Small City, Big Games

Small City, Big Games!

Salmon Arm to Host 55+ BC Games in September 2024

We are pleased to announce that Salmon Arm will be hosting the 55+ BG Games September 10-14, 2024.
Salmon Arm’s bid to host the 55+ BC Games is a community bid, much bigger than any single organization. The host committee is comprised of representatives from the City of Salmon Arm, Shuswap Recreation Society and Salmon Arm Economic Development Society, who have all come together to secure this opportunity for our community. These organizations have made a commitment of financial resources, venue space, and staff capacity and knowledge to ensure the success of this event.

What’s next? In early January 2023, the bid package committee met with the President of the 55+ BC Games Society, John Buis, and Maureen Barranoik (Event Manager) to discuss the next steps in the process. The first priority was to form a Nominations Committee. This group of individuals is incredibly passionate and hard-working! They got right to task and began the Board of Directors selection process. Once the Board of Directors is formed (which will take a few months), a society will be formed and more tactical planning can begin.
There is so much excitement and anticipation to create a memorable and long-lasting positive impression on the athletes and spectators. To learn more about the Games Society, visit their website - 55+ BC Games - For Life, Sport and Friends. (55plusbcgames.org). And, because we just couldn’t help ourselves, we even launched a fun marketing video to announce the games in Salmon Arm featuring a very familiar face! Check the video out here - https://youtu.be/XPv_NUYyKr0.

Fast Facts:
• Dates of Games: September 10-14, 2024
• Number of Athletes: Approx. 1,500-3000. Typically, there is a large percentage of athletes who will travel to the host community and stay overnight for multiple nights. Another portion of the athletes will be made up of Regional and local athletes.
• Volunteering: As we work to assemble our plans, we will formalize a process to track volunteers. At this time, if you wish to put forward any volunteer information, please email Caitlin Thompson at projects@saeds.ca.
• Schedule: At this time, we do not have a schedule. These details will be worked out as we move through the process.
• Venues: The Board of Directors will work closely with the BC Games to gather information and we look forward to working with local venues, partners and organizations, who will be part of the games to work out the logistics.

We are grateful for this opportunity to shine a bright light on our community, and all the amazing people who have supported us along this journey.
If you have any questions or want to know how you can get involved, you are welcome to reach out to our Nominations Committee representative.
Contact Info:

Caitlin Thompson, Project Coordinators (SAEDS) & Nominations Committee Member (55+ BC Games)
250.833.0608
projects@saeds.ca

Photo: (Left) Mayor of Salmon Arm, Alan Harrison, (Right) President of 55+ BC Games Society, John Buis.