Banff helped send Canada’s Olympic athletes to Sochi in style over the weekend at the hugely successful Canadian Olympic Team Block Party.
Thousands attended the event in downtown Banff hosted by the CBC's George Stroumboulopoulos, cheering on the nearly 30 Olympians in attendance who got on stage to thank the huge crowd for their support. Saturday’s send-off also included the unveiling of the “Lucky Loonie” and performances by The Arkells and The Sheepdogs.
“Banff was absolutely thrilled to host the official send-off of Canada’s athletes to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games. It was truly wonderful to see how many people came to downtown Banff to wish our athletes well as they go for the gold in Russia,” Mayor Karen Sorensen said.
But the big downtown block party wasn’t the only excitement in Banff over the weekend. The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre played host to the Travelers All-Star Curling Skins Game that aired live on TSN. That event had six Olympic gold medallists of its own as each team competed for a total of $100,000 in prize money. Jeff Stoughton and his all-star team defeated five-time TSN Skins champ Kevin Martin and his team for the championship title.
“We were so happy The Fenlands and Banff could be part of such a popular curling event. Having Olympians and world champions curl on our ice was fantastic. If TSN wants to bring this event back to Banff next year, we’d love to host them again,” said Mary Brewster, Manager of Community Services.
And the fun isn’t over for Banff just yet. The month-long SnowDays winter festival kicked off over the weekend. It includes mid-week and weekend events celebrating all things winter, from skating, to skiing to ice climbing. Find out more about upcoming SnowDays events in the Calendar of Events.