This year marks the 40th anniversary of the BC Games, and to celebrate the milestone there will be community celebrations planned at six past BC Games host communities.
Abbotsford kicks off the six stop tour on Jan. 31 inside the Legacy Building at Abbotsford Exhibition Park.
Organizers say the event will give attendees the chance to remember the past, to recognize successes and contributors, and to renew friendships and commitment to the importance of the BC Games for our province.
The Abbotsford event will see several speakers from both the BC Games and the community speak about the impact of the games. BC Games alumna and Olympian triathlete Kirsten Sweetland will share her story of how the games were the starting point for her journey to the Olympics.
Light appetizers will also be served, and the event runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person, with all money raised from ticket sales going 50 per cent to the local KidSport chapter and 50 per cent to the Powering Potential Fund.
The tour is also scheduled to make stops in Penticton (March 15), Prince George (April, to be determined), Nanaimo (May 2), Trail (Sept. 6) and Terrace (October, TBD).
The BC Games Society was created by former premier Bill 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.” Since 1978, the BC Winter Games and BC Summer Games have been held in 38 communities and have involved over 350,000 participants and volunteers.
Abbotsford hosted the BC Summer Games in 2004 and 2016. Mission hosted the BC Winter Games in 2014.
This year’s BC Winter Games occurs in Kamloops from Feb. 22 to 25, while the BC Summer Games run from July 19 to 22 in Cowichan.
For more information on the event, visit bcgames.org.