We are so grateful to our vital sponsors and partners, whose support helps Special Olympics BC empower athletes to enrich their lives, gain confidence, and develop friendships. Here we look at how viaSport British Columbia is working to create inclusive sport opportunities across the province and providing important funding to support Special Olympics BC activities and projects.
viaSport’s vision is an active, healthy British Columbia where sport inspires a field of possibilities for all. With support from the Province of British Columbia, viaSport is working to strengthen B.C.'s amateur sport system. They leverage investment in sport to foster excellence, develop leadership, and energize communities through quality sport experiences. viaSport engages and unifies British Columbians through the power of sport because they believe that the values and life skills developed via sport allow people to thrive for life.
viaSport provides granting opportunities to encourage sport participation, develop high-performance athletes, and improve sport and recreation programs. A number of SOBC Locals have benefitted from viaSport grants, which have helped to run events and competitions in communities across the province. This year, Special Olympics BC has been the grateful beneficiary of the two Northern B.C. Coach Development grants, which helped fund important skill development workshops for coaches in the northern regions of the province. viaSport also supported our Track and Field Competition held in Burnaby on June 17 with a Hosting B.C. grant, which helped significantly reduce the cost of registration and made the event more accessible.
Most recently, viaSport has announced significant support for a new Special Olympics BC Cultural Inclusion Project, which aims to overcome barriers to SOBC athlete participation in diverse communities.
viaSport is also an important champion of inclusion in sport, which is a focal point for the organization this year. They strongly believe that all British Columbians deserve equitable opportunities to develop and realize their potential through sport – as an athlete, coach, official or volunteer. To increase sport participation opportunities, viaSport unites leaders across sectors to champion change and continuously enhance our world-class sport system.
viaSport seeks to identify, disseminate, and educate sport and physical activity leaders on the conditions required to make sport more equitable, welcoming, safe, and inclusive for everyone. In January, they launched an anti-bullying campaign to #ERASEbullying in sport, which included an interview with SOBC – Abbotsford athlete Paige Norton in their campaign video as well as a profile article on Norton featured on the viaSport website.
We are so grateful to viaSport for their support of Special Olympics BC and inclusive sport opportunities across the province.
