Craig Copeland, board chair of the Lakeland 2026 Alberta Winter Games, says he is pleased with how the huge multi-sport event has gone.
Athletes between the ages of 11 and 16 competed in 18 different sports at venues in Cold Lake, Bonnyville, the M.D. of Bonnyville, and Glendon.
Speaking on Sunday, with 24 hours left to go in the games, Copeland said “it’s gone very well.”
“We’ve had our hiccups, but that happens when all of a sudden a tsunami hits you,” he said. “But it’s going well and the athletes are doing great and they rave about the food so that’s really been a bonus.”
Including spectators, officials, coaches, athletes, and their parents, the organizers expected approximately 5,000 people to visit the region. Copeland said oilpatch activity limited the amount of hotel space available, so some parents were unable to come. With the games attendees, hotels were sold out in Cold Lake, Bonnyville, and St. Paul, he said.
The volunteer recruiting drive attracted approximately 1,000 people, short of the 1,500-person target. Copeland said the volunteers put in some extra hours, and people from outside the area pitched in to help.
“We had a lot of parents and officials from outside the area who came in and got involved, and we really appreciate that. It was amazing,” Copeland said.
He said visitors were impressed with the area, the facilities, and the hospitality. The Alberta Winter Games merchandise was popular among participants. Local and visiting spectators turned out in large numbers to encourage the athletes.
Copeland offered special thanks to Glendon. “They worked really hard in getting the arena together,” he said. “They did a big modernization of the arena and it just finished in time. And it’s a great facility.”
The Alberta Winter Games is as big a sporting event as the region is able to manage, according to Copeland. “This is kind of the max that we could achieve. I don’t know what could be bigger than this,” he said. “We don’t have the facilities for, say, a Canada Games. So this is a big deal.”
