London, Windsor, Ont. disappointed in failed world junior hockey bid

Windsor and London, Ont. have failed in its joint bid to host the popular world junior hockey championship in 2019.

The winning bid for the holiday tournament went to Vancouver, London Mayor Matt Brown confirmed Thursday.

• Windsor, London make world juniors short list

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkenssaid he hoped Hockey Canada, which is responsible for selecting the winning bid, would want to bring the world juniors to smaller cities for 2019.

"They chose to keep it in a major market, like Vancouver and the City of Victoria," he said. "We certainly respect that decision."

Windsor recently hired a sports tourism officer to help attract major events like the world juniors to the region. Dilkens said the city remains steadfast in its efforts to landmajor tournaments.

• Windsor's sports tourism officer Samantha Magalas outlines her plan

"Persistanceis key to these types of bids," he said. "The more you show your community's dedication and commitment to hosting the event, the more events you have in your back pocket that you have hosted...helps strengthen any future bid."

The International Ice Hockey Federation, which is the governing body of the world junior tournament,awarded Canada the right to host it again in 2019.

Hockey Canada determined which community hosts the tournament.

Canada has hosted the world juniors 11 times. The 2016-17 tournament will be hosted by Toronto and Montreal.