Official says 1999 Georgia Games could have long-term effect analogous to Olympics' on Atlanta

Web posted July 12, 1998

By Frank Witsil
Staff Writer

In a little more than a year from now, the Greater Augusta Sports Council is hoping that as many as 30,000 people -- some for the first time -- will visit The Garden City to participate in or watch the 1999 Georgia Games.

Based on figures from previous Games held in Atlanta, organizers are expecting 8,000 to 10,000 athletes to participate and as many as 20,000 spectators, sports council executive director Tammy Stout said.

The visitors will come here and spend money on hotel accommodations, food, transportation and souvenirs.

Ms. Stout estimates the economic impact at $12 million.

She calculates that figure by multiplying the number of visitors attending the Games by the number of days they are here and the estimated amount of money each visitor will spend -- $167. That number is then multiplied by three, the number of times the dollars are expected to change hands in the local economy.

The Masters Tournament aside, the impact of the Georgia Games Championships could top the list of annual sporting events. The Games could bring in about $500,000 more than the estimated $11.5 million that Augusta Futurity generated, and about $2.7 million more than the next three top money-making sports events in 1997 combined.

The National Barrel Horse Association Barrel Race netted $4.1 million; the Augusta Arsenal Soccer Tournament was worth $3.6 million; and the American Drag Boat Association's Augusta Southern Nationals generated $1.6 million.

The 1997 Masters Tournament, the area's grandest sporting event, brought in an estimated $109 million, according to the Metro Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau. It is a week-long event and attracts an estimated 250,000 visitors.

Organizers don't know exactly how much the Games will cost, but estimates put it between $300,000 and $500,000.

That takes into account equipment rentals, sports officials fees, costs for medals and signs and medical supplies, Ms. Stout said. About $100,000 will be covered by entry fees and ticket sales from opening ceremonies and the rest is expected to come from sponsorships.

Logistically, the Georgia Games may be one of the most complicated events ever held here, organizers say. Forty sports take place at the same time in 30 places throughout a four-county area -- Richmond, Columbia, McDuffie and Burke. About 2,500 volunteers will be needed to coordinate the events, organizers say.

The biggest benefit of the Games -- which will be held July 22-26, 1999, and feature about 40 sporting events -- could come from what is left after they are over, some officials say.

Greater Augusta Progress Inc., a coalition of business leaders, elected officials and city planners, expects the Games to spur development.

The city, for example, is building a $4.9 million aquatics center for the Games' swimming events. The sports council has already booked a regional swim meet sponsored by the American Athletics Union in the center in May, a month before the Games will be held.

After the Games, the area will have suitable facilities to attract other events, including future Georgia Games. Organizers also will have gained valuable experience that could help them when coordinating other programs.

``It's not unlike what the Olympics did in Atlanta,'' said Kevin Shea, senior vice president with the Metro Augusta Chamber of Commerce. ``It's certainly not on the same scale. But we could benefit for years.''

Most of the economic forecasts, however, are based on a successful turnout. Organizers' projections would be out of whack if the Games are a bust.

``We're not entertaining that idea,'' Ms. Stout said.