It’s not the main event, but it’s a nice catch anyway.
Houston has been selected to host the 2012 AAU Junior Olympic Games, the country’s largest amateur sports event.
The Junior Olympics is the annual showcase event held each summer for the Amateur Athletic Union, and includes more than 15,000 participants in 20 sports, with its major focus on track and field competition.
With an estimated 30,000 spectators expected, the economic impact of the event is projected at $40 million.
This is the first time Houston has been selected to host the multisport event.
You already know how I feel about economic impact projections, so I’ll just say that Houston has done a pretty good job of landing this kind of event in recent years. Whatever the economics of it, giving people a reason to come visit Houston for a few days strikes me as a good thing. Well done. Thanks to Laban Johnson for the link.