WinSport puts 'arena' name on ice in favour of 'event centre'

The WinSport Arena, now known as the WinSport Event Centre, hosted Basketball Champions League Americas action in March.

The future home of Calgary's Canadian Elite Basketball League team is no longer an arena.

WinSport officials announced Tuesday the WinSport Arena name had been dropped and the largest facility within the Markin MacPhail Centre had been rebranded as the WinSport Event Centre.

"The main focus on three sheets of ice at the Markin MacPhail Centre will continue to be on ice sports, such as hockey, figure skating, ringette, and sledge hockey," said John Sutherland, WinSport's chief operating officer, in a statement. "But we have proven that the main arena can be adapted for such a large spectrum of events, including sports and entertainment."

The CEBL announced earlier this summer that the Guelph Nighthawks franchise would be moved to Calgary ahead of the 2023 season and the team's games would be played at WinSport in the venue that has a seating capacity of upward of 3,000.

The WinSport Event Centre name has been adopted ahead of the upcoming 2022 Yonex Canada Open badminton championships (Sept. 27 – Oct. 2) and the Pan-Continental Curling Championships (Oct. 30 – Nov. 5).