Sport BC has announced the finalists to be celebrated at its upcoming 55th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards, taking place on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at the Vancouver Convention Centre East. The event, to be hosted by CBC’s Scott Russell, recognizes the province’s best in amateur sport including athletes, coaches, teams, and officials for outstanding performances in their sport in either the 2021 or 2022 season.

BC Curling’s own Ina Forrest, a three-time world champion and two-time Paralympic champion, has been nominated in the Athlete with a Disability category.

“The Athlete of the Year Awards is a true celebration of sport in our province. The finalists listed below will be honoured at the event and represent exceptional efforts and accomplishments in 2021 and 2022. We congratulate our finalists and the organizations they represent”, said Sport BC’s President and CEO, Rob Newman. “We look forward to celebrating as a sector together on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The finalists represent 29 sports from communities all throughout BC demonstrating the collective strength of our province’s sport sector.”

Among the top wheelchair curlers in the world, Forrest won a gold medal at the World Wheelchair Curling Championships in 2009, 2011, and 2013, as well as gold at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Paralympics. She was named to Team Canada for the 2021 World Wheelchair Curling Championships and 2022 Paralympic Games, and was inducted into the Canadian Curling hall of Fame in 2016

Just last week, it was announced that the Spallumcheen-based Forrest would be a member of the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Team which will represent Canada at the 2023 World Wheelchair Curling Championships, to be held in Richmond, BC from March 4th to 12th, 2023.

Congratulations to Forrest and all the other Sport BC Athlete of the year nominees this year.

Photo courtesy of Curling Canada