The inaugural all-women Aurora Games will return to Albany not only in '21, but in '23 as well, despite "paltry attendance figures throughout the six days" at Times Union Center, according to Pete Dougherty of the Albany TIMES UNION. The total announced attendance was 20,423, an "average of 3,404 per session." However, turnstile count for some events "appeared lower than the announced figures." Aurora Games Exec Producer Jerry Solomon said beforehand that "keeping his creation in Albany would be based on attendance" and "reception of the athletes." Solomon said that the athletes were "well-received by those who did attend." The Aurora Games chose to hold its even the same week of the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Solomon said, "I'm not sure whether being the week of the Travers is a plus or a minus." Times Union Center GM Bob Belber: "I like personally the mid-April dates, around the second or third week of April." Meanwhile, Dougherty notes plans for an Albany-based women's sports training facility "appear to be coming to fruition." Solomon's idea "would be to create an Aurora Games Training and Research Center that would extend beyond the conditioning of women athletes." He "envisions developing products for women in sports and enabling research into medical and training elements." Solomon: "It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have all these athletes here in this area training on a regular basis" (Albany TIMES UNION, 8/26).
