B.C. sport sector comes together for BC Games Sport Partner Meeting, inaugural Excellence Awards

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 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 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.