The zone 10 participants and supporters returned home from the 2018 55+ B.C. Games with a number of medals.
The northwest region (Zone 10) fielded 64 athletes at the games, which were held in Cranbrook and Kimberley from September 11 to 15.
The games were attended by over 2,200 athletes from across the province, with Zone 10 participating in 14 of the 23 sports that were available.
The Zone 10 team medalled in archery (eight medals), Bocce (four medals), cycling (five medals), darts (five medals), 5-pin bowling (ten medals), pickleball (six medals), swimming (18 medals), tennis (one medal) and track-and-field (one medal), winning a total of 60 medals during the games.
The participants and members of Zone 10, representing Haida Gwaii, Kitimat, Nass Valley, Prince Rupert and Terrace, are already preparing for next year’s games, which will be held in Kelowna from September 10 to 14, 2019.
Next year the games will feature additional sports, including 8-ball, fast pitch, open water swimming, triathlon, trap shooting and sturling (curling for two), bringing the number of sporting codes available to participants to a record 34.
Next year also marks the end of the current funding provided by Rio Tinto B.C. Works for the games’ medals.
Recently Whitty and some of the athletes gathered at the Riverlodge Seniors’ Centre to hand over a commemorative collection of three medals to representatives from Rio Tinto as a gesture of appreciation for their sponsorship.
“We are very grateful to Rio Tinto for having sponsored the medals for three years,” said Zone 10 president Bill Whitty.
He said he has already applied to Rio Tinto for another three-year sponsorship for the gold, silver and bronze medals.