Coun. Brian Varga is in Thunder Bay for the 2020 Special Olympic Winter Games this weekend. Medicine Hat will host the summer edition of the games in 2022. Varga met with Medicine Hat athletes Tyler Scott and Sinjin Soper (pictured).-ÂSubmitted Photo
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Medicine Hat officials are in Thunder Bay this weekend for the beginning of the 2020 Special Olympic Winter Games, and to mark two years until the summer edition of the Games are held in southeast Alberta.
City councillor Brian Varga will also officially receive the games flag following the event in a ceremonial exchange to the next host city.
“It’s a look ahead to what we’re going to have here in 2022,” said Varga this week before his departure.
“It will be interesting to see the kinds of programs they have and how they’ve done it.”
“These are the winter games, and they are a little bit different, but still you have to prepare.”
That includes the logistics challenges of staging multi-sport events in multiple venues over the course of a week, plus hosting and accommodation requirements.
This week’s event also sets the clock ticking for the organizing committee of the Medicine Hat games that will be staged Aug. 9-14, 2022.
About 1,500 competitors and coaches are expected to officially take part, not to mention family members and well-wishers visiting the city.
The games are held every two years staggering winter and summer events.
“We’re really looking forward to it and seeing what Thunder Bay has to offer as well,” said Varga.
Events in the summer event are 10-pin bowling, track and field, basketball, bocce, golf, rhythmic gymnastics, powerlifting, soccer, softball and swimming.
Medicine Hat, which hosted the provincial level summer games in 2017 was awarded the coming national event last fall.
