The Nanaimo Track and Field Club wants the fastest, highest, strongest athletes in Canada to come to Rotary Bowl stadium.

The club is putting together a bid to host the Canadian Track and Field Championships in 2024, and Nanaimo city council is backing that bid with a financial commitment.

Councillors, at a finance and audit meeting Wednesday, Jan. 19, recommended approving up to $100,000 toward hosting the event, which would be not only a national championship meet but also Olympic and Paralympic trials.

Members of the track and field club made a presentation to the finance committee, detailing the clubB次元官网网址檚 history hosting large-scale meets in the past, and suggesting the event could have a $15-million economic impact in the region.

The financial commitment is a requirement of the bid package, but Richard Harding, city general manager of parks and recreation, said the expectation would be that the host organizing committee would seek other means of financial support to offset the cityB次元官网网址檚 contribution.

He said the cityB次元官网网址檚 improvements to the stadium district on Third Street have helped make an event like track and field nationals possible.

B次元官网网址淭his is an example now that groups and organizations like the track and field club are seeing that now we have the venues to actually bid for this,B次元官网网址� Harding said.

Allen Johnston, track club past-president, said with the track upgrades that were done in 2021, Rotary Bowl B次元官网网址渋s ready to host any international competition as is.B次元官网网址�

Members of the finance committee were unanimous in backing the bid, with Coun. Tyler Brown saying heB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渉ighly supportiveB次元官网网址� and Coun. Jim Turley saying heB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渜uite excited about the potential opportunities of this event.B次元官网网址�

Council was already aware that the bid was in the works, as Mayor Leonard Krog wrote a letter of support to Athletics Canada last summer.

B次元官网网址淭his is completely consistent with previous councilsB次元官网网址� and this councilB次元官网网址檚 work around ensuring that we have athletic facilities that will attract athletic tourism, let alone the enormous benefit it is in building community and country when athletes get together and compete and their families come, and coaches,B次元官网网址� Krog said.

The track and field club anticipates submitting its proposal to Athletics Canada in March.

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