Canada Winter Games set for kickoff in Red Deer
This February, the Alberta city of Red Deer will host what is being described as the largest event ever held in central Alberta: the Canada Winter Games.
The Games are a multi-sport event in which amateur Canadian athletes compete with each other in the nation’s most iconic sports. Instead of a country, athletes will represent a province in their quest for the gold.
Medals will be awarded in nineteen sports, staged at venues around the city of Red Deer. They include individual competitions like figure skating, alpine skiing, and snowboarding, as well as meetings between provincial teams in Canadian favourites like hockey and curling. In addition to conventional winter sports, past Canadian Winter Games have included indoor competitions like badminton, gymnastics, and judo.
The athletes and teams that compete are part of grassroots athletics, and their success is often based on community support. The local community may provide encouragement as well as money for equipment and rink time, while nearby small businesses may contribute food, banner printing, clothing, logo deisgn, and a place to celebrate after victory. For everyone who contributes, seeing a local athlete on national television will be a reward.
The two-week event will kick off with the traditional torch lighting on February 15. The 52° North Music + Cultural Festival will be held alongside the Games, providing musical accompaniment to the athletic competitions. The summer side of the games are next set to be contested in the Niagara region in 2021.
The Games are a multi-sport event in which amateur Canadian athletes compete with each other in the nation’s most iconic sports. Instead of a country, athletes will represent a province in their quest for the gold.
Medals will be awarded in nineteen sports, staged at venues around the city of Red Deer. They include individual competitions like figure skating, alpine skiing, and snowboarding, as well as meetings between provincial teams in Canadian favourites like hockey and curling. In addition to conventional winter sports, past Canadian Winter Games have included indoor competitions like badminton, gymnastics, and judo.
The athletes and teams that compete are part of grassroots athletics, and their success is often based on community support. The local community may provide encouragement as well as money for equipment and rink time, while nearby small businesses may contribute food, banner printing, clothing, logo deisgn, and a place to celebrate after victory. For everyone who contributes, seeing a local athlete on national television will be a reward.
The two-week event will kick off with the traditional torch lighting on February 15. The 52° North Music + Cultural Festival will be held alongside the Games, providing musical accompaniment to the athletic competitions. The summer side of the games are next set to be contested in the Niagara region in 2021.