2022 BC Winter Games cancelled over Omicron concerns

The 2022 BC Winter Games set to be held in Vernon in February have been canceled over COVID-19 Omicron concerns.

Although the Winter Olympics in Beijing are coming up, the president of B.C.’s winter games says with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, there is too much risk.

“Everybody would be staying, working, competing, and eating in their sport cohort. But even then, the risk was just too great. That was becoming a big concern with the latest variant,” said Val Trevis, President of Greater Vernon BC Winter Games.

The BC Games Society and the Greater Vernon 2022 BC Winter Games Society have made the difficult decision not to stage the BC Winter Games next month. Games organizers and stakeholders will explore options to deliver this multi-sport event in 2023.

More: https://t.co/RmIDnTOlP5 pic.twitter.com/StmedEl8ly

— BCGames1 (@BCGames1) January 15, 2022

The BC Winter Games happen every two years, and Trevis says organizers and volunteers have spent the last 18 months planning them to follow COVID protocol.

“It’s hugely disappointing. We’ve had a very strong board of directors working on these games. Each of them has anywhere from five to six chairs years, some directors have more years than that as well and they’ve all been putting in volunteer time as well.”

Trevis says the cancellation is also a major disappointment for the over 1,800 athletes who were planning on attending.

Although the four-day winter event has been cancelled, the BC Summer Games in Prince George are still a go.

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As of Monday, B.C. announced the indefinite extension on COVID-19 restrictions, leaving event organizers questioning what the future of the BC Games will look like.

Also, with three weeks left until the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing has already reported its first local Omicron case.

Officials across the country have urged residents to stay in their cities for the new year, instead of traveling back to their hometowns. China has adopted a strict “zero-Covid” policy, with authorities locking down residential compounds and even entire cities such as Xi’an when a local outbreak has been discovered in an effort to stamp out community transmission.

As for BC Winter Games competitors, they will have to hold off until 2024.

– With files from Kurtis Doering