Camosun facility will draw elite, say experts

By Cleve Dheensaw
Times Colonist

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Sports officials say they see great things rising out of the pastoral fields surroundings Camosun College's Interurban campus.

Proponents predict the new Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence, to open in September, will go well beyond its stated goals of helping prepare Canada's Olympians and providing a home for Camosun Chargers teams.

Dr. Gord Sleivert of Victoria, vice-president of sport performance for Canadian Sport Centre Pacific, said the ripples from this $42-million facility will be felt for decades.

"This is more than just about Victoria . . . it's a centre of excellence in sport for the whole country and also internationally," said Sleivert, who will be part of the Team Canada swim support team at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

"I can see NHL teams holding training camps here just because of this facility. All the sports science is here for them -- from physiologists and biomechanists to strength and conditioning areas and a video editing suite -- and there are plenty of rinks and hotels in town surrounding all this. This facility will have so many users."

Hugh MacDonald, chairman of SportHost Victoria, said sport tourism has an economic impact of between $55 million and $60 million annually on the local economy and the Institute will add to that total.
"We predict this institute will bring that number up to $75 million annually," said MacDonald.
"It will have a huge impact. Our base is provided by annual events such as the Times Colonist Open [Canadian Tour golf tournament], Royal Victoria Marathon, TC 10K and the big one-off events we host so often in this city such as the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, Skate Canada, Pan Pacific Swim Championships, field-hockey and diving Olympic qualifiers, world curling championships, Scotties [Canadian women's curling] and so on."

MacDonald noted that will be no small matter late in 2009 when national teams from various countries begin scouting locations for camps ahead of the Vancouver Olympics.
The raves for the facility keep rolling in after the media and others got their first glimpse inside the $27.7-million Phase 1 of the 117,570 square-foot facility which is still under construction. A partnership of Camosun, Canadian Sport Centre Pacific and PacificSport Victoria, it will feature the latest in high-performance fitness and strength-training labs and sports medicine, research, technology and rehabilitation services.

Phase I also includes a lighted, all-weather multi-sport playing field and two full gymnasiums.