Just six weeks remain before the Township of Langley plays host to the 2022 Bell Canadian Track and Field Championships.
Canada’s top track and field athletes in Senior, U20, and Para categories, including Olympic Champions Andre De Grasse and Damian Warner will chase national glory between June 22-26 at the Township’s McLeod Athletic Park. The championship will also serve as trials for the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon on July 15-24.
"We're really excited for this to come together,” said Brent Dolfo, a member of the Township of Langley’s 12-person Local Organizing Committee. “We hosted the Legion Nationals in Langley in 2013 and 2014,and a number of us dreamed about what it could be like if we could bring home the national championship. Now we’re just weeks removed.”
The Canadian Track and Field Championship has not been held in B.C. since the 2004 edition in Victoria. The idea of welcoming the event once again germinated in 2017, when Langley placed a bid to host in 2019 and 2020. The pandemic delayed their plans, and instead the community of 145,000 won the bid for 2022 and 2023.
“There is a lot of preparation needed to host an event of this calibre,” said Township of Langley Mayor Jack Froese. “As those preparations continue, excitement is growing across our community as we await the arrival of the many premier athletes from across the country who will be competing in the 2022 Canadian Track & Field Championships.”
Langley, a suburb 50 kilometres inlandfrom Vancouver, is much smaller in population than previous hosts like Montreal, Toronto or Edmonton, but Dolfo said the community is a track and field hotbed. World class athletic standouts native to Langley, like 1,500m specialist Leah Pells and three-time Olympian Debbie Brill (the first woman to clear six feet in the high jump) as well as 2020 Olympians Django Lovett and Georgia Ellenwood, have popularized the sport inside the township for the last several decades.
A local love for track and field, said Dolfo, helped the local organizing committee to secure crucial financial support from the Township, which invested well over a million dollars to upgrade facilities. Since securing the bid, the McLeod Athletic Park had its track resurfaced, its throws and jumping areas redone, its stadium upgraded and its Wi-Fi bolstered.
Dolfo said the excitement transcends just Langley, and that the athletics community throughout the province – from officials to coaches to athletes – are already signing up and planning their competition schedule around the weekend. He is grateful for the support provided by B.C. Athletics, which provided the local organizing committee with a hosting grant of $5,000 and travel support for B.C. officials, among other supports.
Brian McCalder, CEO and President of B.C. Athletics, said the championship is boosting anticipation throughout the provincial sport organization.
“There is a real vibe of excitement through our athletics community,” he said. “From parents watching their children compete to everybody looking forward to seeing our Olympians from British Columbia and our best athletes compete here, it’s ramping up community interest.”
“I can’t wait to see the whole flow of operation and facility used effectively. It will be interesting to see how the B.C. athletes, those who might not have traveled to a national championship in Toronto or Montreal are able to compete with the rest of the country.”
Athletes, community members and fans of track and field from across the country are welcome to participate at these championships. Follow these links to buy tickets, register as an athlete or coach, book individual or group accommodations, become a volunteer, view the tentative competition schedule, and learn more about national classification.
