In the second year of the Global Sports Impact (GSI) Canada Index, Montreal again ranked as the top city in Canada for hosting sports events. It retained the title of “GSI Canada – Sport City 2019” and was followed by Quebec City ranked 2nd , and Edmonton ranked 3rd . The announcement was made at Sport Events Congress 2019 (SEC19) today in Ottawa.
The top national sporting event in Canada, as determined by the GSI Canada Index, was the 2018 Grey Cup with the next four ranked events: 2nd – 2018 Tim Hortons Brier (men’s curling); 3rd – 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts (women’s curling); 4th – 2018 Canadian Championships Final (soccer); and 5th – 2018 MasterCard Memorial Cup (hockey).
The Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance (CSTA), in partnership with Sportcal, the publisher of the annual Global Sport Impact (GSI) Report, developed the GSI Canada Index in 2018. It is based on national championships and international competitions both hosted in 2018 as well as those national championships/international events currently awarded for 2019 and beyond[1]. Members of CSTA, including National Sport Organizations, completed an online worksheet which was analyzed independently by Sportcal.
“The GSI Canada Index ranks cities hosting national sports championships and international sports events in Canada through a data-driven assessment and provides an independent analysis from internationally recognized experts in the field,” said Rick Traer, CEO, Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance. “Sport Tourism in Canada is now almost a $7 billion industry annually. Our goal, in developing this tool for our members, is to enable host cities to better understand the impact they are delivering through their sport hosting strategies.”
“Canada is one of the most prominent hosts of major sports events and has claimed a place in the top six in every single edition of our global ranking. The GSI Canada Index provides local insights into the building blocks of Canada’s success in the international hosting scene. It also encourages the cities and sports organisations to collect and aggregate their event data in an organised manner,” said Krzysztof Kropielnicki, Head of Events, Sportcal.
Sportcal is the world-leading provider of sports market intelligence. It produces the annual GSI Nations and Cities Index, analyzing major multi-sport games and world championships, and ranking cities and nations in order of hosting.
Based on the input provided, each host city receives a score and ranking within its respective CSTA membership category on an annual basis. There were 119 cities, 433 national championships and 261 international events included in the compilation of the 2019 GSI Canada Index.
During Sport Events Congress 2019, these Canadian rankings were publicly announced:
GSI Canada Index: Population 500,000 or larger
Montréal, Que.
Québec City, Que.
Edmonton, Alta.
GSI Canada Index: Population between 150,000 – 500,000
Saskatoon, Sask.
Richmond, B.C.
Regina, Sask.
GSI Canada Index: Population between 50,000 – 150,000
Kelowna, B.C.
Lethbridge, Alta.
Fredericton, N.B.
GSI Canada Index: Population under 50,000
Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Brandon, Man.
Leduc, Alta.
GSI Canada Index: National Sports Event 2018
2018 Grey Cup (football)
2018 Tim Hortons Brier (curling)
2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts (curling)
2018 Canadian Championship Final (soccer)
2018 MasterCard Memorial Cup (hockey)
2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships
2018 U-SPORTS Cavendish Farm University Cup (hockey)
2018 Volleyball Canada Nationals
2018 Vanier Cup (U-SPORTS football)2018 U SPORTS Men’s Basketball Final 8
The full GSI Canada Index by city and by population is available on the CSTA website.
– 30 –
About the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance (CSTA)
The Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance is a non-governmental, member-based, capacity building organization that promotes sport tourism as a grassroots economic development initiative at the community level. The CSTA services over 500 members across Canada, including 130 municipalities, 300 national and provincial sport, multi-sport and major games organizations and a variety of other sport and tourism industry partners. Sport tourism is the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry in Canada with over $6.8 billion in annual spending by domestic and international visitors.
About Sportca
lSportcal is a world-leading provider of sports market intelligence. At the forefront of the industry, it delivers unrivalled sports analysis and insight to a range of global clients. Based in the UK, Sportcal is the essential resource for anyone involved in the business of sport. With an in-depth analysis of major multi-sport games and world championships, it compiles and produces annually the GSI Nations and Cities Index, announced yearly at the SportAccord. The indices extend over a 14-year period covering seven years in the past and projecting seven years in the future.
