A decade after the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the amateur sports sector in British Columbia is thriving. On average, more than 718,000 athletes register for organized sports every year, with over 16,000 coaches attending training sessions. Thanks to continued strategic investments, BC has outperformed other provincial and territorial jurisdictions in the number of registered athletes on national teams—with 38 per cent of Canada’s 2018 Olympic team tied in some way to BC.
“We should all be proud of the fact that participation, and especially youth participation, in sports across the province continues to grow and has been doing so since the 2010 Games,” said Charlene Krepiakevich, Chief Executive Officer of viaSport.
With support from the Province of British Columbia, viaSport enables access to safe, affordable and inclusive sports experiences across the province. viaSport was established in 2011 by 2010 Legacies Now with the support of the sport system as a legacy of the Games to lead a consultative and coordinated province-wide approach to increase participation in sport and physical activity.
Charlene Krepiakevich Chief Executive Officer of viaSportWe should all be proud of the fact that participation, and especially youth participation, in sports across the province continues to grow and has been doing so since the 2010 Games. »
“One of the greatest legacies of the Games is our ability to understand how we are doing in terms of participation levels, as well as how to identify gaps and current barriers to sport so we can develop targeted initiatives to make sports more attractive, inclusive and representative of BC’s diverse population,” said Krepiakevich.
“We have created a legacy of a strong sports system in BC which includes the stewardship of approximately $16 million of provincial and federal investment in the BC amateur sport sector annually and the hosting of 1,163 important sporting events in 103 different communities since the Games,” said Krepiakevich. “viaSport has supported the expansion of sports programs at over 350 community sport organizations and assisted the pursuit of high-performance goals at the national and international level by more than 125 Indigenous athletes.”
viaSport believes a great opportunity remains to demonstrate the value sports can play in creating healthier, more connected communities while promoting the economic benefits that come with hosting events.
“The spirit of the Olympics is still very much alive in BC,” said Krepiakevich. “We need to continue to share the stories, programs and power of the Games with generations that didn’t experience the event and work to get them excited about what the Games meant to the province and what its legacies mean to the future.”
2010 Legacies Now was an innovative not-for-profit organization that leveraged the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to create tangible community legacies throughout British Columbia that would continue to live well beyond 2010. It is considered a best practice by the International Olympic Committee. 2010 Legacies Now was made possible thanks the invaluable support of the Province of BC, corporate partners, agencies and not-for-profits, communities across the province and other partners. LIFT Impact Partners evolved from 2010 Legacies Now into a national not-for-profit that builds the capacity of social purpose organizations Canada-wide to become more sustainable and effective at delivering greater social impact.