City scraps sports tourism position
After a successful three-year run that saw Windsor attract a Memorial Cup, the FINA World Swimming Championships and the upcoming Police and Fire Games, among many others, the city has decided to eliminate the position of sports tourism officer.
The contract position was created in 2016 at a cost of $300,000, but with the contract renewal date approaching it was decided to instead make sports tourism the responsibility of Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI). Samantha Magalas, who has filled the position since its creation, will be taking another position in the sports and recreation department at the city.
“I would say she was very successful in doing the work that she did, in promoting sports tourism, but I think what we realized at the end of the time, in fact we started reflecting on it a few months ago, even reflecting on the nature of the job, there’s probably not enough work for a full-time person to be dedicated solely to sports tourism,” said Mayor Drew Dilkens. “And so once all the big events were done and cleared out, she’s gone after other events, which she’s been able to bring in, but we think the position would be better aligned in the tourism structure at TWEPI. What they’re doing is they are having someone within their organization focus part time on sports tourism.
“So it’s a part of one person’s job as opposed to exclusively one person’s job.”
Magalas, who came to the position from Ontario University Athletics where she was a sports co-ordinator, made excellent use of her contacts in the sports world to benefit Windsor, Dilkens said. “She’s done a good job. She got us through FINA, she got us through CARHA (Canadian Adult Recreational Hockey Association) hockey, we got through a ton of other diving events, we’ve had synchro events, through the Memorial Cup, we were successful in getting the Police Fire Games, a ton of OFSAA events,” Dilkens said.
Even in her new position at the city, Magalas will likely be called upon to assist with other events. “The beauty with that is that in the past we have pulled people from the parks and rec department, we’ve seconded them for periods of time to do Open Streets, to do Bright Lights, to do the Ontario Summer Games, or the Senior Games, we’ve pulled people out to support those types of events,” Dilkens said.
“And with her at the city we’re going to need direct support with the Police and Fire Games come 2021, so if she’s still with parks and rec, and I have no reason to believe she wouldn’t be, we’ll be able to call on her expertise at that time to help us execute that event as well.”