Next year’s Power Smart Manitoba Winter Games are to be held in Portage la Prairie. Along with the attention will come renovations to old facilities as well as the potential unveiling of a brand new facility for the ice sports.

Sport Manitoba has passed down $160,000 to the Portage Host Society that it had received through a list of sponsors including the title sponsor, Manitoba Hydro. Of that, $80,000 is operating money to host the games. The same amount is for facility upgrades, according to Jeanne Zwiep, manager of recreation services at the City of Portage la Prairie.

Some of the upgrade money will go toward the soon-to-be completed arena which Portage is hoping will be the venue for hockey, ringette and figure skating. It has not yet been determined whether or not the complex will be ready for the games.

“When we bid on [hosting the games], we bid with the intention that the Portage Centennial Arena, our current arena, would be used,” said Zwiep.

Regardless of whether or not the new arena will facilitate the Manitoba Games, they will go on. However, the Host Society has received funding from Sport Manitoba for the games to pay for a facility that may or may not be put to use during the Manitoba Games.

“Once the games were awarded to us, the push was on to have it ready for the games because it would be nice to showcase to Manitoba that it’s done and ready and open for business,” said Paul Harland, games co-ordinator of the Portage la Prairie Host Society.

The funding for upgrades that have been announced are: $4,060 to the Portage Curling Club for a reverse osmosis water purification system; $7,500 Portage Gymnastics Club for equipment, such as a vault board, balance beam and floor mats; and $5,956.71 for the Portage la Prairie School Division for fitness equipment.

“The groups that are receiving funding are providing matching money,” said Zwiep. The one-time funding boost to sports facilities are sure to improve the overall quality of sport in Portage la Prairie and will likely also be appreciated by the 1,500 athletes expected to participate in the 2010 Manitoba Games.

The 2010 Power Smart Manitoba Winter games will run from March 7 to March 13.

Published in Volume 64, Number 2 of The Uniter (September 10, 2009)