Victor Cui is no longer the president of the Edmonton Elks in a move that’s been termed a mutual decision.
“We thank Victor for his work during his time with the club,” said chairman Tom Richards in a statement. “This was a difficult decision for everyone involved, but as a board we believe it’s in the best interests of all parties to move in a new direction.”
The club indicated that they will start a search for their next president and CEO in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the club’s day-to-day business operations will be led by the existing business operations senior leadership team. Richards will support the senior leadership team throughout the board’s search.
“I have made the difficult decision to step back from the club and focus on my family,” said Cui. “Despite the team’s current record, I have full confidence that the positives we are starting to see on the field will lead to success moving forward. I want to thank the board for this incredible opportunity and look forward to my role as a lifelong fan.”
The 51-year-old was hired in January 2022 to succeed Chris Presson, who was fired following the 2021 season. The team has since gone 4-23 in the regular season and remain the CFL’s lone winless team this year at 0-9. Edmonton has also lost 22 consecutive home games, a streak that dates back to before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Elks recorded a net operating loss of $3.3 million in 2022, losing money for the fourth consecutive year. The team’s attendance fell by 9.2 percent from 2021 to 2022 as the club averaged 23,787 fans per regular season game. The team averaged attendance of 24,709 through their first four games this season with the attendance figure from the club’s recent loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers remaining unavailable.
Cui went to Archbishop O’Leary High School before graduating from the University of Alberta, where he studied international politics. He went on to gain local sports management and marketing expertise, managing some of the city’s most prominent sporting events such as the 2001 World Championship in Athletics.
The Edmonton native left his home city in 2002 to gain international sports marketing experience. In 2010, he launched One Championship (MMA), which became Asia’s largest sports media property with a valuation of well over $1 billion USD.
The Elks (0-9) are scheduled to visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-5) on Thursday, Aug. 17 with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT.
