La Francophonie Games Almost Certain to Come to New Brunswick

It looks like New Brunswick will win the right to host the 2021 Francophonie Games. 
The advisory committee of the Comité international des Jeux de la Francophonie met in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on March 1st and decided to support Canada-New Brunswick’s bid for the Games. The event would be held in Dieppe and Moncton.

The only other bidder was for Sherbrooke, Quebec. But the Quebec government announced this past week that it is joining the consensus reached in Abidjan and that it is supporting New Brunswick’s bid.

There are still a few steps remaining in the process of designating the location of the Games. The advisory committee’s recommendation will be reviewed on April 7 by the Conseil permanent de la Francophonie , which will then make its recommendation to the Conférence ministérielle de la Francophonie , which will make a recommendation to the Francophonie Summit being held in Madagascar in November.

The delegation consisted of members of the provincial government and representatives of the cities of Dieppe and Moncton, the Université de Moncton, the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, as well as community members and the bid committee.

The Games are the largest sporting and cultural event of the Francophonie dedicated to youth. They are held every four years, in the year following the Olympic Summer Games.

The economic spinoffs of this event are considerable. The 2021 Games are expected to attract more than 3,000 athletes from nearly 60 countries. The spinoffs are estimated at $25 million, including $22 million in the two host cities.

Information in this article provided by the Government of New Brunswick