Saturday, Caledonia Nordic Ski Club marked its one-year out event in anticipation of welcoming the world back to Prince George during the FIS Para Biathlon World Championships taking place March 3 – 11, 2024 and the FIS Para Nordic World Cup Finals happening March 12 – 17, 2024.
“It’s so exciting that in just under one year, we’ll be welcoming the world’s best Para biathlon and Para nordic skiers back to Prince George,” said Kevin Pettersen, chair of the local organizing committee as he addressed the crowd. “To host a second world championships in five years is such an honour. With an amazing team of volunteers, staff, funding partners and sponsors we are looking very forward to once again, showing the magic of the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club and the City of Prince George to the world. The Canadian Para Nordic ski team is one of the best in the world, and we look forward to incredible racing, hometown support and, once again, seeing our Canadian team on the podium at these competitions.”
He outlined some interesting stats for the event:
- Estimated number of countries to attend: 20-25 nations
- Estimated number of athletes and team members to attend: 250 – 350
- Livestream broadcast coverage: all competitions and ceremonies
- Livestream broadcast audience: 1 – 2 million worldwide
- Estimated number of volunteers and officials: 350-400
- Estimated economic impact: $7 million total ($5 million within the City of Prince George)
Brian McKeever, Canada’s most decorated winter paralympian with 20 medals, and Natalie Wilkie, paralympic gold medallist and world champion were on hand to commemorate the occasion and celebrate the numerous volunteers and Caledonia Nordic staff who help make these world-class events happen. Guests were encouraged to try sit-skiing and guided skiing, as well as join McKeever and Wilkie for a ski at the end of the event.
“I’m really excited to race in Prince George next year on home snow, especially after a great World Championships in 2019,” said Natalie Wilkie, as she addressed the crowd. “The volunteers were amazing and brought great energy to the event! It makes it that much more special to represent the maple leaf in front of a home crowd. I hope that this event will inspire others to get outside and chase their skiing dreams.”
Hosting world championships leave a legacy that will endure and continue to develop Prince George and the region as a centre of excellence in para sports for years to come.
“It’s places like Prince George and clubs like Caledonia that build the foundations of our sport through grassroots development and community involvement,”McKeever said. “By committing to host major international nordic competitions, Prince George and Caledonia Nordic demonstrate their dedication to equality for people with disabilities, and helping Canadian athletes to become world-class. Through opportunities to compete at the highest level at home, we gain the experience and understanding to progress to higher levels.”
Those in attendance were welcomed by Lheidli T’enneh by Chief Logan and were treated to the beat of The Khast’an drummers as the logo for the 2024 competitions was unveiled. The logo features a stylized dream-catcher which was designed with input from Lheidli T’enneh First Nation.
“We are taught that the dream-catcher will protect sleepers from having bad dreams by ‘catching’ them, while letting good dreams pass through,” said Logan. “Any negative thoughts will be caught by the dreamcatcher and this will allow all the athletes to do their best and make us all proud in the process.”