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FORT MCMURRAY WOOD BUFFALO – A WELCOMING COMMUNITY WITH NATURAL WONDERS

 

 

Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo has a lot to offer event hosts, spectators, and tourists. We are internationally recognized as the location of the Athabasca Oil Sands, the world’s third largest oil reserves and the heart of Canada’s energy sector. This vast region spans more than 60,000 square kilometres across the northeast corner of Alberta, bordering Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. There’s a lot more to offer in this community than a world-class energy sector, we are also home to Wood Buffalo National Park, the largest national park in Canada and a UNESCO World Heritage Site with free-roaming bison herds, bird nesting sites, and some of the most spectacular northern lights viewing you’ll find anywhere. Here in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, you’ll find a welcoming community with people from all over the world. Our region’s endless natural wonders are located just outside the city limits, where you can find the boreal forest at your doorstep. You can see winding rivers, beautiful lakes, endless forests, and sand dunes, with OHV trails to explore it all.  

More than 100,000 people live and work in this region, with more than 75,000 calling the city of Fort McMurray home. We are located on Treaty 8 territory, with the region being home to 12 First Nations and Métis communities. Fort McMurray is about a 4.5 hour drive from Edmonton and 7 hours from Calgary. The Fort McMurray International Airport offers direct flights to Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver.  

We’ve hosted some big events here over the years, from multi-sport games to national & provincial championships and international showcase sporting events. We are currently preparing to welcome the circumpolar world for the 2023 Wood Buffalo Arctic Winter Games from January 29 – February 4, 2023. Some recent hosting resume highlights:  

  • 2022 Baseball Canada 18U National Championship (August 2022) 
  • 2021 Golf Canada Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship  
  • 2019 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship  
  • 2018 Baseball Canada 18U National Championship  
  • 2018 Wood Buffalo Alberta Winter Games  
  • 2017 Volleyball Canada U21 Pan American Cup  
  • 2015 Western Canada Summer Games 

 

Our region is home to truly world-class sporting venues, with a community of volunteers that can do it all. MacDonald Island Park is one of the largest sporting venues in Canada, with the ability to host hockey, curling, swimming, court sports, badminton, football, baseball, and more, all under one roof. Here in Fort McMurray, you can also find the 1500-seat Centerfire Place arena, the hardwood court at the 1000-seat Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre, four golf courses, baseball, soccer, and softball field complexes, a ski hill, and community arenas.  

For more about the region’s sporting facilities, check out our website.  

    Tyler Cole 
    Economic Development Officer | Sports & Events
    Mobile: 780.370.1568
    Email: tyler.cole@fmwb.ca 

     

    If you would like to be the next member whose profile will be featured on the STC website, contact Barb MacDonald, Communications Consultant at bmacdonald@sporttourismcanada.com.