Organizers hope to beat last year’s goals

The festival, which has seen its popularity rise every year, will have some new features in its 2007 edition. Young athletes, between six and 12 years olds, will be able to compete in 25 different sports, which is one more than last year. On top of that, each athlete will receive a medal to commemorate their participation. The first and second place winners in each category will receive gold and silver medals, while the other participants will receive a bronze medal.

Sault-au-Récollet councillor and head of sports in the borough, Jean-François St. Onge, attended the Sports Festival’s official launch at the Ahuntsic Loblaws last Tuesday.

“These are friendly competitions that encourage participation in sports,” he said. “I played football when I was young. I wasn’t the best or most talented player, but if I still talk about it today, it’s because I had a lot of fun while doing my best.

“Physical activity is important for us, especially for our children. If we motivate them to exercise and take pleasure in sports when they are young, they will take on good habits that will last their whole lives,” St. Onge added.

There are currently about 800 members in the borough’s sports clubs and sports and recreation centres. With two weeks to go until the sports festival, event organizers are confidents they will surpass 1,000 participants and beat the 1,013 participation level achieved last year. In the event’s first edition in 2004, 740 young people participated.

Only children who are enrolled in a sports activity in the borough are eligible. The Sports Festival’s goal is to allow these young people to compete against more opponents, and, of course, to have fun.

According to St. Onge, this is one of the most important events on the Island of Montreal. To compare, the Jeux de Montréal (Montreal Games) attract over 5,000 young people from 19 boroughs.