The Road to the 2009 Canada Summer Games

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The Canada Games are the only national multi-sport event in Canada, and they give a unique experience to the best athletes of their age group, an experience that contributes to skills development that may become more relevant for those who go on to compete at the Olympic or Paralympic Games.

Canada Games alumni frequently achieve great success at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as was the case during the most recent Winter Olympics, held last year in Turin,  Italy. More than half of the Canadian Olympic medalists in Turin first competed at Canada’s most prestigious multi-sport event, the Canada Games!

We expect that many Canada Games alumni will compete at the next Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, to be held in Beijing, China in 2008 (August 8-24).

Did You Know?

Badminton is the world’s fastest racket sport. The flight of the shuttlecock, a missile of cork and goose feather that players volley across the net, has been recorded at speeds of 260 kilometres per hour. Speed, agility and lightning-fast reflexes are essential to the game. Add stamina too - players have been known to cover more than six kilometres in a single match.

To the spectator, Synchronized Swimming appears to be a well-choreographed water ballet. Behind the scenes it’s a different story: swimmers are judged just as stringently on their technical abilities as they are on their artistic impressions.

The next Canada Summer Games are set for 2009 on Prince Edward Island.

Since the first Games in 1967, nearly 50,000 young athletes have participated.

Since 1967, the Canada Games have successfully provided an important and exciting competitive environment for young athletes from every province and territory.

Building on the success of the Games, the Canada Games Council has broadened its focus from the Games only, to also include initiatives between each Games. This focus on resources, programs, activities and tools for Canada’s youth between the Games, 52 weeks a year, is called ‘Dreams and Champions’.

The first goal of ‘Dreams and Champions’ is to inspire dreams in Canada’s youth and encourage them to participate in sport and physical activity.

The second goal is to build champions by providing the programs, tools and support young athletes need to reach and succeed at higher levels.

Did You Know?

Arrows in the Classic Bow Archery events can travel in excess of 240 kilometres an hour! They are made of either aluminum or graphite. The sport of table tennis was first played in England in the 1890s.

Table tennis has become the world's largest participation sport, with 40 million competitive players worldwide and countless millions playing recreationally. 

The Canada Games Council continues to work with other partners in Canada’s sport system to build the inventory of programs within ‘Dreams and Champions’ so that more young Canadians have access to what they need to get involved and stay involved in sport and physical activity.

The Canada Games are an ideal time for Canadians of all ages and abilities to demonstrate their support for our amateur athletes by tuning into the Games and also trying some of sports played at the Games in their own communities.

Here’s a list of all the events that will take place at the 2009 Canada Summer Games – take a look and see which ones you already play and which new ones you might like to try!

  • Athletics
  • Baseball (male only)
  • Basketball
  • Canoeing (flat-water racing, both canoe and kayak)
  • Cycling (road and mountain bike)
  • Diving
  • Golf
  • Rowing
  • Rugby (male only)
  • Sailing
  • Soccer
  • Softball (female only)
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Triathlon
  • Volleyball (both indoor and beach)
  • Wrestling

Did You Know?

Super G stands for Super Giant Slalom in the Alpine Skiing competition. Super G combines the speed of downhill skiing with the more precise turns of giant slalom. Each skier makes one run down a single course and the fastest time determines the winner.

One end result of the Second World War (1939-1945) was that society was confronted with an unusual number of people with physical disabilities. Basketball was perceived to be one of the most adaptable team sports that could prove useful in rehabilitation therapy. Wheelchair Basketball was played in various parts of the world in the early 1940s and was first introduced to the Canada Games at the 1995 Winter Games in Grande  Prairie, Alberta.

For more information about the Canada Games or getting involved in a new sporting activity, visit www.canadagames.ca and contact your local community recreation centre.

[Source: The official website for the Canada Games, www.canadagames.ca]

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