Three New Sports Events Coming to Hawai’i

The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) and Hawai‘i Convention Center have announced agreements to host three national sports events.

The sports are futsal (indoor soccer), basketball and volleyball tournaments. All will be played on the Center’s new sports courts, starting this year.

All three tournaments, which will be held in the Hawai‘i Convention Center’s Kamehameha Exhibit Hall, will collectively attract multitudes of teams of youth players in different age groups from outside the state, accompanied by families and supporters, to compete with teams from within the islands.

The four-year agreement with U.S. Futsal to host the Pacific Futsal Cup, from 2018 to 2021, is the organization’s first international tournament.

The three-year agreement with Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Basketball, from 2018 to 2020, will bring the Jam on It Pacific Rim Championships to Hawai‘i. AAU Volleyball, the first organization to host a tournament on the new sports courts in February 2017 featuring hundreds of girls competing in age-group team matches, is returning for a tournament this year.

“The Hawai‘i Convention Center’s sports courts are proving to be a valuable contributor to our sports marketing strategy for the state, both in motivating groups to come here who might not otherwise do so, and also giving our local teams the opportunity to compete against teams from outside Hawai‘i without having to travel abroad,” said George D. Szigeti, HTA president and CEO. “Ultimately, the sports courts are helping to support Hawai‘i’s tourism industry, particularly the service providers that visiting teams rely upon to play in the tournament and enjoy their experience in the islands.”

Introduced in 2017, the fully portable sports courts can be configured to simultaneously stage up to 28 regulation volleyball or badminton matches, 18 high school basketball games or 11 futsal matches. The Center also has a regulation NBA- and NCAA-approved basketball court with a solid wood floor. In addition to volleyball, basketball, futsal and badminton tournaments, the sports courts can also accommodate events and competitions for wrestling, gymnastics, martial arts, table tennis, dance, cheerleading and group fitness activities. Elevated seating can be added for spectators.

“The sports courts are allowing us to diversify our development of group business opportunities for Hawai‘i and to help fill hotel room nights by offering a first-class venue to accommodate events with participants from around the world,” said Teri Orton, general manager of the Hawai‘i Convention Center. “The response from tournament organizers has been very positive and these new agreements to host futsal, basketball and volleyball tournaments in the coming years will help us to attract more events and teams from domestic and international markets.”

In 2017, the Hawai‘i Convention Center hosted AAU volleyball and basketball tournaments featuring youth teams from outside Hawai‘i and within the state, as well as the Hoops in Hawai‘i Holiday Classic Tournament, the first-ever NCAA basketball tournament held at the Center.

About the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority is responsible for strategically managing the State of Hawai‘i’s marketing initiatives to support tourism. HTA’s goal is to optimize tourism’s benefits for Hawai‘i, while being attentive to the interests of travelers, the community and visitor industry. Established in 1998 to support Hawai‘i’s leading industry and largest employer, HTA continually strives to help ensure the sustainability of tourism’s success.

For more information about HTA, please visit www.hawaiitourismauthority.org.

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