The Tournament Capital lived up to its name this past weekend after a very successful BC Special Olympics Winter Games and organizers are saying it has a lot to do with the hundreds of volunteers who gave their time.

More than 800 athletes competed at seven different venues.

Chair of the organizing committee, Jan Antons, said Kamloopsians stepped up to the plate when they were called upon.

“In the beginning, we only had about 100 volunteers, and then our media partners really came through and we started hitting the airwaves, the news, and the paper and within one week, we jumped from 100 to about 500 volunteers,” he said.

“I think that says a lot about Kamloops and we couldn’t do it without them.”

Due to the number of venues used for the games, Antons explains it was both heartwarming and helpful that the community came out in droves.

“When you hold an event in just one place, it’s always easier to shift people around but we were at Stake Lake, Sun Peaks, West Highlands, McArthur Island, Falcon Lanes, we were all over the city as well as outlying locations,” he added.

“We really needed a high number of volunteers and we got them. Some of our volunteers even echoed that this was one of their best experiences they have ever had.”

The athletes will now focus on the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Calgary next year while Prince George will play host to the 2024 BC Summer Games.

(With Files from Abby Zieverink)