Calgary has made the short list to be named the Ultimate Sports City by a sports industry magazine, says Tourism Calgary.
SportBusiness International placed Calgary among other sport hosting centres Auckland, Copenhagen, London, and Melbourne.
The magazine publishes the list every two years and, in 2012, Calgary was listed as a ‘city to watch’.
“Recognition as one of the world’s top five Ultimate Sports Cities validates a long-term commitment to an ambitious, collaborative strategy that embraces the variety of benefits that accompany hosting major sporting events,” said Doug Mitchell, Calgary Sport Tourism Authority Board Chair, in a release. “The commitment to legacy building, the development of new facilities, incredible local champions and a city that embraces sport have combined into a preeminent winter sport city with the rare ability to host a diversity of major events year-round.”
The cities selected will then be ranked by the magazine’s judging panel.
Calgary is one of the top winter sport cities in the world, says Tourism Calgary.
181 of Canada’s 221 member 2014 Olympic team trained or competed at Winsport Canada facilities.
The city has hosted 32 World Cup or international winter sports events from 2010 to 2013.
Officials say there are few cities in the world that can host freestyle aerials, moguls, halfpipe, skeleton, luge, bobsleigh, speed skating, hockey, sledge hockey and curling World Cups or major international events within city limits and Nordic and alpine World Cups within an hour from those same city limits.
It also possesses a growing number of summer events, including the Tour of Alberta, the PGA Champions Tour at Spruce Meadows, and the Calgary Stampede.
The final results of the ranking will be revealed on April 10.
