The 100-day countdown to the B.C. Winter Games is on. Kamloops will host the games in February, welcoming 2,000 athletes, coaches and officials from across the province to compete in 19 different sports.
This week, the board of directors and community supporters are hosting the torch-lighting ceremony at the Tournament Capital Centre to formally mark the countdown to the games.
The event on Wednesday, November 22nd at 6 p.m. will bring together athletes and members of the community for inspirational words, performances and Games-related announcements, with Mark Madryga from Global BC emceeing. The event is open to the public.
“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!” said Games president Niki Remesz in a media release.
The 2018 B.C. Winter Games will run February 22nd to February 25th 2018 with athletes as young as nine competing.
The B.C. Winter Games team will head up to Sun Peaks Resort for a second torch-lighting ceremony on Thursday, November 23rd at 3 p.m. There will be three events held on the mountain in February: Alpine skiing, freestyle skiing and snowboarding. Two Olympians, Kenny Dale and Lark Frolek-Dale, will be part of the torch-lighting ceremony at Sun Peaks.
The ceremonies will also mark the debut of the Kamloops 2018 BC Winter Games theme song, Moments in the Mountains, written by local musician Madison Olds.
Through these events, organizers are still looking to recruit additional volunteers, Remesz said. Approximately 2,000 volunteers will be involved in making the Games a success. Anyone interested in helping out can register as a volunteer online.
Opening ceremonies for the 2018 B.C. Winter Games will be held in Kamloops on February 22nd. It will be the third time the Games have been held in Kamloops, after the city hosted the inaugural event in 1979. Kamloops also played host in 2006. The B.C. Winter Games Society pegs the economic impact to the host community at $1.6 million.
