FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact:
Michael Quinlin
(617) 973-8503
[email protected]
Sports Define the Bay State and Support the Economy
‘Sixteen in Sixteen: Massachusetts’ Top Sporting Events for 2016 includes longstanding events like the Boston Marathon and the Head of the Charles Regatta, alongside incoming international events like the ISU World Figure Skating Championships and the Copa American Centenario soccer tournament. Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) and Massachusetts Sports Marketing Office (MSMO) compiled the list.
“These events contribute to our state’s economy while defining the spirit and pride of Massachusetts,” said Nam Pham, Assistant Secretary of Business Development. “For example, the 2015 Boston Marathon generated $180 million in visitor spending, while branding Massachusetts as a desirable sports tourism destination. That is a winning formula.”
“Massachusetts has long been a premier sports haven, with athletes and fans traveling here from around the world,” said Shannah McArdle, director of the Massachusetts Sports Marketing Office. “Our mission is to bring unique new sporting events to Massachusetts to strengthen our reputation as a state of champions.”
Among the special events in 2016 are the Polartec Big Air snowboarding event at Fenway Park; ISU World Figure Skating Championships at TD Garden; the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey at Worcester’s DCU Center; Copa America Centenario soccer match at Gillette Stadium; Babe Ruth Baseball World Series in Westfield; US Rowing Masters National competition in Worcester; and the Indy Grand Prix auto racing in Boston’s Seaport District.
Iconic sporting events on the list include the Beanpot Hockey Tournament at TD Garden; Boston Red Sox Opening Day at Fenway Park; the Boston Marathon; Pan-Mass Challenge; the Falmouth Road Race on Cape Cod; Deutsche PGA Golf Tournament in Norton; the Head of the Charles Regatta along the Charles River; the Gran Prix Cycling race in Gloucester; and the Harvard-Yale Football game in Cambridge.
Massachusetts attracts 22.9 million domestic, 735,000 Canadian and 1.5 million overseas visitors each year, according to MOTT. For more information on visiting Massachusetts, go to massvacation.com. For year round information on sporting events, visit masportsoffice.com.
16 in 16 – MASSACHUSETTS’ TOP SPORTING EVENTS FOR 2016
February 1 & 8
Beanpot Hockey Tournament
TD Garden, Boston
Initiated in 1952, the Beantown features four seminal local hockey teams: Boston College, Boston University, Harvard University and Northeastern University.
February 11
Polartec Big Air
Fenway Park, Boston
The U.S. Grand Prix big air snowboarding and free skiing event features champion athletes of Olympic and World Championship caliber navigating 140 foot high snow ramps.
March 25-26
NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Northeast
DCU Center, Worcester
Four of the best college teams in the northeast play elimination hockey, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Frozen Four National Championships.
March 28-April 3
ISU World Figure Skating Championships
TD Garden, Boston
The most prestigious figure skating competition in the world, the World Figure Skating Competition draws Olympic-caliber ice skaters from countries around the world.
April 11
Boston Red Sox Opening Day
Fenway Park, Boston
Boston Red Sox opening day at Fenway Park is one of the city’s great traditions, dating back to 1913. This year, the Red Sox play the Baltimore Orioles.
April 18
Boston Marathon
Hopkinton to Boston
The world’s oldest marathon, established in 1897, draws elite runners from around the world and is considered one of the best sporting events anywhere. 2016 marks the 120th annual race.
June 10, 12, 18
Copa America Centenario
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
South America’s most popular soccer tournament debuts in the United State in 2016. Gillette Stadium is one of ten US venues chosen, and is hosting three games, including a quarter-final match. Soccer powerhouses Argentina and Brazil are in the Gillette groups.
August 6-7
Pan-Mass Challenge
Statewide
Since 1980, the Pan-Mass Challenge has raised over half a billion dollars for cancer research at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Bicycle teams cycle all across Massachusetts.
August 9-18
Babe Ruth Baseball World Series
Bullens Field, Westfield
Top baseball players from across the USA, Canada, Bermuda and the Bahamas come to western Massachusetts this summer to compete at the 2016 Babe Ruth World Series.
August 18-21
US Rowing Masters National Championship
Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester
The world’s top rowers, 21 and older, compete in 202 categories at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, which has been hosting regattas since the 1850s.
August 21
Falmouth Road Race
Woods Hole to Falmouth, Cape Cod
The 44th annual Falmouth Road Race attracts 12,000+ Olympians, elite and recreational runners who compete along a seven mile scenic stretch of Cape Cod.
September 2-4
Indy Grand Prix
Seaport District, Boston
Twenty of the world’s top race car drivers compete in this fast paced, multi-sport racing event over Labor Day weekend, with contestants using single-seat, open-cockpit, twin-turbocharged cars.
September 2-5
Deutsche Bank Golf Championship
TCP Boston Golf Course, Norton
The world’s best golfers play here each Labor Day weekend on this acclaimed par 71 course originally crafted by golfing legend Arnold Palmer.
October 15-16
Gran Prix of Gloucester
Stage Fort Park, Gloucester
Known as the ‘steeplechase of bicycle racing,’ the Gloucester Gran Prix draws competitors from USA, Canada and Europe, racing over an obstacle course overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
October 22-23
Head of the Charles Regatta
Boston and Cambridge
Launched in 1965, Head of the Charles draws 11,000 athletes from the world’s best crew teams to compete on the Charles River, cheered on by 400,000+ spectators.
November 19
Harvard-Yale Football Game
Harvard Stadium, Cambridge
One of the oldest collegiate rivalries in college football, these two ivy-league colleges have been battling each other on the gridiron since 1875. This is the 133rd game between Harvard and Yale.
Visit masportsoffice.com for year round details on sports in Massachusetts.
###