The Portland Expo Center, which has hosted such varied events such as Cirque du Soleil, roadster shows and flea markets, could soon be hosting sporting events such as tennis, indoor track meets, volleyball and gymnastics. At a joint session of the Metro Council and Metropolitan Exposition Recreation Commission on Tuesday, chief operating officer Marissa Madrigal recommended pivoting the Expo Center to focus and prioritize professional, amateur and recreational sports events as primary markets. The recommendation also calls for recognition of the Expo Center’s historical significance as a place where Japanese Americans reported on their way to prison camps during World War II. In addition, the recommendation calls for recognizing the site’s pre-colonial history and its importance to Indigenous peoples. The focus on sports could range from indoor track meets to team sports tournaments. Events focusing on individual competition and performances to include amateur, professional and senior events also will be prioritized. The facility already host some sports events and the recommendation would potentially increase the number of events. The call for pivoting to hosting sports events is the culmination of studies on how to tap into new revenue streams for the facility. “As a sport and multi-function venue, it’s always been there for us. This is a way to expand on that, so that it’s recognized as a sporting event facility,” said Paul Slyman, general manager of special projects at Metro. “This is about sports — professional, amateur and recreational sports — having a single place where these events can happen in Oregon. ” Metro, the Portland area’s regional government, operates the Expo Center. The facility has hosted trade shows and other large events in the past. The facility consists of five exhibition halls totaling about 300,000 square feet of building space. The facility, located on North Marine Drive, attracts 500,000 visitors annually and hosts about 100 events annually, according to Metro. Three of the buildings — Halls A, B and C — are in need of upgrades or outright replacement. Slyman said currently there’s not enough money to pay for the improvements, and increasing the number of sports events could provide funds. Renovating the older halls would expand space to host more sports events. Metro is now moving into the next phase of the project, which is conducting a market and feasibility study. Also, Metro will develop a capital needs assessment to finalize a capital investment plan. “That’s the problem, even with the day-to-day operations and the present operating model, there’s not money set aside for a long-term capital reinvestment of the old building,” Slyman said. “If we focus and pivot on sports, we’ll look at what’s the right way to change the old buildings. How can they be higher functioning for the kinds of sports such as volleyball and gymnastics. What would be the capital investment needs and how might we meet them under this sport-specific scenario? “If we find through the feasibility study that we can move forward with a sports-specific, sport-tourism kind of venue, then we can come pretty close to achieving that charge we were given. ” Slyman said a similar study in 2014 provided the blueprint for the current study and recommendation. However, that was nine years ago and Slyman said a new paradigm is needed for the Expo Center. “Sports tourism has grown immensely. People are traveling more and more to sports events. People also travel to participate in sports events,” Slyman said. “Expo can be the showcase for those kinds of things. ” --.