Ontario Games


The Ontario Games program is Ontario, Canada's largest multi-sport amateur event which involves hosting and organizing separate events for athletes aged 9–18 years, parasport athletes, and athletes 55 and older. The program is provided by the Government of Ontario's Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. Games Ontario is the provincial crown corporation charged with organizing this multi-sport event under the title of "Ontario Games".
Beginning in 1970, the event acted as a showcase for amateur sport. Today the objectives of the event are also meant to provide developmental and competitive opportunities for Ontario's amateur athletes in order to help them prepare for future national and international competitions and help older adults remain active. The Ontario Games are the only multi-sport event of this calibre hosted in the province.
Events include: the [|Ontario Summer Games], the [|Ontario Winter Games], the [|Ontario 55+ Summer Games], the [|Ontario 55+ Winter Games], and the Ontario Parasport Games.
The most recent Ontario Summer Games took place in 2022 in the City of Mississauga. The 2020 games which were previously postponed to 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The most recent Ontario Winter Games were initially scheduled to take place from February 25–27 and March 3–6, 2022 in Renfrew County, Ontario, but were postponed due to COVID-19.
The Ontario ParaSport Games took place in 2022 from May 13 to 15 in the City of Mississauga. The games were originally scheduled for 2021 but were postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

History of the Ontario Games

The Ontario Games began as a multi-sport event in Ontario, Canada in 1970 and the event acted as a showcase for amateur sport. Today it is also designed to aid in the development of high performance amateur athletes and prepare them for both the national and international level of sports competition.

Editions

Sports

Summer sports

There are more than 15 different sporting events included in the Ontario Summer Games. This includes: basketball, canoe kayak, field hockey, lacrosse, rugby, softball, table tennis and volleyball.

Winter sports

The Ontario Winter Games is delivered by the Sport Alliance of Ontario. A total of 19 sports are included in the program:
Synchronized Swimming
  • Parasports

The ParaSport games of Ontario are administered by ParaSport Ontario and currently includes the following 35 parasports:
  • Alpine Skiing
  • Amputee Hockey
  • Archery
  • Athletics
  • Baseball
  • Boccia
  • Canoe / Kayak
  • Circus Arts
  • Cycling
  • Dance
  • Dragon Boat Racing
  • Equestrian
  • Fishing
  • Goalball
  • Golf
  • Ice Skating
  • Martial Arts
  • Nordic Skiing
  • Powerchair Hockey
  • Powerlifting
  • Rowing
  • Running
  • Sailing
  • Sitting Volleyball
  • Sledge Hockey
Para ice hockey or sled hockey
  • Soccer
  • Swimming
  • Table Tennis
  • Waterskiing / Wakeboarding
  • Wheelchair Basketball
  • Wheelchair Curling
  • Wheelchair Fencing
  • Wheelchair Rugby
  • Wheelchair Tennis
  • Yoga

    55+ Summer sports

The Ontario 55+ Summer Games are organized in partnership with the and have grown to include more than 1,400 participants competing in 19 sports, including:
The Ontario 55+ Winter Games were created to support and assist in the development of Ontario's active older adults in 10 different sports. As of 2017 there were ten main areas of competition with each area further broken down into specific competitive events. Sports include:

2020 Ontario Summer Games

had been chosen to host the 2020 Ontario Summer Games, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was cancelled. The plan had been to postpone the 2020 OSG until 2021 but again, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were cancelled and then scrapped altogether.

2021 Ontario Summer Games

The 2021 Ontario Summer Games were scheduled to be hosted as a result of the previous cancellation of the 2020 Ontario Summer Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but again, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were cancelled and then scrapped altogether.

2022 Ontario Summer Games

The Ontario Summer Games took place in 2022 from July 21 to 24 in Mississauga with more than 3,500 athletes.

2024 Ontario Summer Games

The 2024 Ontario Summer Games are scheduled to be held in London, Ontario.

Ontario Winter Games

2022 Ontario Winter Games

The 2022 Ontario Winter Games were given the go ahead after a lot of consideration due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The games were to be hosted by Renfrew County and were scheduled to be from February 25–27, 2022 and March 3–6, 2022 but were postponed due to COVID-19.
27 sports will be a part of the 2022 OWG program. An estimated 3,500 athletes, coaches, officials and dignitaries are expected to attend.

Ontario ParaSport Games

The ParaSport games of Ontario are administered by ParaSport Ontario.

2021 Ontario ParaSport Games

The 2021 Ontario ParaSport Games were postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2022 Ontario ParaSport Games

The City of Mississauga hosted the 2022 Ontario ParaSport Games after the games, originally scheduled for 2021, were postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ontario ParaSport Games ran from May 13 to 15, 2022.

Ontario 55+ Summer Games

The Ontario 55+ Summer Games were first held in 1986 in the City of Kitchener and were originally known as Actifest until 2010. The Games, which are organized by OGSA, are held biennially and feature a variety of competitive and recreational summer sports for participants aged 55 and older.
Established as part of the broader OSGA initiative, the Summer Games provide a structured pathway for older Ontarians to participate in district-level competitions, qualify for regional and provincial championships, and potentially advance to the .
In February 2019, the City of Peterborough was selected to host the Games scheduled for August 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was postponed to 2021. In June 2021, it was announced that the Games would not proceed that year either, and Peterborough was offered the opportunity to host in 2022 instead.

List of Ontario 55+ Summer Games

EditionYearHost city/RegionDates
11996KitchenerAugust 25–27, 1986
21988BramptonAugust 29–31, 1988
31990LondonAugust 7–9, 1990
41992HamiltonAugust 24–26, 1992
51994SudburyAugust 22–24, 1994
61996Richmond HillAugust 26–28, 1996
71998WindsorAugust 18–21, 1998
82000Ottawa-Carleton RegionAugust 8–10, 2000
92002KingstonAugust 13–15, 2002
102004St. Catharines
August 16–18, 2004
112006HamiltonAugust 14–16, 2006
122008LondonAugust 12–14, 2008
132010OshawaAugust 10–12, 2010
142012BramptonAugust 14–16, 2012
152014Windsor/AmherstburgAugust 19–21, 2014
162016MidlandAugust 9–11, 2016
172018MississaugaAugust 10–12, 2018
182022PeterboroughAugust 9–11, 2022
192023Brantford/County of BrantAugust 9–11, 2023
202024SudburyAugust 5–7, 2025

Ontario 55+ Winter Games

In 2000, Winterfest was launched to complement the Summer Games, then known as Actifest. The event was officially renamed the Ontario 55+ Winter Games beginning with the 2011 edition. Held biennially in alternating years with the Summer Games, the Winter Games offer a provincial platform for older adults to engage in a wide range of winter sports and recreational activities tailored to various skill levels and interests.
Participants typically qualify through district-level competitions before advancing to the provincial Games, with select events serving as qualifiers for the Canada 55+ Games.
The 2021 Ontario 55+ Winter Games, originally scheduled to take place in Brantford and the County of Brant from February 11–13, 2021, were ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

List of Ontario 55+ Summer Games

EditionYearHost city/RegionDates
12000CollingwoodMarch 5–7, 2000
22003LondonFebruary 16–18, 2003
32005BarrieFebruary 6–9, 2005
42007BrockvilleFebruary 14–16, 2007
52009BrockvilleFebruary 11–13, 2009
62011HaliburtonFebruary 15–17, 2011
72013HuntsvilleFebruary 26–28, 2013
82015HaliburtonFebruary 17–19, 2015
92017CobourgFebruary 21–23, 2017
102019HuntsvilleMarch 5–7, 2019
112024OrilliaFebruary 6–8, 2024