THUNDER BAY – Last summer’s U18 Baseball World Cup had a multimillion dollar economic impact on Thunder Bay.
The 10-day tournament, held in Thunder Bay last September, brought $6.3 million in activity to the city, organizers outlined in a final report presented to city council on Monday night.
Thunder Bay International Baseball Association executive director Warren Philp said when broadened out to across the province and country, the total economic impact of the event was more than $9 million.
Monthly passenger volume through the Thunder Bay International Airport exceeded 80,000 for the first time, with the tournament a significant contributing factor.
Twelve teams played a total of 50 games at both Port Arthur Stadium and Baseball Central with 32,000 tickets sold, culminating in the championship final with the United States downing South Korea.
“Twenty-six games were broadcast live around the world, primarily to Asian audiences,” Philp said.
“We were seen on highlight packages on Sportsnet and I believe on TSN. A highlight reel was shown during a Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre on the Jumbotron. Thunder Bay had lots of exposure.”
In addition, numbers provided by the WBSC show total online viewership of 12.9 million from 207 countries.
One of the most significant differences between last year’s tournament and when Thunder Bay previously hosted in 2010 was the inclusion of Japan, which did not participate eight years ago.
Philp said two Japanese television networks broadcast every one of the national team’s games live.
“Them being here in 2017 made a huge difference in terms of eyeballs on this event from a global perspective,” Philp said.
Preparations for the tournament, which required fields to meet Major League Baseball standards, resulted in significant enhancements and upgrades to the playing surfaces at both Port Arthur Stadium and Baseball Central.
Reg Galbraith, the baseball association’s facilities director, said those improvements leave behind an important legacy.
“The facilities we have now meet most of our national standards,” Galbraith said. “It’s going to give us the opportunity to bid on some more projects.”
