An event billed as the Olympics for artists is floundering financially.
Montreal is home to the headquarters of the ArtsGames and the city gave it $6.5 million in cash and services to get things rolling toward the first staging of the event.
However, organizers are having trouble recruiting sponsors to pick up the rest of the tab. Money is so tight, some organizers are foregoing paycheques.
The head of the International ArtsGames Committee tells La Presse that the hoopla surrounding Montreal's 375th anniversary is making sponsorship dollars scarce, but there should be an improvement in a few months.
The ArtsGames are to be held every two years on the same schedule as the Olympics, but in a different city. They will feature artists from five disciplines: dance, music, media arts, visual arts and literature.