ST. GEORGE — Since its creation in 1987, the average number of yearly participating athletes and the average yearly economic impact provided by the Huntsman World Senior Games has grown steadily.
When the games commence again this October, the Huntsman World Senior Games will bring in over 11,000 athletes aged 50 and older along with over $20 million in direct economic impact.
It will be the 35th anniversary edition of the games that were created by John Morgan.
CEO Kyle Case spoke in one of the breakout sessions of the Southern Utah Economic Development Summit Thursday morning at the Dixie Convention Center.
He told a small group of business leaders and city officials that the yearly event in Greater Zion has been a consistent economic driver ever for the entire region.
“It’s been that way from the very beginning,” Case said. “That’s been a focus. It’s not the only focus. But we are interested in tracking and also in being a part of the economic driver here in our community.”
He added that last year’s games generated $20.489 million in direct economic impact over the two-week period of the event.
As reported by St. George News, the games returned last October after taking a year off due to the first wave of the pandemic.
“It’s just an incredible opportunity for us to continue to tell our story of the impact that the games have on the area,” Case told St. George News after the presentation.
Case said that he doesn’t feel like the games need to compete against other marquee events in St. George, like the St. George Marathon, the various Ironman races and an active local sports scene.
“The pie is big enough for everybody,” Case said. “And I love how our community has always and continues to work together.”
He went on to say that the games work in close partnerships with Ironman and the marathon to promote an active lifestyle.
Case told the history of the games and said that what he has learned over the course of his 15 years with the organization applies to the business world as well.
“It is a team sport,” Case said. “It truly takes everybody doing their part. It’s a beautiful thing when it comes together. We’ve been just blessed to have been part of that process here in this area.”
Laura Keefe was there with coworkers from State Bank of Southern Utah. Before she was with State Bank, s he said she worked for Daisy and John Morgan in 1984.
“The Huntsman Senior Games are a huge impact on Washington County and have been for a number of years,” Keefe said.
Many of the athletes that play in the games speak of the strong sense of community they feel in St. George, even if they’re not from here.
“It’s true,” Keefe said. “Sad to say that we’ve got to have people come to visit our community to keep our economic condition healthy. So I think it just helps in all that.”
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