The COVID19 pandemic has added some unique challenges to the organization of a large international competition. Despite the uncertainties, we have been liaising closely with the FIS and our National and Provincial Sport Organizations as well as ViaSport, Worksafe BC and Provincial Health and are encouraged that they are very supportive of our path to hosting the 2023 FIS Nordic Junior / U23 Cross Country World Ski Championships in early 2023. At this point in time, the FIS has indicated that Zakopane, Poland will host the 2021 Nordic Junior World Ski Championships and Oberstdorf, Germany will be hosting the 2021 Nordic World Ski Championships.
We are excited about the potential economic impact that the 2023 Ski Champs, along with the three test events leading up to the event, will have to the Canadian economy. Based on an economic analysis using the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance’s (CSTA) STEAM 2.0 model, a tool that predicts the potential economic impact of hosting large events, the combined total economic impact of out-of-town athletes, team officials, International Federation officials, and capital and operational spending across these four events is expected to total $24.3 million providing an economic benefit equal to 8 times the actual cost of staging these events.
This work has been foundational to our grant applications to government. We now have a comprehensive Business Plan and are in discussions with several levels of the provincial and federal government in regard to gaining financial support, including:
- British Columbia Major Sport Event Grant
- Sport Canada International Single Sport Event Grant
- Regional District Gas Tax Capital GrantWe are also pursuing Provincial Gaming Capital funding as well as working closely with Squamish and Whistler to potentially access event funding.We have now formally registered our not-for-profit society – named the Black Tusk Nordic Events Society – that will be the Local Organizing Committee for hosting and organizing the four events.Nordiq Canada has awarded the January 2021 World Junior Trials competition to Black Tusk Nordic Events Society and our Competition Committee has been formed to organize this important event at Whistler Olympic Park. We are also pursuing hosting a December 2021 Continental Cup (North America wide Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined competition) and the March 2022 Nordic Nationals.
Support for our event continues to grow with formal Letters of Support received from Provincial MLA (West Vancouver – Sea to Sky) Jordan Sturdy, Federal MP (West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country) Patrick Weiler, Mayor Jack Crompton of Whistler, District of Squamish Mayor Karen Elliott, Chair Tony Rainbow of the Squamish Lillooet Regional District and Métis Nation British Columbia President Clara Morin Dal Col.
We have started work on our society and event branding. We are very pleased that we have an official logo for the 2023 event thanks to the amazing graphic work of Frank Palmer of Elevator Strategies and Rob Glennie of Fresh Thinking:
As well, we have been working with Corinne Hunt, the First Nations artist responsible for the 2010 Winter Olympics medals design, who has developed our logo for the Society:
We are excited to be rolling out our full branding package later this year.
Please browse through our website – www.wjc2023.ca – to see more detail on our progress.
Norman Laube
Chairperson – Local Organizing Committee
Black Tusk Nordic Events Society
2023 Squamish-Whistler
FIS Nordic Junior/U23 Cross Country World Ski Championships www.wjc2023.ca
