The B.C. Games Society has launched the bid process to select communities to host the B.C. Winter and B.C. Summer Games in 2020 and 2022.
Bid packages have been sent to community mayors across the province.
Bidding communities are required to submit information on event hosting history, available venues for sport and accommodation, and evidence of community support.
The deadline for bid submissions is Sept. 9.
“These games are an important showcase for young athletes in this province,” said Peter Fassbender, minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. “Previous experience demonstrates that hosting cities and towns become stronger communities through volunteer development and economic benefits that result from the staging of the games.”
With a history dating back to 1978, the B.C. Winter and B.C. Summer Games are British Columbia’s premier multi-sport events and feature our best young athletes, and developing coaches and officials.
The B.C. Games are a galvanizing force that build volunteer and community capacity and contribute to positive long-term legacies.
“Hosting the B.C. Games is considered a highlight in a community’s history,” said Kelly Mann, president and CEO of the B.C. Games Society. “The tremendous energy and community engagement that is generated provides memorable experiences for athletes and citizens alike.”
The 2016 B.C. Winter Games will take place in Penticton this month and the 2016 B.C. Summer Games in Abbotsford in July.
For detailed information on the bid process please go online to bcgames.org.
The BC Games were originally a vision of Premier W. R. Bennett who believed in providing “an opportunity to bring all parts of BC together, large and small communities, in the spirit of sport and friendship”. Bennett’s vision for the BC Games has provided a substantial foundation and structure on which excellence in sport and community has been and continues to be built.
Established in 1977 under the Societies Act, The original mandate of the BC Summer and Winter Games Society was to provide an opportunity for all British Columbians to compete in an organized sports festival that promoted physical fitness, individual achievement, and community pride. The first BC Summer Games were held in Penticton in 1978 with the first BC Winter Games taking place the following year in Kamloops.
Now named the BC Games Society, in 1994, they shifted from a participation focused event to become a key part of athlete and sport development in B.C.
Their mission statement:
The BC Games Society is the leadership organization that guides the BC Winter and BC Summer Games and prepares Team BC for national multi-sport Games. We build on the expertise and support of partners to create development opportunities for athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, and communities.