Burnaby Special Olympians will be entering two of the eight sports slated for the 2024 Canada Winter Games next month.
And almost all of the local athletes will rock Team BC's blue and white uniforms in hopes of winning multiple medals on pebbled ice.
Of the nine Burnaby-based competitors, eight were selected for the province's curling roster (in alphabetical order):
- April Armstrong
- Mary Armstrong
- Suzanne Armstrong
- Jenny Chang
- Bridget Colvin
- Alex Edwards
- Dominic Inacio
- Artisia Wong
Figure skater Kirstie Li is the ninth local athlete going to the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Calgary, taking place from Feb. 27 to March 2.
Team BC consists of 142 total athletes, alongside 50 coaches from 31 communities, which is the biggest team the province has ever sent to the national quadrennial event.
"The energy and excitement of this 2024 provincial team is undeniable," said Special Olympics Team BC Chef de Mission Michelle Cruikshank in a news release.
"It’s been a long-anticipated wait for our athletes to be returning to competition at the national level."
More than 4,000 athletes, coaches, officials and visitors will be part of the games in Calgary that feature competition in eight sports:
- Five-pin bowling
- Alpine skiing
- Cross-country skiing
- Curling
- Figure skating
- Floor hockey
- Snowshoeing
- Speed skating
- with files from Mario Bartel, Tri-City News
