British Columbia Welcomes The 2010 Olympics To Showcase The Beautiful Province
Communities throughout the province are already welcoming the world to British Columbia as they play host to Olympic and Paralympic teams training for the 2010 Games.
“Everyone in B.C. is feeling the excitement of the 2010 Games and communities are already seeing the benefits with the influx of international athletes, coaches and training staff into the province,” said Minister of State for the Olympics and ActNow BC Mary McNeil. “They are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into local economies and giving British Columbians the chance to get up close and personal with the best athletes in the world.”
From Dawson Creek to Penticton, from the Comox Valley to Kamloops, communities are welcoming athletes from around the world to their towns and cities. Teams from more than 21 different countries are taking advantage of B.C.’s first-class sport venues, facilities and training centres.
During the past five years, government has invested more than $655 million in sport infrastructure in B.C., including the Paralympic Training Centre in Kimberley where teams from four different countries will train prior to the Paralympic Games.
In the Comox Valley, 26 teams from 15 countries will train at Mount Washington leading up to the Olympic Games. In Vernon, Penticton and Kelowna, teams from 14 countries are taking advantage of the ski hills, cross-country tracks and arenas. And, in the Kootenays, teams from nine countries are training on Panorama and Kimberly mountains. These teams and athletes are injecting money into local economies as they purchase food, accommodation and services, and rent training facilities.
Local sport teams are also benefiting. During their stay, some of the international teams are providing training opportunities for local athletes. In Abbotsford, the Russian skating team will be offering a training clinic for the local skating club and, in Kelowna, the midget girls’ hockey team will get to play an exhibition game against the visiting Swedish Olympic women’s team.
Since 2005, government has provided almost $12 million to support major sporting events around the province.
“British Columbia already has a reputation for excellence in hosting world-class sporting events, such as the 2005 Sovereign Lake Cross Country World Cup in Vernon,” said Minister of Healthy Living and Sport Ida Chong. “This support has helped prepare communities to lay out the welcome mat for these visiting teams.
“This is a great opportunity to see first-hand the calibre of competition that will take place during the Games,” added Chong. “Whether they’ll be watching the Games live or on television, getting a chance to see these elite athletes train in their communities is getting British Columbians caught up in the Olympic fever.”
“British Columbians are thrilled to be able to welcome these visitors to our communities,” said Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Kevin Krueger. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to share the beauty of our province, our natural attractions and unlimited activities. This is advertising money can’t buy.”
Topics: 2010, advertising, advertising money can’t buy, Arts, B.C., bribery, British Columbia, British Columbians, Canada, Comox Valley, culture, Dawson Creek, facilities, Fever, from, games, Governance, government, Kamloops, major sporting events, Olympic, Paralympic, Penticton, province, sport venues, tourism, training centres, when is the olympics, where is the olympics
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