Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Lisa Beare has announced that $110,000 in funding from the Government of British Columbia will help bring some of the biggest names in Canadian figure skating to Vancouver for the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships.

The national skating championships will take place at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre at the University of British Columbia from Jan. 8 - 14, 2018.

The event is an Olympic-qualifier for Canada's team at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea. The championships will feature about 250 skaters, competing in the men, women, and pair ice dance disciplines. Approximately 8,000 spectators are expected to attend, with thousands more throughout Canada watching via CTV’s live broadcast. The anticipated economic activity generated by the competition is approximately $6 million.

“Events like the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships draw thousands of people to our province,” said Beare.  “More visitors to our province means more business for our tourism sector, and more jobs for British Columbians. I look forward to cheering the athletes on, and hope they have an opportunity to explore our beautiful province during their visit.”

“We are excited to have Canada’s best skaters back in Vancouver for the first time since the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. “We look forward to cheering them on as they begin their journey to the 2018 Games. Our city has a strong legacy of hosting exceptional sporting events and I know that next year’s National Skating Championships will be no exception.”

“Skate Canada is honoured to be hosting the 2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in British Columbia,” said Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada. “Vancouver is a wonderful city with a tremendous skating history, and we are confident that they will be gracious hosts and produce an outstanding event. We commend the Government of British Columbia for helping us achieve our vision of inspiring all Canadians to embrace the joy of skating.”

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture awarded the event $100,000 through the Tourism Events Program, in addition to $10,000 from the Hosting BC Program though ViaSport.

The Tourism Events Program supports events that raise national and international awareness of British Columbia’s tourism experiences. The Hosting BC grant program facilitates economic and community development through hosting notable sporting events.

Quick Facts:

• In addition to the funding announced today, the Government of B.C. invests approximately $50 million in sport and over $110 million in the tourism sector annually.
• In 2016, 5.5 million international visitors came to B.C. – a 12.3% increase (605,198 more visitors) compared to 2015.
• In 2015, the tourism industry generated $15.7 billion in revenues, with a direct contribution to B.C.’s gross domestic product of $7.4 billion.

Learn More:

Tourism Events Program: http://www.destinationbc.ca/BC-Tourism-Industry/Municipal-and-Regional-District-Tax-Program/Tourism-Events-Program.aspx

ViaSport: http://www.viasport.ca/

Skate Canada: https://skatecanada.ca/2018-canadian-tire-national-skating-championships/