At the latest School District 73 Board meeting, it was asked to throw its support behind a bid to welcome B.C.’s best young athletes to Kamloops.
Tournament Capital and Community Events Coordinator for Kamloops Audrey Trim attended the session saying it is a great opportunity for the community.
“As a provincial multi-sport event, the BC Games provide developing high performance young athletes with their first multi-sport games experience as part of their long term athlete development on the pathway to Olympic and Paralympic podiums,” she said.
SD73 Secretary-Treasurer Kelvin Stretch says during his time with the district, it has hosted several sets of games and has worked closely with the city and local providers and so this was another opportunity that presented itself.
Trim says 2026 feels like it would be an ideal year as it would be 20 years since Kamloops last hosted the summer event. Kamloops hosted the first ever BC Winter Games in 1979. It hosted the summer games in 2006 and then the winter games again in 2018.
Trim says the event will takes place over four days in July, and at least 17 sports would be played.
“There are as many as 3,400 participants, 2500 volunteers and the support of an entire community. So between the economic impact of more than $2 million and the legacies left to the local organizations, hosting the games is a benefit to our entire community.”
She noted that legacy is an integral part of the BC Games. If the city were to be awarded the games the Kamloops BC Summer Games Society would designate legacy projects to help local organizations.
“The 2018 BC Winter games had a legacy had a legacy of $60,000 which benefited seven local organizations. Those included The Kamloops Long Blades, The Kamloops Sports Council and the Kamloops Art Gallery. This is in addition to the $80,000 worth of equipment and facility upgrades that happened because of the games.”
“For many of these young athletes this is their first experience in a large multi-sport competition and for some it may be their only opportunity” says Trim. “But the memories of participating in the BC Games, whether summer or winter, can last a lifetime.”
The school board was asked for support as the city would need to use up to 244 classrooms to be used as accommodations for the participants, as well as use of cafeterias for food service, school busses for transporting athletes and minimal gymnasium space for competitions. “The host committee is prepared to pay for all hard costs incurred. For example additional janitorial services and expenses in schools, fuel and insurance costs for school busses, etc.”
The BC Summer Games were initiated by the BC government in 1977. It aids in the development of amateur sport including athletes coaches and officials and creates volunteer opportunities while spurring community pride.
The 2026 BC Summer Games are slated to be held July 23-26, 2026.
