Kelly Mann of Victoria, who announced Thursday he is stepping down as president and CEO of the B.C. Games after 19 years, can look at any Olympic and Paralympic Games and feel like a proud poppa.
There were 35 B.C. Games alumni competing in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics and Paralympics and 22 at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
“The B.C. Games provided the first step in the performance pathway,” said Mann.
“It’s the first time athletes go from a single-sport championship, staying with their mom and dad in a hotel and eating with them in restaurants, to sleeping in dorms and eating with 3,500 of your closest friends from a variety of sports.”
The system — leading to the Canada Games and then international competition such as the Commonwealth and Pan Am Games and Olympics — seems to work.
The B.C. Games alumni list of Olympians from the Island alone over four decades includes Jamie Benn, Mike Saunders, Ryder Hesjedal, Hilary Caldwell, Fred Winters, Riley McCormick, Gillian Carleton, Richard Weinberger, Martin Reader, Brent McMahon, Gary Reed, Clare Rustad, Mike Mason, Jamie Broder, Kirsten Sweetland and Michelle Stilwell among many others. Other alumni include Carey Price, Brent Seabrook, Dylan Armstrong, Carol Huynh, Kelsey Serwa, Maelle Ricker, Denny Morrison, Brent Hayden and Brett Lawrie.
Mann, whose total time with the B.C. Games spans 26 years, will be stepping down following the 2018 Summer Games in the Cowichan Valley in July.
“The timing felt right. I can see the Summer Games through in Cowichan Valley and then the new CEO can begin fresh heading into the 2020 Winter Games in Fort St. John,” said Mann, who turns 60 next month.
Mann said he is proudest of the “lasting legacy” the Games have had on communities. Not every city will be able to host an Olympics or Commonwealth or Pan Am Games. But every community, no matter its size, has a shot at hosting the B.C. Games, he noted.
The budget for a B.C. Games is $800,000, of which the B.C. Games Society contributes $625,000. Each city must put in $45,000 with the rest to be raised through corporate sponsorships.
“It’s value for dollar,” said Mann, pointing out what both the athletes and communities get out of it.
“There will be 3,500 athletes, coaches and officials coming to the Cowichan Valley for this summer’s Games and we’ve shown that each athlete brings with them, on average, three people to watch. The enduring nature of the Games [Cowichan 2018 will be the 40th anniversary edition], shows that they are seen as a strong investment.”
The B.C. Games Society is a Crown corporation, with an annual budget of $2.4 million, of which $2.2 million comes from the provincial government. The Victoria-based B.C. Games Society has a staff of 10, including Mann.
“B.C. is proud of its sport programs and accomplishments on a number of fronts,” said Lana Popham, acting tourism, arts and culture minister responsible for the B.C. Games Society, in a statement.
“The B.C. Games, under Kelly Mann’s leadership, have provided communities and participants with opportunities to excel and grow.”
Mann, an Oak Bay High School graduate who co-founded KidSport Greater Victoria, said: “My work has been incredibly rewarding. But it is now time to do something new and different.”
He did not divulge his future plans.
The replacement for Mann will be announced by Oct. 31.
