CIAA tournament prep underway; 150,000 expected to attend

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Preparations are underway at the Bojangles Coliseum for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament.

Crews put up banners Monday for the event this week. Traffic is expected to be heavy and security will be tight, but officials said the positive impact that the tournament will have on the Charlotte area is well worth it.

CIAA teams put in months of hard work for a winning season to earn a spot in the tournament.

It all comes to an end this year for Brittany Taylor, a senior at Livingstone University in Salisbury.

"It’s bittersweet. You know, you just got to go big or go home. You got to give it your all one last time. You won't see this no more,” Taylor said.

Organizers expect about 150,000 people to attend the tournament through the week.

The event keeps growing every year, organizers said.

"Every year it’s been growing. Last year was $57.4 million of economic activity,” Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority CEO Tom Murray said.

This year's tournament comes to Charlotte in the wake of House Bill 2, which caused events and businesses to pull out of North Carolina.

CIAA commissioner Jacqie McWilliams said those challenges highlight the importance of making the tournament not only a sporting event, but a cultural one as well.

"We can really bring people together, not just to have a good time, but to talk about hard-core issues that people don't want to talk about," McWilliams said.

The CIAA tournament will not be considered an extraordinary event this week as Charlotte city leaders review the controversial policy.

The first game is set to tip off at 10 a.m. Tuesday, but the tournament runs through Saturday with events in uptown as well.

This is the 12th CIAA tournament and for the first time, events are being held in the Bojangles Coliseum for the first half of the tournament.

Channel 9 has reported that Charlotte fire officials will be out in force cracking down on illegal parties.

Channel 9 learned of at least four parties in the Charlotte area that were asked to shut down or were warned about violations.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are also working with bars to prepare for the massive crowds.

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