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Calgary to host 2024/2025 Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships

May 26, 2021
Royal Canadian Legion Dominion President Thomas D. Irvine is pleased to announce the host city for the 2024 and 2025 Legion Nationals is Calgary, Alberta.
Foothills Athletic Park


Three-day competition for U16 and U18 athletes

OTTAWA, ON, 26 May, 2021 – Royal Canadian Legion Dominion President Thomas D. Irvine is pleased to announce the host city for the 2024 and 2025 Legion Nationals is Calgary, Alberta.

“It’s a huge commitment to host these games, and we know the Calgary games’ organizing committee and other dedicated volunteers will do an incredible job,” says Irvine. “Alberta and Northwest Territories Command along with Calgary and area branches are eager to welcome the athletes as well as coaches and officials from across the country.”

 Competition will take place at Calgary’s Foothills Athletic Park as follows:

  • 2024: 7-13 August (competition  dates: 9-11 August)
  • 2025: 6-12 August (competition dates: 8-10 August)

“We are pleased and proud to be named host of the Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships for 2024 and 2025,” says Calgary Track Council Chair, Ed Moore. “This event is the pinnacle of youth Athletics in Canada and we are excited to bring it to Alberta for the first time since 2005.  We look forward to the highest quality competition and we promise a memorable event for all who participate.”

Other partners include Athletics Canada, Athletics Alberta, the Legion’s AB-NWT Command, Calgary and area Legion Branches, the University of Calgary, where the Legion-sponsored athletes will be housed and fed, and Tourism Calgary.

“Calgary is thrilled to have been entrusted to host the 2024 and 2025 Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships,” said Jeff Daniels, Executive Director, Sport, Culture & Major Events at Tourism Calgary. “These events are anticipated to jointly deliver over $5 million in projected economic impact, along with far reaching community, grassroots sport, and legacy benefits. We are grateful to the Royal Canadian Legion and Athletics Canada for selecting Calgary and we look forward to welcoming these young athletes and their families to our city.”

The 46th and 47th years for the event will see close to 1,000 athletes from across the country competing in Canada’s only track and field championships for the under 16 and under 18 age categories. The world-class competition grew from Legionnaires’ support and promotion of youth sports as a healthy activity to help children whose fathers or mothers were serving abroad or had served in the Canadian Armed Forces. The Legion later developed local, provincial, and national youth athletic programs, which now culminate in the games.

The Royal Canadian Legion sponsors hundreds of athletes each year, with the support of branches and provincial/territorial commands from across the country.  Several hundred other youth join as open athletes. Many Legion alumni later go on to compete at the international level.

“We are so excited to take the games to Calgary and know the city will be a welcome host for the hundreds of young athletes that will meet to compete – and develop new friendships, one of the great legacies of these games!” says Legion National Sports Committee Chair and Dominion Vice President Brian Weaver. “We’re really looking forward to working with our new hosts in 2024 and 2025.”

The 2020 and 2021 games were cancelled due to the pandemic. Chosen cities typically host the games for two years in a row and the 2022 and 2023 Legion Nationals are scheduled to take place in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

  • 2022: Sherbrooke, QC, 3-9 August 2022 (competition dates: 5-7 Aug)
  • 2023: Sherbrooke, QC, 9-15 August 2023 (competition dates: 11-13 Aug)

More information about the Legion Nationals can be found at LegionNationals.ca.

More information related to the pandemic situation and the Legion’s response can be found on our COVID-19 page.

 

About The Royal Canadian Legion

Founded in 1925, the Legion is Canada’s largest Veteran support and community service organization. We are a non-profit organization with a national reach across Canada as well as branches in the U.S. and Europe. With close to 250,000 members, many of whom volunteer an extraordinary amount of time to their branches, our strength is in our numbers.

Public Relations / Media Inquiries: Nujma Bond 613-591-3335 ext. 241 or PublicRelations@Legion.ca

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