The Oregon Sports Authority’s tireless quest to bring big-time sports to Oregon has produced a number of high profile events for the state’s largest city in recent years. The extraordinary success of Women’s World Cup Soccer, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and AST Dew Tour has firmly established Portland as a place where top-flight events come to shine. Next up on the list is the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, returning to Oregon for the first time in more than two decades as a direct result of the Oregon Sports Authority’s work to eliminate state-sanctioned sports betting.

As the home of the NBA’s Trail Blazers, the National Lacrosse League’s LumberJax, Triple-A Beavers baseball, Timbers soccer and Winter Hawks hockey, Portland offers a wide variety of professional sports options, as well as two spectacular and versatile venues in the Rose Quarter and PGE Park. The Oregon Sports Authority is leading efforts to dramatically alter the area’s sports landscape by landing an additional professional sports franchise in the coming years.

Portland’s suburban areas are packed with diverse sports and recreation options, including the expansive Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District, and Hagg Lake in Washington County, home of the 2007 and 2008 USA Triathlon National Age Group Championships. Across town, the Mt. Hood Aquatic Center will host the U.S. Masters Swimming Long Course National Championships in 2008.

Portland’s proximity to the coast and mountains has transformed the city into a Mecca for outdoor recreation enthusiasts. The annual Portland Marathon fills the streets of Portland each fall for an event that Runners World calls “the best people’s marathon in the West.”

Runners, Cyclists, hikers, kayakers, skiers and snowboarders are just some of the recreation enthusiasts who have flocked to Portland, attracted not just by the breathtaking natural surroundings, but also by the area’s sports and recreation economy, driven by Nike, adidas, Columbia Sportswear and other related businesses. Take the next step on your online journey with a virtual visit to awe-inspiring Mt. Hood and the Columbia River Gorge.