THE City of Maple Ridge wrapped up the 2024 BC Summer Games on Sunday, July 21. Over 3,160 athletes, coaches, and sports officials returned to their home communities after participating in various sports competitions and cultural events.

“Heartfelt congratulations to all the athletes who competed in the BC Summer Games this weekend,” said Maple Ridge Mayor Dan Ruimy on Thursday. “We hope you went home with new friendships and incredible memories. Your dedication and hard work were truly inspiring, and Council members loved watching all of you play with passion. It was a special honour to present athletes with gold, silver, or bronze medals.”

Of the 3,100+ participants, Maple Ridge had over 100 athletes, coaches, and sports officials in the Games as part of the Fraser Valley Zone. Local athletes took home medals in athletics, towed water sports, wrestling, canoe/kayak, basketball, box lacrosse, soccer, and softball.

The full results can be found on the BC Summer Games website at Participant Lists and Results – BC Games.

In addition to celebrating the athletes, the City of Maple Ridge extended its deepest gratitude to the volunteers who helped with logistics, transportation, accommodations, events, photography, traffic control, food services, and marketing.

“Thank you to the over 1700 volunteers who made this monumental undertaking possible,” said Ruimy. “This is a testament to one of the superpowers of our community – our incredible volunteerism. We are grateful for the leadership of Laura Butler and Ernie Daykin, the President and Vice President of the Summer Games Society, who assembled an incredible team of directors and chairs. You all made Maple Ridge shine.”

Here are some of the key highlights coming out of the Games:

• The Opening Ceremonies audience was an estimated 8,000 people, featuring approximately 150 performers, dancers, musicians, and the Kanaka School Choir who performed the national anthem.
• Volunteer photographers captured images of the sports and cultural events, uploading 10,000 images to the BC Games Flickr page. Photos from those galleries have been viewed over 4 million times, with athletes and proud parents sharing the images on their social media channels.
• Over the five-day event from July 17 to 21, Maple Ridge operated a fleet of 60 buses to transport participants from their dorms to meals and 19 sports venues, including five in Burnaby, Langley, Port Moody, Mission, and Abbotsford.
• More than 35,000 meals were prepared and served to the participants, including breakfast at Maple Ridge Secondary, lunches delivered to sports venues daily, and dinner at the Golden Ears Winter Club.
• The Sports Directorate delivered equipment to all venues, including hundreds of balls for various sports and special discs for the Ultimate competitions, part of the Games for the first time.
• Nearly 1800 medals were awarded in individual and team sports. The BC Games Flickr galleries feature formal and fun medal presentation photos.
• Eleven dorm locations housed participants; over 3000 foam mattresses were delivered and deployed. Over 5,000 special ID badges and lanyards were printed and distributed to participants, volunteers, and guests.
• Local and regional businesses donated over $425,000 in goods, services, and cash to support the Maple Ridge 2024 BC Summer Games. These ‘Friends of the Games’ were integral to the event’s success, and many presented medals.

“The motto of the Maple Ridge 2024 BC Summer Games was ‘Celebrating Competition & Community’, and the event lived up to that goal,” said Ruimy. “It was wonderful seeing the broader community, volunteers, the proud friends and family members come out to cheer on the athletes. The legacy of these Games will inspire future generations for years to come.”