Summer Games unable to reflect town’s new name

The 2023 Alberta Summer Games are coming to Diamond Valley — just not in name. 

There’s been some confusion over the towns that are playing host to this summer’s sporting spectacle as Okotoks and Black Diamond are listed even though the latter amalgamated with Turner Valley at the beginning of the year to form the new Town of Diamond Valley. 

However, the bid to host the Games, which dates to 2019, only included Black Diamond, so all subsequent documentation and branding reflect the former name, not the new one. Now that amalgamation has taken hold, using the old name has created puzzled looks and questions, but organizers say it’s simply too late to make changes. 

“It was Black Diamond, not Diamond Valley, that was a partner in this endeavour,” said Games manager Marica Borovich-Law. “It’s unfortunate timing, but it’s too difficult to walk it back since we’re already well down that path.” 

She said pretty much everything associated with the Summer Games, from legal documents and bank accounts behind the scenes to promotional material and branded clothing in the public realm, has Black Diamond’s name and/or logo attached to it, so changing it all would be costly and time consuming. 

Borovich-Law said when the Games were pushed back a year due to the pandemic, it was an ordeal to amend everything, including the name of the society, to reflect the new date, so undertaking changes on a much larger scale, with far less time to do so, just isn’t feasible. 

She said even though the name won’t change, organizers are mindful of the new town and take every opportunity to recognize Diamond Valley, which will play host to the mountain biking competition during the Summer Games. 

Les Quinton, recreation supervisor for the Town of Diamond Valley and a member of the board of directors for the Summer Games, agreed the time and money needed to change everything just isn’t worth it. 

“The grant went in under Black Diamond and Okotoks and all the promotional material has been printed with Black Diamond and Okotoks, or Okotoks and Black Diamond, so it would be quite costly and would slow things down trying to get all this redone to put in Diamond Valley,” Quinton said, adding it would be better to devote those resources to other preparation efforts. 

He said in official capacities it must remain Black Diamond, but when the Games are being talked about informally, Diamond Valley can be used. 

Quinton added the new town is still working on its branding and expects to have a new logo in a couple of months. 

The Summer Games will see over 3,000 athletes, coaches and officials from throughout Alberta descend on the host communities from July 20 to 23 to compete in 14 sports.