A legacy worth running for

Photo credit: 2025 Jeux Canada Games, and Justin Brown

Funding provided through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program

As one of Canada’s oldest cities, and home to Memorial University (MUN), St. John’s has always had the ambition to compete on a national stage. Until now, however, the city has never had a dedicated outdoor sports track to match that ambition. When Newfoundland and Labrador was awarded the 2025 Canada Summer Games, the city recognized an opportunity to change that once and for all.

Building a facility ready for the world stage

In November 2022, the federal, provincial, and municipal governments announced their investment in a new sport complex on lands generously provided by Memorial University and the Newfoundland English School District. Construction began in May 2023, and over two years the Fortis Canada Games Complex took shape on the grounds of MUN’s St. John’s campus.

The result is a facility built to compete with the best in the country. The complex features a 400-metre, eight-lane, rubberized track certified to Class II standards by World Athletes, the global governing body for track and field. This places it among the select facilities in Canada capable of hosting elite international athletics. It also includes a FIFA Quality Pro certified artificial soccer turf, a 120-metre throwing area, and an indoor training facility with administrative space, locker rooms, and accessible amenities. It is the first outdoor track of this standard built in the city of St. John’s.

The grand opening was held on July 4, 2025, just about one month before over 5,000 athletes from across the country arrived in St. John’s for the 2025 Canada Summer Games. The complex immediately delivered on its promise, hosting track and field and soccer events for the largest multi-sport competition in Canada.

“Communities are transformed through incredible legacy projects like the Fortis Canada Games Complex,” said Catriona Le May Doan, the Chair of the Canada Games Council. “This facility will spark greatness in Canada Games athletes, but also in the residents of St. John’s and the province more broadly who will benefit from this world-class facility following the Games.”

A lasting legacy

The facility is designed to serve as a centre of excellence for coaching, refereeing, and athlete development across the province, open to amateur athletes and the broader public alike. Its indoor training facility ensures year-round access, giving Newfoundland and Labrador athletes the training ground they have always deserved.

Quick facts

• The 2025 Canada Summer Games were the third Canada Games hosted by Newfoundland and Labrador, with previous editions held in 1977 and 1999.
• Nearly 1,000 athletes, including para and Special Olympic athletes, competed at the Fortis Canada Games Complex over the two weeks of the Games.
• The track and field layout was designed to take advantage of St. John’s prevailing winds for throwing events, with flexible start and finish locations to accommodate wind direction during competition.

For more information

• Canada Games
• 2022 News Release: New track and field facilities in St. John’s for the 2025 Canada Summer Games
• Fortis Canada Games Complex - Engage St. John’s