goes on. The best resource Red Deer has listed is its people who are willing to do the work and volunteering necessary to make such events a success.
Predictions by Lyn Radford, the board chair for Red Deer Canadian Winter Games 2019, state Red Deer will handle 5,000 volunteers, 3,600 athletes, 500 VIPS, 1000 coaches, 20,000 visitors and 100,000 spectators along with support services and media for that event alone.
Red Deer will be well on its way to handle global sports events including the IIHF World Junior Championship for hockey. That alone will result in a $132 million economic benefit to the region. Not only does Red Deer plan on fully hosting the sports event, but it also added in a ten-day cultural festival in the evenings.
By the time the hockey event arrives, Red Deer will have undergone further renovations and preparation which include an Olympic ice area, another gymnasium set up for volleyball championships, squash courts and training center with an expenditure of $88 million. A new outdoor speed skating oval, cross-country, and biathlon trails, snowcross run and a $2.6 million festival plaza. The city will be well-prepared for hosting global sports events but also for entertaining visitors during an event. The positive benefits remain long term.
Additional benefits
With the advent of Gracenote, The Economist reported that the data analyst tracking device gathers information from junior events such as Red Deer hosts. Now Red Deer can improve the Winter Olympics. The system tracks the number of opponents challenged and the stronger the opponent beaten, the higher the ranking for the athlete. It allows modification of training, or more importantly, increasing training that results in overcoming supposedly superior athletes.
Presently, 25 Olympic committees use the data to track teams or choose players for teams. The software predicts the probabilities of who might win an Olympic medal. The quality of athletes attracted to the Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer corridor offers a venue to improve sports teams.
IIHF World Championship Hockey
The International Ice Hockey Federation began in Paris, France. It governs ice hockey and inline hockey. It updates the rule book, deals with international players transfers and gives guidelines. It creates and runs development programs for junior leagues fiercely protecting them from the onslaught of exploitation, so they can fully develop into athletes.
It runs 25 different world championship in five categories. Red Deer accessing that system gives an array of opportunities to host its various global events while improving Canada’s hockey teams. Held annually, the event attracts top hockey players of junior level, giving scouts a chance to see a player in action and also giving the players a chance to try new opponents. The top ten hockey nations attend in the world and split into three divisions.
An engaging host for the event found in Red Deer are young mostly teenage players going head-to-head over a little black puck and an array of city cultural events should prove profitable and satisfying. In the aftermath, going to the pub to see the locals fiercely root for teams makes an experience of the Far North culture worth traveling for.