SQUAMISH, BRITISH COLUMBIA (23 April 2012) The Callaghan Winter Sports Club (the “CWSC”) today announced that it has been awarded the 2013 Canadian Biathlon Championships (the “2013 Biathlon Nationals”). The 2013 Biathlon Nationals will be held at Whistler Olympic Park, with Squamish serving as the host community. The 2013 Biathlon Nationals are tentatively scheduled for March 20-24, 2013.
With the awarding of the 2013 Biathlon Nationals to the CWSC, the national championships in all four nordic disciplines, including cross country, ski jumping and nordic combined, will be held at Whistler Olympic Park next year. These four national championships will anchor a major nordic sport festival in Sea-to-Sky Country in the year leading up to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
The CWSC is the official designated host club for 3 of the 4 events, and CWSC officials will be active in running all four national championships.
This nordic festival will provide a boost to nordic sports and the local economy. Over the course of the 2 week festival there will be approximately 1,200 athletes and coaches staying in the Sea- to-Sky Corridor. In addition, the festival will bring significant media attention to the Corridor from across Canada and the world as Canada’s best nordic athletes will be in attendance.
“The awarding of the 2013 Biathlon Nationals to the Callaghan Winter Sports Club is great news for local nordic sports and our community as a whole”, said Clayton Whitman, CWSC President. “The nordic festival will be an excellent opportunity to showcase how quickly the legacy of nordic sports from the 2010 Olympics has taken root throughout Sea-to-Sky Country. We are very excited to have world-class Canadian athletes returning to Whistler Olympic Park to compete once again as they prepare for the next Olympic Winter Games.”
The rapid growth of this legacy has taken place thanks to the many efforts of CWSC volunteers, including Max Saenger, Biathlon Sport Manager for the 2010 Olympics and Chief of Competition for the 2013 Biathlon Nationals. “The awarding 2013 Biathlon Nationals is really the culmination of two full winters of great hosting by CWSC volunteers”, said Saenger. “When our Club hosted important events like World Junior selections, North American Championships, BC Cups and BC Championships over the past 2 winters it showed everyone that in the post-Olympic era our community continues to be a great host for major nordic events. Being awarded the 2013 Biathlon Nationals is proof of the amazing capabilities of our very skilled local volunteer officials.”
Details regarding the four national championships and the nordic festival, and information on how to get involved as an organizer or volunteer will be posted this Spring on the CWSC website at callaghanwintersportsclub.com.
Source: CWSC
