Strathcona County to host 2026 Alberta Summer Games

File photo of the 2023 Alberta Summer Games in Okotoks.

Strathcona County will host the 25th Alberta Summer Games in 2026, the province announced Wednesday.

"We are thrilled," county mayor Rod Frank said at a news conference in Sherwood Park that morning.

"We have a very energetic and thriving community, we have a lot of experience hosting these events, we have a very strong parks and recreation culture division, and we're going to get behind this 110 per cent."

Strathcona County hosted the 1987 Alberta Summer Games and the 2000 Alberta Winter Games.

The Alberta government will contribute $820,000 in operational funding.

Tourism and Sport Minister Joseph Schow said of all the bids, Strathcona County presented the best case for drawing people in and showing off its community and athletes.

"I felt that was something that was very important. There's also the legacy piece of this; it's not just about the games itself, but the opportunities afterwards for tourism and future athletic competitions," he said.

The 2026 event will in part take place at the county's currently under-construction agriculture facility, Pointe-aux-Pins Acres, or The Pointe.

With the location selected, the planning committee will next choose dates.

The 2023 Alberta Summer Games in Okotoks and Diamond Valley had 2,800 participants. The communities hosted about 10,000 visitors and saw about $9.5 million in economic impact, according to the government.

The province says 18 athletes who have competed at the Alberta Games have represented Canada at the Olympics. 

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Evan Klippenstein