There is buzz in Kamloops with the excitement building to the 2018 BC Winter Games. Two exciting days of events were held to celebrate sport and mark the countdown.
The celebrations started on November 22nd, with more than 1,500 elementary school-aged children gathering at the Tournament Capital Centre to celebrate Olympic Day. The children were given the opportunity to try over 15 different sports, including ski jumping, biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, judo and wheelchair basketball.
Hosted by PacificSport Interior BC and supported by the Canadian Olympic Committee, viaSport, the BC Sports Hall of Fame and the BC Games Society, Olympic Day finished with a torch relay to celebrate the countdown to the 2018 BC Winter Games. Olympians and Paralympians including BC Games alumni Dylan Armstrong and Brent Hayden, participated in a torch relay with the children and lit the BC Games caldron.
To culminate the day, the official BC Winter Games Torchlighting Ceremony was also held at the Tournament Capital Centre. This formal event brought together volunteers, supporters and local athletes to hear inspirational words and motivational stories.
“A lot of hard work has gone into preparing to bring the Games to Kamloops, but this milestone really turned up the volume – and the excitement! We are less than 100 days away from welcoming 2,000 athletes, coaches and officials from all over British Columbia to compete in 19 sports,” explains Niki Remesz, Kamloops 2018 BC Winter Games President. “I am thrilled we have the chance to celebrate our hard work to date and welcome new recruits to our team as we light the torch and get this party started!”
Hundreds of volunteers are already involved in the Kamloops 2018 BC Winter Games.
“For me, the Games are a perfect reminder that if communities come together they can do amazing things. I know that our community leaders and residents will be blown away by the caliber of talent that is coming together to plan an amazing event,” says Maureen McCurdy, Kamloops 2018 BC Winter Games Vice President. “The torchlighting events are exciting because I get to see a first glimpse of our hard work in action – and, hopefully, that inspires others to join our team and start counting down to the Games with us.”
To cap off the week, another Torchlighting event was held at Sun Peaks, with a torch relay down the mountain. Two Olympians, Kenny Dale and Lark Frolek-Dale were part of the event with Kenny guiding young skiers down the hill to help demonstrate the true spirit of the Games– young athletes being inspired by sports heroes. We are Stronger Together.
“There will be three events held on the mountain in February – Alpine Skiing, Freestyle Skiing, and Snowboarding. Sun Peaks is excited to be part of the Games and we were passionate about ensuring that we could honour the torch in our own special way,” explained Aidan Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer at Sun Peaks Resort. “Our goal is to help create local buzz and excitement while allowing young athletes to be inspired by sports heroes and local legends.”
The Torchlighting Ceremonies also debuted the Kamloops 2018 BC Winter Games theme song, Moments in the Mountains. Madison Olds, a talented local singer songwriter, created the song to inspire athletes and capture the essence of growing up and chasing dreams as a young person in British Columbia.
“We know it is going to be a tune that every young athlete will have at the tip of their tongues throughout the Games. I am excited for every Kamloops resident to hear it – you cannot help but be excited to host thousands of young athletes after you hear it,” raves Remesz. “This song is just one way we are ensuring Kamloops makes its time as host unforgettable.”
With less than 100 days until this massive sporting-event comes to Kamloops, these events will be used as a mechanism to recruit additional volunteers and supporters. Residents of both Sun Peaks and Kamloops will be encouraged to take part by volunteering in a number of different areas.
The 2018 BC Winter Games take place in Kamloops, February 22-25, 2018.