Islanders carry the torch for Canada Games
The Canada Games torch touched down in Victoria on Wednesday as part of its cross-Canada relay tour through 48 communities.
The 2019 Canada Winter Games will be held Feb. 15 to March 3 in Red Deer, Alta.
Among the Island sporting greats carrying the torch from Clover Point to the grounds of the legislature were Simon Whitfield, Ryan Cochrane and Michelle Stilwell.
The Canada Games, which alternate every two years between Summer and Winter editions, have been the multisport launching pad for many great athletes.
Two-time Olympic swim medallist Cochrane is among the Island legends who have participated in the Canada Games — a list that includes the likes of Steve Nash, Gareth Rees, Gerald Kazanowski, Eli Pasquale, Gary Reed, Ian Bridge, Riley McCormick and Paul and Gary Gait.
Cochrane remembers well his 2005 Canada Summer Games experience in Regina: “You get so used to the same characters in your own sport, so it was revealing and inspiring for me to see so many Canadian athletes doing so many different sports so well.”
Olympic gold- and silvermedallist triathlete Whitfield concurred: “The diversity of sports hits you every time you go into the Athletes Village cafeteria of a multi-sport Games.”
Six-time Paralympics goldmedallist Stilwell also touched on the value of gaining experience in regional and national Games setting before going to the big dance.
“It’s an opportunity for athletes to build their momentum, from the B.C. Games to the Canada Games to the Olympics and Paralympics,” said Stilwell, who is the MLA for Parksville-Qualicum. She has won Paralympic medals in wheelchair basketball and track events.
“Sport has the ability to change lives and create our future leaders because it teaches determination and perseverance. It’s the inspiration it brings. And it brings lasting legacies for the host communities.”
B.C. will send a team of 342 to Red Deer, including 250 athletes, plus coaches, trainers, managers and support staff.
They’ll be among a total of 4,000 athletes and 1,500 coaches and support staff from across the county.
“It will be a life-shaping experience for the athletes, and Red Deer is ready,” said Ron Woodward, from the host organizing committee, at the legislature on Wednesday.
B.C. hosted the last Canada Winter Games at Prince George in 2015.
“It absolutely changed northern B.C.,” said Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes on Wednesday.
“The legacy pieces will leave a lasting impact. It put us on the map for sports such as curling and cross-country skiing.”
The next Canada Summer Games are in 2021 at Niagara Falls, Ont., and the following Winter Games in 2023 at Prince Edward Island.
A total of 45 Island athletes won 65 medals at the last Canada Summer Games at Winnipeg in 2017. That eclipsed the previous record of 43 medals won by Islanders, as part of Team B.C. at the 2013 Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que.