2010 Portage Host Society Receives First Funding Installment

$50,000 Cheque Kicks Off Games Facility Development Plan

Sport Manitoba President & CEO Jeff Hnatiuk today presented the 2010 Portage la Prairie Host Society with a cheque for $50,000 as part of the organization’s contribution toward the city’s hosting of the Power Smart Manitoba Winter Games in March of 2010.

“One of the many legacies of hosting a Manitoba Games is in the development and upgrading of facilities for the event,” said Hnatiuk. “Participants who will be coming from across the province in 2010 can expect to have the best playing conditions to compete in and as important, improved facilities will benefit residents of the community long after the Games have concluded.”

In total, Sport Manitoba will contribute $80,000 toward facility development – a figure that will be matched by the Host Society. Sport Manitoba will also contribute another $80,000 toward the operating budget of the Games. The Host Society will receive additional funding from the Manitoba Games Council through sponsorships and participant registration fees while generating revenue locally through a Friends of the Games fundraising program.

Sport Manitoba’s cheque presentation coincided with the signing of a Multi-Party Agreement that outlines the roles and responsibilities of each of the partners in organizing and staging the 2010 Power Smart Manitoba Summer Games. The Games partners include Sport Manitoba, Manitoba Games Council, City of Portage la Prairie, Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie and the 2010 Portage la Prairie Host Society.

The 2010 Power Smart Manitoba Winter Games will be held from March 7 th to 13 th, 2010. The Games will accommodate up to 1600 participants between the ages of 10 and 21 in various sports including artistic gymnastics, badminton, curling, cross country skiing, figure skating, five pin bowling, male and female hockey, ringette, Special Olympics bowling and male and female volleyball.

The Manitoba Games are a major sport development initiative of Sport Manitoba and are held every two years, alternating between summer and winter events. As the province’s largest ongoing multi-sport event, the economic impact for communities that have previously hosted a Manitoba Games has been measured at over one million dollars while realizing a financial legacy of up to $100,000.

Co-Chairs Jim Malenchak and Ferdi Nelissen accept the cheque from Sport Manitoba President & CEO Jeff Hnatiuk

Nelissen, Malenchak and Hnatiuk are joined by Manitoba Games Council Chair Bernie Chrisp, Portage la Prairie Mayor Ken Brennan and Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie Reeve Toby Trimble for the signing of the Multi-Party agreement.