More than 2 thousand athletes have converged on Saint John for the East Coast Games which get underway this afternoon at 1 with baseball and basketball. They will continue through the weekend with more sports added this year.
Three years ago a little under a thousand athletes took part. Co-Chair Keith Raynes says two new sports were added to the competition this year and he expects more sports next year.
12 teams will be taking part at various venues in the city and all of the events are free of charge.
Raynes says the weekend competition will be a real boost to the Saint John economy because with the athletes comes their friends and family members so there could be as many as 4 to 5 thousand visitors in town. The estimated economic impact, according to Discover Saint John, could be as high as half a million dollars.
http://www.eastcoastgames.ca/events/master-schedule/
