Heat warning for Mississauga as 3,500 athletes start Summer Games competition

Mississauga is under a heat warning for today and tomorrow (July 22-23) as more than 3,500 young athletes prepare to compete in the 2022 Ontario Summer Games at various indoor and outdoor venues across the city.

A notice on the City of Mississauga’s Summer Games website notes that the Region of Peel’s medical officer of health (MOH) has issued a heat warning for Mississauga “for conditions starting Friday” and until further notice.

The notice contains a link to locations of seven outdoor pools and 32 spray pads across the city where people can seek relief from the heat.

The MOH’s warning comes on the heels of an Environment Canada heat warning issued on Thursday that alerts people to temperatures on Friday and Saturday–and possibly into Sunday–that will be in the low 30s Celsius but feel like the high 30s or even low 40s.

While many of the athletes ages 12 to 18 participating in the 26th edition of the Summer Games will be competing indoors, many more of the some 3,500 will be engaged in outdoor competitions including soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse, canoeing and kayaking, among others.

The Games, awarded to Mississauga in 2019 and expected to bring $5 million in economic activity to the city, kicked off with the Opening Ceremony last night at Celebration Square in the downtown core and continue until Sunday.

The lighting of the cauldron at Celebration Square officially opened the 2022 Ontario Summer Games. (Photo: City of Mississauga)

Mayor Bonnie Crombie, among many dignitaries to attend the Opening Ceremony, said the city is proud to host the Summer Games and welcome “the best athletes in the province” to town.

“Mississauga has had the opportunity to welcome incredible athletes of all ages and talents over the years, including Ontario’s Parasport athletes this May,” she continued. “We are always delighted to welcome the athletes and their friends and family to Mississauga as they go for gold in our world-class facilities, parks, waterfront and community centres.”

Among the sports being contested in the next few days are basketball, canoeing, kayaking, field hockey, lacrosse, rugby, softball, baseball, table tennis, archery, soccer, golf, triathlon and volleyball (indoor and beach).

An array of sports fields and facilities will serve as venues, as will the University of Toronto Mississauga.

Some 700 volunteers will help ensure the Games go as smoothly as possible.

It’s the second major province-wide sporting event Mississauga has hosted this year. In May, the city was the site of the 2022 Ontario Parasport Games.

The Ontario Summer Games, first held in 1973 in Oshawa, are supported by the Ontario government through its Games Ontario program. The program delivers and supports multi-sport events including the Ontario Winter and Summer games for youth, the Ontario 55-plus Winter and Summer games and Ontario Parasport Games.

For more information including event schedules and venues, visit the City’s Summer Games website.