SPORTS & RECREATION
Sport and recreation play a foundational role in developing and sustaining healthy citizens and communities.
Sport for keeps: Junior wheelchair rugby programming fills vital service gaps
Sports & Recreation
Sport for Keeps: Junior wheelchair rugby programming fills vital service gaps
In early 2024, BC Wheelchair Sports Association (BCWSA) identified a key gap: while kids could try adaptive sports for a day, there was no regular programming to support long-term growth. Thanks to support from the Victoria Foundation, BCWSA launched a weekly junior rugby program at Pacific Institute for Sport Education (PISE) for kids with disabilities aged 6 to 18. Participation quickly jumped from four to fourteen. “We’ve never seen this kind of growth,” says coach and Paralympian Byron Green.
“Many juniors have congenital disabilities like Cerebral Palsy,” shares Byron. “Early sport builds a foundation for a lifelong relationship with physical activity—recreational or high-performance.” Kids first learn “push mechanics” in adaptive manual chairs then progress to passing, tackling, and teamwork, finally progressing to full-contact wheelchair rugby.
The junior rugby program develops physical strength, confidence, and a sense of belonging. Owen, six, was theonly wheelchair user at his school and became reserved; sport brought him out of his shell. For kids, seeing Byron,a Paralympian with a career, home, and family, shows that life with a disability can be full.
When kids with disabilities have access to sports, they learn their abilities and feel empowered, included, and unstoppable.
THIS WEEK’S LUNCH
Photo courtesy of BC Wheelchair Sports Association
Vital signs citizen survey grade
B+Last year's grade was B+
Sports & Recreation
Vital signs citizen survey grade
B+Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goals
YOUTH RECREATION
In 2023, youth, aged 12-19 years, in South Vancouver Island participated in various types of physical activity at least weekly over the previous 12 months:
Youth participation rates in 2023 were comparable to 2018, but lower than 10 years earlier for informal sports (55% vs. 60% in 2013); organized sports (51% vs. 56% in 2013); and dance, yoga, or exercise classes (15% vs. 20% in 2013).
In 2023, 67% of the region’s youth reported experiencing barriers to engaging in extracurricular physical activity. The top five reported barriers were too busy (42%), injured (25%), too anxious or depressed (20%), thought it was too competitive (19%), and worried about being bullied by another youth (12%).
SOURCE: MCCREARY CENTRE SOCIETY
THEN & NOW
Access to Sport for Kids
KidSport Greater Victoria believes that no child should be left on the sidelines because they do not have the resources to play sports.
Established in 2000, KidSport Greater Victoria raises and distributes funds locally so that children experiencing financial need can enjoy the benefits of organized sport. It has grown steadily to become BC's largest KidSport chapter, and third largest across the country. Today, there are 11 provincial/territorial chapters and 180+ community-based chapters in Canada.
In its first year, KidSport Greater Victoria distributed $7,000 in season-of-sport registration grants and helped 84 children, with 52 boys and 32 girls funded into soccer, hockey, gymnastics, karate, baseball, skating, football, and swimming. In 2024, it distributed $532,400 in grants and reached 1,357 kids.
This year, KidSport Greater Victoria is celebrating 25 years of helping children access community sport programs. To date, it has distributed $4.5 million and funded over 17,000 kids across the region.
SOURCE: KIDSPORT GREATER VICTORIA
REGIONAL PARKS AND TRAILS
Residents in the Capital Regional District in 2024
visited a regional park
visited a regional trail
were satisfied with their overall experiences in regional parks and trails, down from 90% in 2017
Most residents believed that parks and trails significantly contribute to resident health and well-being, conservation of natural environments, and outdoor recreational opportunities.
The most popular parks were Elk/Beaver Lake, Thetis Lake, and Island View Beach. The most frequently visited trail was the Galloping Goose Regional Trail.
The most common activities in parks and trails:
Many residents acknowledged the importance of parks (61%) and trails (51%) for respecting and preserving First Nations cultural heritage, with parks (53%) as valuable places for learning about these traditions.
Many viewed parks and trails as contributing to equitable access (63%),although just 54% of households in which at least one member has a permanent accessibility requirement felt the same way, and these households were less likely to have visited a regional park or trail in the past year.
SOURCE: CAPITAL REGION DISTRICT
MARATHON RACING
The Royal Victoria Marathon (RVM), organized by runners for runners, is one of the largest annual sporting events on Vancouver Island. Held annually on Thanksgiving weekend, RVM consists of five distances: a 42.2 km full marathon, 21.1 km half-marathon, 8 km run, 5 km run, and 1 km kids’ run.
The full marathon, a fast and beautiful course that winds through Victoria and Oak Bay, is a Boston Marathon qualifier and World Athletics sanctioned event. It is also part of the BC Marathon Championships and an Abbott World Majors ranking event. The half marathon is the most popular distance due to the fast and relatively flat course.
Established in 1980 with 700 runners, RVM had over 12,000 participants in 2024, its third largest event, with higher participation expected for RVM’s 45th anniversary in 2025.
From its inception to the 2024 RVM, there have been 63,130 full marathon runners, 84,528 half marathon runners, 61,771 eight km runners, and 1,411 five km runners (started in 2023).
SOURCE: VICTORIA MARATHON SOCIETEY
COMMUNITY IN FOCUS
Spotlighting Community Excellence in Sport
In 2025, Greater Victoria was named a Sport Heritage Community by the BC Sports Hall of Fame, an initiative honouring communities that have shaped British Columbia’s sport history.
This designation recognizes the important role communities play in fostering physical activity, organized sport, and high performance. It also acknowledges qualities that attract athletes, coaches, scientists, sport leaders, and major events.
Greater Victoria is perhaps best known for its 1925 Stanley Cup win, hosting the 1994 Commonwealth Games, producing basketball legend Steve Nash, and being home to the nine-time Mann Cup winning Victoria Shamrocks. This is a brief list of the successes and accomplishments in our region! It also boasts championship teams at the University of Victoria, Royal Roads University, and Camosun College, and amenities like the Pacific Institute for Sport Education, Canadian Sport Institute Pacific, and athlete training centres for national teams.
SOURCE: BC SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Safety