Kelowna Selected to Host 2020 BC Sports Hall of Fame Summit

VANCOUVER (Thursday, October 10^th, 2019) – The BC Sports Hall of Fame will partner with the Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame and Curl BC to celebrate the 125^th Anniversary of curling by holding its 2020 Annual Summit in Kelowna, B.C. next September 17^th-19^th, 2020.

The BC Sports Hall of Fame piloted its new Annual Summit concept last month in the City of New Westminster, partnering with the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and BC Lacrosse.

“Community outreach throughout British Columbia is one of the most important strategic priorities of the BC Sports Hall of Fame,” said Tom Mayenknecht, the Chair of the BC Sports Hall. “Moving our Annual Summit to communities around the province reflects that imperative and gives us a tremendous opportunity to more personally acknowledge the many Honoured Members from across BC that have helped shape our sport history, heritage and culture.”

The 2020 BC Sports Hall of Fame Annual Summit will also honour the rich tradition of sport heritage in the province’s Okanagan Valley. The Annual Summit will feature the Defining Moments Luncheon celebrating three of the most important happenings in BC sport history, the Council of Chairs Dinner & Eric Whitehead Inspired Service Awards, Best Practices in Storytelling Workshops and an Honoured Members Luncheon and Official Pin Ceremony for Okanagan-based athletes, coaches and builders who are among the 406 individuals and 63 teams in the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

“The 125^th Anniversary of curling is certainly a testament to the deep roots that the sport has in B.C. and across Canada and we’re delighted to add the BC Sports Hall of Fame Annual Summit and a special dinner marking this curling milestone to our calendar of events in 2020,” said Scott Braley, Chief Executive Officer of Curl BC.

“With so many members of the Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame part of the BC Sports Hall of Fame, we’re excited to have the opportunity to co-host the 2020 Annual Summit next September,” said Patrick Kennedy, Managing Director of the Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame. “We’re particularly pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the 125^th Anniversary of curling given how prominent that sport is in our own region.”

The BC Sports Hall of Fame, Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame and Curl BC will invite a series of local, regional and provincial partners into the 2020 Annual Summit in the coming months to make it inclusive of the many like-minded people and organizations that help contribute to the Sports Hall’s mission of honouring the past and inspiring the future.

“Our Annual Summit advances the three strategic pillars of the BC Sports Hall of Fame – celebrating Honoured Members, cultivating sustainable partnerships and sparking inspirational experiences – and we look forward to bringing together all three in Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley in September of 2020,” said Nicholas Cartmell, Chief Executive of the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

The full roster of events and speakers headlining the Annual Summit will be rolled out in the coming weeks and months. Tickets go on sale January 20^th, 2020 at bcsportshall.com, curlbc.ca and kelownamuseums.ca .

About the BC Sports Hall of Fame
The BC Sports Hall of Fame celebrates extraordinary achievement in BC sport history and inspires future generations to make their dreams come true. Each year, a diverse audience of visitors from around the globe are educated and enthralled by the collection of 27,000 artifacts and 100,000 archival documents representing 150-years of sporting accomplishments in British Columbia. Through Hero in You Youth Education Programs, the BC Sports Hall of Fame reaches over 6,500 youth across the province, advancing its mission of building outstanding community legacies by honouring the past and inspiring the future.

For more information please visit: bcsportshall.com follow us on twitter @bcsportshall and like us on Facebook at: facebook.com/bcsportshall/

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Media Contact: Kelly Gleeson
LBMG
604.240.6231
kgleeson@lbmg.ca