Kamloops Awarded First Ever Sport Heritage Community Designation

VANCOUVER (Wednesday, September 4th, 2024) – The BC Sports Hall of Fame has announced the first ever Sport Heritage Community designation has been awarded to Kamloops!

The designation recognizes the communities that have outstanding merit and are highly representative of a community’s sport history and heritage. It is only fitting that Kamloops receive the first ever designation in recognition for being Canada’s Tournament Capital.

Hosting over 100 cultural and community events and world-class sports tournaments each year, Kamloops earned its national reputation in 1993 after hosting the Canada Summer Games which shaped the city’s identity. Several sporting facilities (including Hillside Stadium track, the Canada Games Aquatic Centre, and the Canada Games Baseball Field) came out of the games and have become the training ground for world-class local athletes.

For decades Kamloops has hosted globally renowned tournaments, including one of the longest-running U15 hockey tournaments around, KIBIHT, bringing young athletes from around the globe together. The Kamloops International Baseball Tournament that started in 1973 was a regular summer stop for many Western Canadian and U.S. semi-pro baseball teams, while the city hosted the World Curling Championships in 1998.

In addition to hosting world class events, Kamloops has served as a training ground for top athletes from around the world. PacificSport was the first regional centre in the province and celebrates its 30 year anniversary this year.

About the BC Sports Hall of Fame

Located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, the BC Sports Hall of Fame celebrates extraordinary achievement in B.C. sport history and inspires future generations to make their dreams come true.  As a non-profit charitable organization, the Hall curates an astounding collection of 28,000+ heritage artifacts and 100,000 archival documents representing 150-years of sport history in British Columbia. Through Hero in You Youth Education Programs, the BC Sports Hall of Fame reaches over 6,500 young learners each year across the province, advancing a mission of building outstanding community legacies by honouring the past and inspiring the future.

For more information, please visit bcsportshall.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @bcsportshall.