Greater Vernon Awarded 2022 BC Winter Games

Score another big athletic competition for Greater Vernon.

The province has awarded our area the 2022 BC Winter Games.

They will take place February 24-27, and feature about 15-hundred athletes aged 9 to 19 in 19 sports.

Photo: MLA Eric Foster announces BC Winter Games 2022 at Vernon Recreation Centre (Pete McIntyre/Kiss FM photo)

At today’s announcement, 15 year old Vernon triathlete Braden Kersey talked about competing in last year’s BC Summer Games in Abbotsford.

“The Games were really an awesome experience that I will never forget. There was a ton of enthusiasm and positivity around the Games, and it really got me excited about sport and competition,” says the Seaton Secondary student.

Some of the past local BC Games athletes who have gone on to bigger things include Justin Dorey in freestyle skiing, sit skier Josh Dueck and wheelchair curlers Sonja Gaudet and Ina Forrest.

Vernon mayor Akbal Mund was chair of the last BC Winter Games here in 2012, and says it will take a lot of volunteers.

“The best part about it is they enjoy doing it, and that’s what I thinks makes the Games successful. You have a lot of volunteers who get involved because they want to see the kids have fun,” Mund told the gathering.

This September, Greater Vernon and Armstrong are hosting the BC 55 Plus Games.

The province also announced several other future BC Games sites on Friday:

Fort St. John – 2020 BC Winter Games, Feb. 20-23, 2020

Maple Ridge – 2020 BC Summer Games, July 23-26, 2020

Prince George – 2022 BC Summer Games, July 21-24, 2022