Windsor city council voted in favour Monday night to hosting the FINA Diving World Series and the 2014 Ontario Summer Games.
The city has signed off on a $1-million spend over the next four years to host four major diving competitions. Council also approved a bid, in principle, on the Ontario Summer Games. The operating budget for the games would be about $2.4 million, but after an $800,000 grant, the city's portion would be under $1.6 million.
Windsor mayor Eddie Francis is touting Windsor as a premier city that is able to host the events, which could attract thousands of people to the region.
Francis believes the city has the edge to compete on the world stage.
“If you want to live in a city that's progressive, part of being progressive is being on the map," says Francis.
The diving series would run from 2014 to 2017.
"We have a need to change the perception of what our city is,” says Francis. “Most people have not been here, they have not visited us recently."
The mayor will now propose a joint bid to the county for the summer games. If the county agrees to split the cost, the two will share approximately $1.5 million in hosting fees.
