Greater Sudbury is a hotbed of sport for two days this week as the Nickel City plays host to the 2025 Ontario 55+ Summer Games.
The three-day event Aug. 5-7 sees participants compete in such sports as cycling, tennis, swimming, predictive walking, carpet bowling, shuffleboard, pickleball, slo-pitch, bowling, cards, bocce, pool, darts and golf.
At the opening ceremonies on Tuesday at Grace Hartman Amphitheatre, some 800 older adult athletes from 30 communities across the province took part in the parade of athletes.
The final day of competition is Aug. 7, with medal ceremonies held at each event. If you're interested in watching some of the action, you can find a full schedule of events for each sport by clicking here.
The local games are chaired by Barb Nott, who is also chair of the Older Adult Advisory Panel.
Hosting the games is anticipated to cost $486,000, including a $45,000 contingency fund.
The province said in a news release it's providing $235,000 to support the city’s hosting efforts.
Costs would be funded through the Ontario Ministry of Sport Hosting Grant ($235,000), Greater Sudbury Development Corporation’s Tourism Development Fund ($90,000), registration fees ($90,000), sponsorship ($20,000) and the Tourism Event Support Program ($20,000). The $30,000 balance is expected to be funded from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and FedNor.
Hosting the games is expected to generate more than $1.5 million in economic spinoff benefits for Greater Sudbury.
The Ontario 55+ Summer Games event used to be called “Activefest” and was first held in 1986 in Kitchener.