The 2011 International Children's Winter Games, officially known as the IV International Children's Games

International Children's Games

The International Children's Games is an International Olympic Committee-sanctioned event held every year where children from cities around the world and between the ages of 12 and 15 participate in a variety of sports.-History:...

, was a major international multi-sport event held from January 26 to January 31, 2011 in Kelowna

Kelowna

Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a Okanagan language term for "grizzly bear"...

, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The city was elected by the International Olympic Committee

International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...

). This was the first time that the Canada hosted the International Children's Winter Games; the previous games were held in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

.

Kelowna extended an incredible welcome to 39 cities from 14 different countries. The 479 athletes and 126 coaches had an experience of a life time not only through the sport competitions held but at the ceremonies, festivals and special events organized by the games.

Venues

The sports and cultural events took place at various places in Kelowna, West Kelowna, and at Big White Ski Resort, located east of Kelowna. The opening and closing ceremonies were held at Prospera Place Stadium. Competition venues included the Telemark Cross Country Ski Club, the Kelowna Curling Club, the Capital News Centre, and Memorial Arena.

Sports

Seven winter sports events were included in the 2011 International Children's Games. The four sports categorized as ice sports are: ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

, figure skating

Figure skating

Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...

, speed skating

Speed skating

Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...

 and curling

Curling

Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...

. The two sports categorized as alpine skiing

Alpine skiing

Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...

 and snowboarding

Snowboarding

Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...

events are: alpine and snowboarding. The final sport categorized as a Nordic event is: cross-country skiing.

The opening and closing ceremonies and the events categorized as ice sports were held in Kelowna and West Kelowna. The sports categorized as "Nordic events" were held at Big White Ski Resort.

Marketing

The medals for the games were designed by Aline Moger, a Kelowna grade 12 student. The torch was designed by students at Okanagan College in Kelowna.

Media Coverage

The games events were broadcast by Shaw Media. Newspaper coverage was by the Capital News and radio coverage was by Power 104 and the Q103.1.

Medal Table

City_______________________Gold______Silver____Bronze___________________Total______________________________________________________
Seoul,_Korea_________________6_________5________0________________________11________________________________________________________
Gorje, Slovenia______________6_________4________0________________________10_______________________________________________________
Kelowna, Canada 2 3 5 10
Innsbruck, Austria 2 4 0 6
Vevey, Switzerland 2 0 3 5
West Kelowna, Canada 0 2 2 4
Montreux, Switzerland 2 0 1 3
Coquitlam, Canada 1 1 1 3
Maribor, Slovenia 1 1 1 3
Kamloops, Canada 0 1 2 3