The CANUSA Games are an annual contest, primarily for athletes age 18 and under, between the sister cities of Flint, Michigan

Flint, Michigan

Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...

, USA, and Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The Games are the longest-running amateur sports competition in North America. The games are held in alternative locations, with Hamilton, Ontario hosting in odd

Odd

Odd is an adjective denoting the quality of being unpaired, occasional, strange or unusual, or a person who is viewed as eccentric.Odd may also refer to:In mathematics, the term odd is used in several senses related to even:...

-numbered years.

History

As a result of the Flint Olympian Games held in Flint, Michigan in July 1957, the Flint officials of the Games wanted a city, of similar size and population, to compete with on a yearly basis. Hamilton was selected, which birthed the "CANUSA" games, whose name was derived from combining the names Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and USA - CAN/USA.

The Games began in August 1958, and consisted of 200 athletes (from each city) competing in seven different sports. The Games have grown considerably, which is supported by the more than 1,600 athletes from each city competing in 17 different competitive sports, including basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, softball

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

, volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

, darts

Darts

Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...

, golf

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

, track and field

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

, and swimming

Swimming (sport)

Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

. An estimated 25,000 people have participated in the games in their 50 years.

Opening Ceremonies

The Opening Ceremonies of the CANUSA Games are arguably the most highlighted piece of the weekend. One of these highlights is most certainly the running relay which covers the distance between Flint and Hamilton - 245 miles. Departing the night before from the visiting city, relay runners carry the torch over the border, which is one of the longest international runs in all of North America. The torch is run into the venue in which the opening ceremonies are held, which represents the official start of the Games.

To symbolize the relationship between the sister cities, the national anthems (from both nations) are sung by everyone present at the Opening Ceremonies. The Friendship Trophy is also given by the Mayor of the host city to the Mayor of the visiting city as a symbol of friendship and peace.

Editions

Edition	Host	Notes
1957	Flint, Michigan, USA	The Flint Olympian Games, a prelude to the first CANUSA Games
1958	Flint, Michigan, USA	The first CANUSA Games
1959	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada	The First CANUSA Games held in Hamilton
1960	Flint, Michigan, USA	The first Harold Webster Trophy was awarded (Track & Field)
1961	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1962	Flint, Michigan, USA
1963	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1964	Flint, Michigan, USA
1965	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1966	Flint, Michigan, USA	The first Jimmy Thompson Memorial Award Trophy was awarded (swimming)
1967	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1968	Flint, Michigan, USA	The first Bernie Arbour Memorial Trophy was awarded (baseball)
1969	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada	The first Ivan Miller Award was awarded (volunteer)
1970	Flint, Michigan, USA
1971	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1972	Flint, Michigan, USA
1973	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1974	Flint, Michigan, USA
1975	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1976	Flint, Michigan, USA
1977	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1978	Flint, Michigan, USA
1979	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1980	Flint, Michigan, USA
1981	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1982	Flint, Michigan, USA
1983	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1984	Flint, Michigan, USA
1985	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1986	Flint, Michigan, USA
1987	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1988	Flint, Michigan, USA
1989	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1990	Flint, Michigan, USA
1991	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1992	Flint, Michigan, USA
1993	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1994	Flint, Michigan, USA	The Games' first paid Business Administrator
1995	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1996	Flint, Michigan, USA	The first W. Clarence Willson Memorial Trophy was awarded (girls basketball)
1997	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
1998	Flint, Michigan, USA
1999	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada	The first Marg Brokenshire Memorial Award was given (Hamilton person that "goes the extra mile")
2000	Flint, Michigan, USA
2001	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
2002	Flint, Michigan, USA
2003	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
2004	Flint, Michigan, USA
2005	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
2006	Flint, Michigan, USA
2007	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada	The first Bill Sturrup Memorial Trophies were awarded (golf)
2008	Flint, Michigan, USA
2009	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
2010	Flint, Michigan, USA
2011	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada	Flint wins its first road Games since 1959