July 24, 2008 (Ottawa, ON) – Ottawa will host the Ontario Summer Games for the second consecutive time August 13-16, 2008 in the National Capital Region. The Ontario Summer Games are the Province’s premiere multi-sport event and provide sports competition for youth between the ages of 11 and 22.

The 26 sports will involve approximately 3,500 participants (athletes, coaches and officials) from across the province, as well as over 1,000 volunteers.

Ontario Summer Games athletes will compete in the following sports:archery; athletics; baseball; basketball; canoe/kayak; cycling; field hockey; lacrosse; lawn bowling; rowing; rugby; sailing; shooting; soccer; softball; swimming; tennis; triathlon; volleyball; water polo and water skiing.

Opening Ceremonies will be held at Keith Harris Stadium at Carleton University on August 13th starting at 7 p.m. The evening’s entertainment will include athlete introductions, speeches, live music performed by Amanda Rheaume, winner of the Big Money Shot, and on-air personalities from the New Hot 89.9.

Pat Reid, Director General of the Games, is appealing to companies and businesses in the Ottawa area to get involved with the Games by purchasing a block of 10 or 20 all-sport admission tickets, each worth $10.00, and have the Games donate those tickets to the 2008 Games official charity, the Ottawa Big Sisters Big Brothers. All contributing companies will be listed in the Official Program of the Games, and on our website.

TELUS is sponsoring the Ontario Summer Games by donating the use of their TELUS SATCOLT (short for satellite cell site on light truck), a million-dollar+ wireless communications platform to act as the telecommunications hub for the games.

The facts:

– The Ontario Summer Games is the largest multi-sport tournament in
Ottawa history.
– More athletes than will be participating in the Ontario Summer
Games than in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
– The official charity of the Ontario Summer Games 2008 is the Big
Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa organization.
– The Ontario Summer Games comprise the 26 sports Provincial Championships.
– The Track Competition being held at the Terry Fox Athletics
Facility will include both the Ontario Summer Games and the Eastern
Canadian Championships (Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and
Newfoundland/Labrador) Thursday and Friday.
– The economic impact of the Games in Ottawa in 2006 was $1.2
million. This time we expect that figure to rise slightly to $1.4
million, with the addition to the Games of the sports of swimming,
water polo, triathlon and lawn bowling.

For more information visit www.2008osg.ca.