As more than 500 athletes from across Canada played their hearts out at the inaugural games, it was a thrilling display of sportsmanship and competition at the Save Max Sports Center in Brampton this past weekend June 18 – 19 2022.
It was a successful debut edition and saw a coming together of Save Max’s passion for serving the community and the critical role that sports play in bringing people together.
Coinciding with Save Max’s 12th Anniversary, the extravaganza was a healthy mix of sports tournaments, contests, fun, food, music, and entertainment. A well-attended family event, the Games saw a slew of dignitaries and celebrities gracing the occasion. Save Max was honoured to welcome the Mayor the City of Brampton, Patrick Brown. Mayor Brown addressed the crowd gathered at the opening ceremony and said, “I would like to commend Raman Dua as a great example of a world class leader as he develops not only his business, and people around him but also helps build community with initiatives such as this. The GTA is honoured to have Mr. Dua as its citizen.”
Toronto Raptors Vice President John Wiggins applauded Mr. Dua on establishing the Games as an important annual event and said “It is important to get kids away from couches and TV screens and back to activities and get the kids involved in sports as much as we can”
Dignitaries, Chief Guests and Save Max corporate team gathered around CEO Raman Dua for the proud moment he unveiled the new sign at the Save Max Sports Centre. Mayor Patrick Brown, MP Iqra Khalid, Inspector Andrew Cooper, Det. Sergeant Dennis Andrews from Peel Regional Police, VP John Wiggins and Dalano Banton of the Toronto Raptors were all present and congratulated Raman Dua.
NDP leader, Jagmeet Singh, MP Ruby Sahota and MP Sonia Sidhu, also graced the occasion later on for the opening day to congratulate Save Max on this great community event which will be a recurring annual event.
The Soccer Exhibition Game between the Peel Regional Police and the Save Max team ended with a closely fought final score of 7-5 in favour of the Regional Police team. Deputy Chief Mark Andrews accepted the Community Cup on behalf of the whole team. Councillor of Brampton Gurpreet Dhillon was there in time to address the attendees after the soccer game. Dwayne De Rosario, the iconic soccer player from Toronto FC did his meet and greet on stage and encouraged the youth to participate more in sports, to develop more focus in their lives, and to live better.
The meet and greet with both icons, Dalano Banton of the Toronto Raptors and Dwayne de Rosario created a buzz for younger and older people It was certainly one of the best moments where everyone gathered around and waited patiently for their autograph or photo with the two icons.
The Brampton Batman made a grand entrance to entertain kids (and adults alike) with his resplendent costume and his Batmobile car which enthralled the kids who all clamoured for photos.
Kerry Lee Crawford, Chief in charge of the Basketball games was overwhelmed with registrations and frankly not surprised “There is a great demand for players and tournaments including the women’s teams and they are really getting stronger and more well-known all over Canada.” The Gold Champions were In Under 15 Grassroots Elite, Under 16 24 MM, and Under 17 Elite Canada (Halton). A big shout out to the Girls U17 BMBA Community Leaders for their wins. Many charitable donations were made to the participating organizations to support and keep the games going.
The Badminton tournaments run by internationally famous Coach Fernando, saw participating Olympians and international level players like Joshua Hurlburt-Yu, Nyl Yakura, Jason Ho Shu was a great success. Wendy Wen Yu Zhang MVP –Women, won gold in the Singles and in Men’s Singles Joshua Nhuyen took home the gold. Over 20,000 CAD was given away as prizes in the Badminton Tournament alone.
Hon. Consul General of India Apoorva Srivastava was present at the Awards and Closing ceremony and applauded efforts of Raman Dua in bringing community together over sports and encourage more leaders to follow his footsteps.
Hosts Jake Dheer from Rogers Sports and Media Inc. and Patricia Jaggernauth (CP24 and Emmy award winning host) along with Peter Kash (Flow 93. 5 host) made the event lively and interactive.
Speaking to the media at the event, the CEO and Founder, Mr. Raman Dua, shared his vision of how sports can positively contribute to the next generation, keeping them away from drugs and the addiction to gadgets and a sedentary life on the couch watching TV. And strongly believes that sports can teach children the value of hard work; a competitive environment helps them appreciate teamwork and accept wins or losses equally. The Games are an extension of his dream of furthering sports in the community.
About Save Max
Save Max is an iconic Canadian real estate company passionate about people. The corporate has established a name in community initiatives by contributing to several projects. Mr. Raman Dua recently donated $2.5 million to the Trillium Health Foundation. In addition, the company also organized several fundraising drives during the Pandemic and provides continual support to children’s sports and academic dreams.
