A Team BC contingent of 350 athletes, coaches, managers, and Mission Staff is travelling to Prince Edward Island (PEI) this month to take on the nation‘s top young athletes at the 2023 Canada Winter Games, taking place from February 18 to March 5.
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The Games will see more than 3,600 participants touch down in PEI on the traditional and unceded territory of the Mi‘kmaq People. It‘s the third time that PEI has staged the Canada Games since the province hosted its first Winter Games in 1991. Athletes will compete in 20 sports at venues throughout PEI, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
Team BC will be led into the Opening Ceremony by 17-year-old flag-bearer Oonah Gamboa (Vancouver) from karate, which will be making its debut at the PEI Games. Gamboa enters the Games ranked fourth in the world and first in Canada in Junior Kata. At the 2022 Canada Open, she won gold in both the Junior and Senior Kata events.
A BC Games alumni from 2018 and an active volunteer in her sport, Gamboa will be back at the provincial multi-sport event in 2023 as an apprentice coach for Zone 5 Vancouver-Coastal when the Games take place March 23-26 in Greater Vernon.
Team BC finished fourth with 87 medals and a record-setting 30 gold medals at the last Canada Winter Games in Red Deer in 2019. Team BC is expected to be near the top of the medal standings once again at the Games.
Many high-level athletes have launched their athletic careers through the BC Games and Team BC. At the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Team BC was represented by 20 alumni including medallists Micah Zandee-Hart, Cassie Sharpe, Justin Kripps, Mollie Jepsen, and Meryeta O‘Dine.
Quotes:
Kurt Innes, Team BC Chef de Mission: “Our athletes have worked incredibly hard for the chance to represent our province at these Games and we can‘t wait to hit the ground running in PEI. The Canada Games are a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most participants and a chance to show off their talent and potential.
“We‘re excited to have Oonah represent Team BC with karate making its debut at the Games. She earned the opportunity to lead our contingent into the Opening Ceremony with her outstanding athletic, volunteer, and academic achievement.”
Oonah Gamboa (Vancouver), Team BC Flag-bearer: “It is a great honour to be selected as the flag-bearer for my home province of BC, marking the first time karate has entered the Canada Winter Games. I will carry the discipline and respect of my sport through this great event and look forward to meeting athletes from across the country. Gambate!”
Media Resources
· Team BC breakdown by sport and community
· Find a Team or Athlete Biography
· PEI 2023 Canada Winter Games Website
· Canada Games Press Kit
· Livestream
· Team BC Newsletter Signup
About Team BC
Team BC brings together the best athletes, coaches, managers, and Mission Staff to represent British Columbia at the Canada Summer and Winter Games. Visit www.teambc.org for the latest news and updates.
Media Contact
David Conlin
Communications Manager
BC Games Society
davidc@bcgames.org
Week 1 Sports:
Biathlon
Curling (F)
Freestyle Ski
Gymnastics – Artistic
Gymnastics – Trampoline
Hockey (M)
Karate
Ringette
Speed Skating – Long
Speed Skating – Short
Squash
Table Tennis
Wheelchair Basketball
Week 2 Sports:
Alpine Ski
Archery
Badminton
Boxing
Cross Country Ski
Curling (M)
Curling (Mixed)
Fencing
Figure Skating
Hockey (F)
Judo
Snowboard