Held every two years, alternating between summer and winter, the Canada Games are a key event in the development of Canada’s young athletes. As the best in their age group, these young competitors come to the Games having trained long and hard to be among those chosen to represent their respective province or territory and compete for the Canada Games Flag and Centennial Cup. With the Canada Games poised as a key step in the development of Canada’s future stars, Canada Games athletes are Canada’s next generation national, international, and Olympic champions.
The Canada Games and their lasting legacies continue to be the catalyst for the growth of sport and recreation across the country. In the forty-four year history of the Canada Games new and existing sports venues have benefited from capital improvements because of the opportunity to host the Games. From arenas to pools, fields to courts, close to 500 venues in total have been upgraded to national standards through the Canada Games resulting in the availability of quality venues to host other provincial, national or international events. The Canada Games, a celebration of youth, sport, culture, and community, are the product of ongoing collaboration between the Government of Canada, provincial/territorial governments, host municipalities, the private sector, and the Canada Games Council.
At each Canada Games, the Province or Territory with the greatest number of points from all events is declared the champion and presented winner of the Canada Games Flag. Flag points are awarded to every athlete in every sport based on performance and participation and then aggregated for a provincial or territorial total.