Representatives from 34 B.C. sport organizations came together on October 22 for a day of discussion and recognition at the BC Games Sport Partner Meeting in Vancouver.

Hosted every two years by the BC Games Society, the meeting serves as an opportunity to update and engage sport partners about leveraging the BC Winter and BC Summer Games for sport development. The province’s sport sector was well-represented, with 47 representatives attending on behalf of Provincial, Disability, and Multi-Sport Organizations.

“We were thrilled to have strong turnout and engagement at this year’s meeting,” said Alison Noble, President and CEO of the BC Games Society. “It was a great opportunity to engage our partners and generate discussions and ideas that will help us ensure the BC Winter and BC Summer Games remain an important part of B.C.’s sport development pathway.”

The meeting also featured the presentation of the BC Games Sport Partner Excellence Awards, a new initiative intended to recognize outstanding contributions by a sport partner from both the BC Winter and BC Summer Games. BC Games Society Board Member Sue Griffin presented BC Archery and Baseball BC with the inaugural awards, which come with a financial contribution of $2,500 to help support sport programming goals at future Games.

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BC Archery and Baseball BC are presented with their BC Games Sport Partner Excellence Awards.

BC Archery has demonstrated the ability to leverage the BC Winter Games through numerous avenues, including participating in the Coach Mentorship Program, facilitating Indigenous participation initiatives, maintaining strong province-wide participation with representation from all eight zones, and bringing a strong slate of coaches who are trained appropriately.  

Baseball BC has shown excellent partnership in building a strong program at the BC Summer Games, including adopting a quality zone selection process to ensure a high level of competition, using the Games as an opportunity to mentor young officials, and bringing quality coaches who are willing and able to provide mentorship to coaches with less experience.

“BC Archery and Baseball BC have routinely gone above and beyond to leverage the Games and create exceptional experiences for their athletes, coaches, and officials,” said Noble. “Our sport partners work hard to make the BC Games a unique experience for participants, so we’re excited to have one more way to celebrate outstanding contributions.”

The next BC Games are set to take place in 2026, with the BC Winter Games heading to Trail-Rossland and the BC Summer Games taking place in Kelowna. Learn more at staging.bcgames.org/.

About the BC Games Society

Established in 1977 by the B.C. Government under the Societies Act, the BC Games Society (the Society) oversees the BC Winter Games and BC Summer Games. The Society also supports the participation of Team BC, the provincial team competing at Canada Games, in national multi-sport Games. Each of these Games provide opportunities for the development of athletes, coaches, and officials in preparation for higher levels of competition. The BC Games also provide important economic and tourism benefits, allowing hosts to profile their communities and benefit from an economic impact in the range of $1.6 million to $2 million. The legacies of the BC Winter and BC Summer Games allow for capacity building in communities across the province resulting in a stronger British Columbia.

VICTORIA – Former BC Games Society President and CEO Kelly Mann (Builder), who led the organization from 1999 to 2018, was officially inducted to the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night alongside three other individuals with a connection to the organization.

A total of four athletes, three builders, and a SID Thomas Media Award winner were inducted at the in-person event hosted at the Delta Ocean Pointe ballroom in Victoria. Joining Mann as inductees with a BC Games Society connection were President of the Victoria 2000 BC Summer Games Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Ashton (Builder), Team BC alum Hilary Caldwell (Athlete – Swimming), and BC Games and Team BC alum Ed Fairhurst (Athlete – Rugby).

FULL STORY

Kelly Mann spent 26 years with the Society, beginning as an Event Manager in 1992 before taking over from Roger Skilling as CEO in 1999. As President and CEO, Mann oversaw the transformation of the BC Games from a recreational, all-ages event into one of the country’s premiere developmental multi-sport competitions. He worked with more than 50 communities and developed strategic alliances with provincial and national bodies to expand quality sport experiences for athletes, coaches, officials, parents, and volunteers in B.C.

Along with his many contributions as leader of the Society, Mann was also a co-founder of KidSport Victoria, a Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games ambassador, and served on numerous Boards, including the Victoria Harbour Cats Baseball Club, Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence, Sport Host Victoria, Telus Community Board and the BC Sport System Multi-Sport Organization Leadership Council.

An accomplished equestrian who competed for Canada at a pair of Olympic Games, Liz Ashton made enormous contributions to the B.C. sport sector after retiring as an athlete. Her many contributions as a sport volunteer and leader included serving as President of the Victoria 2000 BC Summer Games and working with Jim Reed and Roger Skillings to launch the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence (PISE).

Hilary Caldwell starred for Team BC as a swimmer at the 2009 Canada Summer Games in PEI, winning gold and bronze before going on to make her mark for Canada on the international stage. A two-time Olympian in 2012 and 2016, Caldwell added to her collection of World Championships, Commonwealth Games, and Pan American Games medals when she took home bronze for Canada at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio.

Before he was an outstanding member of the Canadian Rugby National 15’s program, Ed Fairhurst attended both the BC Summer Games and the Canada Games with BC Rugby. Fairhurst attended both the Trail/Castlegar 1996 BC Summer Games and the Brandon 1997 Canada Summer Games.

The Class of 2024 will have their plaques hung on the walls of the Save on Food Memorial Centre, joining the 267 previous inductees to the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.

Read more about the all of the 2024 Hall of Fame inductees on the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame website.