BC WINTER GAMES


best sporting event ever for the kids. I’m excited to participate and proud of all our volunteers.”


ATHLETES INCOMING!


Athletes will come to the Games from throughout BC, representing the eight zones of the province: the Kootenays, Thompson-Okanagan, Fraser Valley, Fraser River-Delta, Vancouver-Squamish, Vancouver Island-Central Coast, North West and Cariboo-North East. That means transportation will play a critical role, which is why the Kelowna International Airport was keen to step up and become a Platinum Sponsor of the Games.


More than 200 athletes will arrive via Air Canada Express charter aircraft, one of the Games’ corporate partners. The YLW airport staff will offer logistical support for the athletes, the teams and the organizing committee – a key component to the success of the Games. “The athletes will fly into YLW and we will ensure their first visit to the Okanagan is a wonderful experience,” says Jenelle Hynes who oversees the marketing and media relations for Kelowna International Airport. “For us it’s about being part of the Greater Vernon 2012 BC Winter Games and being part of the community spirit in Vernon.” Mund is pleased the airport has offered its support, both to the Games and to several other initiatives that take place throughout the Okanagan. “One wouldn’t think that an airport would come on board as a sponsor, but Sam Samaddar (Airport Director) and his team at YLW have been very involved in the local communities,” says Mund. “The airport helps with other events that benefit children, like the Wendy’s Sunshine DreamLift Day Flight, which left YLW on December 6. All the logistics involved with getting the kids with severe physical disabilities and life threatening illness to and from Disneyland in the same day were handled with ease and precision.”


In addition to those athletes arriving by air, several more will travel on charter buses, arriving in Vernon the evening of February 22 or early in the morning on February 23, 2012. The Greater Vernon schools will be closed on February 23 and February 24 in order to become accommodation venues for all the athletes. The Recreation Centre will become the food venue for breakfasts and dinners. Approximately 25,000 meals will be served, including a whopping 8,000-plus bagged lunches that will be made and eaten throughout the four days of the Games. Many hotels, which will accommodate visiting family and friends, are filling up rapidly. Local restaurants, shops and services expect to be busy as well, and will benefit directly from the $2 million economic impact that will come from the


WINTER 2012 | 17


Kevin Bogetti Smith and the BC Games Society


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