Kelowna

Kelowna – the mid-size city that offers the world.

Cradled within a glorious range of mountains, Kelowna is a sanctuary with pristine lakes, pine forests, abundant gardens, orchards and vineyards, sandy beaches, and superb amenities. Beautiful Okanagan Lake sustains diverse communities along a corridor known as the Okanagan Valley. As part of the Sonora Desert, the valley boasts a semi-arid climate with long warm summers and short mild winters.

Kelowna has population of 111,000 and serves as the Okanagan's transportation, business and service hub. Kelowna International Airport, the 10th busiest in Canada, offers daily non-stop flights from Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle, USA as well as a daily direct flight from Ottawa. Accommodations range from luxurious lakeside resorts to affordable university dorms.

Kelowna has an endless supply of scenic parkland and sandy beaches that provide wonderful opportunities for cycling, hiking, swimming and walking. During the few months without golf, snow-capped mountains and pine-filled forests are a haven for skiers, boarders and snowmobilers.

Orchards and vineyards thrive within minutes of downtown and provide seasonal delights year round. Spring, summer and fall wine festivals offer hundreds of activities focused on wine making, tasting and touring. Kelowna’s downtown Cultural District features galleries, museums, theatres, artists’ studios, fine dining and unique shops.

Prospera Place, a 6,000-seat multi-purpose facility that’s home to the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, attracts major entertainers and events to the heart of the city. Capital News Centre and its new neighbour, the H²0 Adventure and Fitness Centre, promote an active lifestyle in south Kelowna while UBC’s Okanagan Campus does the same in the north.

A trip to Kelowna would not be complete without searching for Ogopogo, the legendary lake monster that reputedly resides in Okanagan Lake. To “see” Ogopogo, be sure to visit a statue of the creature near Kelowna's City Park.

Sport Hosting Services

Sport Kelowna is a community-based partnership committed to sport development. Through the partnership, which connects the City of Kelowna, PacificSport Okanagan and Tourism Kelowna, Sport Kelowna offers a wide variety of complimentary resources to sport planners. Those include:

- Accommodation Search Support
- Bid Development
- Event Business Planning and Budget Template*
- Event Funding (Sport Event Development Grant, Events Fund)
- Event Hosting Tool Kit
- Event Planning Template*
- International Events Database*
- Participant Welcome Packages
- Promotional Tools
- Site Inspections
- Sponsorship Proposal Samples
- Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model (STEAM)*

* Offered through membership with Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance

Along with these resources, Sport Kelowna provides sport planners with timely information on facilities, grants and other resources within Kelowna’s sport community. Our extensive, supportive network works to your advantage.

Meetings and Training Camps
There is no better place than Kelowna if you plan to turn a tournament into an event, a meeting into an experience or a road trip into a team-building exercise. Kelowna’s large selection of venues provides for excellent training camp options. The city offers more than 6,500 square metres of space for sport meetings. It adds unrivalled access, accommodations, amenities, attractions and climate.

Sport Hosting Portfolio

Kelowna's annual events:
RBC GranFondo Kelowna
Jack Brow Memorial Track and Field Championship
Kelowna Apple Triathlon (Canadian Olympic, Sprint Championships 2008-2011)
Kelowna International Major Midget Ice Hockey Tournament
Play On! Kelowna Street Hockey Tournament
BMO Okanagan International Marathon
Ski2Sea Adventure Race
Sweetheart Ringette Tournament
Valley of Champions Minor Baseball Tournament
Canada Day Baseball Blast Men's Tournament
Center of Gravity
Western Canada High School Basketball Tournament
BC High School Boys Volleyball Championships

2011
International Children's Winter Games
BCAA Volleyball Provincial Championships
BC Bantam Female Hockey Championship
Canada West Short Track Speed Skating Championships
BC AA Long Course Swimming Championships
Western Elite Volleyball Championships
American Bicycle Association BMX Firestorm Nationals
BMO Skate Canada BC/YT Sectional Championships (2012)

2010
Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship
Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) Women's Basketball Nationals
Canadian Masters Badminton Championships
BMO Skate Canada BC/YT Sectional Championships (2011)

2009
BC Cross-Country Ski Championship
BC Peewee AAA Ice Hockey Championship
Canadian Wakeboard Festival
Elite Canada Gymnastics Championship

2008
BC Short Track Speed Skating Championship
BC Summer Games
Canadian Blind Sports Goalball Championship
World Arm Wrestling Championship

2007
Canadian Yachting Association Women’s National Keelboat Championship
Special Olympics BC Winter Games
Western Elite Volleyball Championship
World Sledge Hockey Challenge

2006
BC Senior Curling Championships
Canadian Yachting Association Multi-Hull Nationals
IHF World Junior Hockey Championship
Western Canadian Bantam Ice Hockey Championship

2005
International Federation for Disabled Sailing Multi-Hull World Championship
World Trapseat 16 Sailing Championship
BC Junior Badminton Championship
BC Wheelchair Basketball Championship

2004
Canadian Hockey League Memorial Cup
Indo-Pacific Gymnastics Championship
Skate Canada BC/YT Sectionals
Western Canadian Powerlifting Championship

Community Video(s)

Facilities

Community contact

Chad Douglas
Sports & Events Sales Manager
Tourism Kelowna
(250) 861-1515 ext. 209
Send email
› View Community Website

More Information

Visit the Kelowna destination page on HelloBC
 

Map and Directions