P.E.I. leaves for Canada Summer Games just months before hosting winter event

As hundreds of young athletes from P.E.I. left for the Canada Summer Games in Ontario on Friday, local organizers of the 2023 Canada Winter Games got a funding boost from the federal government.

ACOA is providing $1.3 million to the winter games, which will be held on P.E.I. Feb.18 to March 5.

The money will be used to build four new squash and racquet-ball courts in Charlottetown's Eastlink Centre, and to upgrade the UPEI Sports Centre.

Winter games volunteers were among the contingent headed to Niagara on Friday to observe the workings of the summer games.

The games were postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but for athletes like 16-year-old Alex Rogers, it's been worth the wait.

"Really excited. You know, just a lot of hard work done in the past year or two and excited to go for the two weeks and just enjoy the experience."

P.E.I. is sending its largest contingent yet — 360 athletes — with 24 men's and women's teams competing in 19 sports over the next two weeks.