CLEVELAND — The Pan-American Masters Games is being held in Cleveland this year.

What You Need To Know

  • Four-thousand athletes from 75 countries and 48 states flock to the Cleveland area for the Pan-American Masters Games

  • The anticipated economic impact of the Games is between 15 and 18-million-dollars

  • An independent study will be conducted after the Games to find out what the economic impact is

Nearly 4,000 athletes from 75 countries and 48 states are flocking to the Cleveland area and other parts of Northeast Ohio.

This means big revenue for local businesses.

“The overall economic impact of this event is anticipated to be somewhere between 15 and 18 million dollars,” said Rachael Stentz-Baugher, the executive director of the Pan-American Masters Games.

“Economic impact is the amount of money that comes from out of market and is spent in-market. So, when we drive people to come to Cleveland, really what we do at the sports commission is tourism through sports," Stentz-Baugher said. "When we host an event and people come in from out of market and spend their money that’s where you get that economic impact number."

People participating in the Games will be paying for hotels, food, entertainment and more.

“It refers to the money folks spend in restaurants, renting cars, going through the airport and spending money on flights, at our attraction, any shopping that they do while they are here, lodging," Stentz-Baugher said. "Also keep in mind, so many of those things have taxes that are associated with them, so those dollars go to the city or the county or whoever the taxing entity is."

In order to find out how much money was generated in the area because of the Games, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission will conduct a study.

“We’re doing an independent economic impact study at the end of course that will tell us what the actual numbers are,” Stentz-Baugher said.

The Pan-American Masters Games run through July 21.

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