With a variety of sports suspended through the pandemic, a couple of youth wrestling tournaments are making their way back to the city — in part thanks to support from the city.
Council has approved a $1,250 grant for the Simcoe County Elementary Athletic Council to host two youth wrestling tournaments at Rotary Place in April 2023.
At Monday's meeting, council waived the city’s Grants Committee policy for sporting groups and government agencies to allow the funding.
Funding for the tournaments has been approved by the city for each year between 2016 and 2022, but the tournaments were suspended through the pandemic.
With the tournaments averaging 400 student participants in the past, mayor Steve Clarke said approving the funding is beneficial for the city and the students alike.
“This is a request that has come to council a number of times over the past few years. I've seen that the net benefit of approving this has been terrific in the past," said Clarke.
“Certainly there's a recreational benefit, (and a) physical activity benefit that these kids enjoy … but also the food booth at Rotary does very well during this wrestling tournament, and there is a return to the city.”
Simcoe County District School Board teacher Juris Ligers wrote to council with the request.
“With the grant, every penny we received went to the cost of the facility. This way, we are able to make the cost for each child $0,” Ligers wrote.
“The (Simcoe County District School Board) pays for the equipment and officials. Now that the global pandemic has ended, I feel this opportunity is more important than ever for students who have not participated in any activities for the past two years," wrote Ligers.
