BC School Sport Discontinue Gymnastics

BC SCHOOL SPORTS VOTES TO REMOVE GYMNASTICS FROM OFFICIAL ACTIVITIES LIST

[Whistler, BC] – The Legislative Assembly of BC School Sports (BCSS), the provincial governing body for school sport in the province, made the difficult decision today at its Annual General Meeting to remove gymnastics from its list of recognized activities. This resolution was adopted following exhaustive deliberations from representatives from all nine BCSS zones, partner educational organizations, committee chairs, and the Board of Directors.

The Notice of Motion, submitted by the Thompson-Okanagan Zone, was prompted by a sustained low number of registered gymnastics participants across the province, with only 453 student-athletes registered this season. Further, it was noted that most athletes are competing entirely in a club environment and as a result, the gymnastics programs are not regularly part of the school environment or under the oversight of the school athletic director and administration.

BCSS gymnastics is heavily concentrated in just one of the nine BCSS zones, both in terms of the number of schools that field teams and athletes involved. 39% of all registered gymnasts come from the Vancouver Sea-to-Sky Zone. Further, 28% of all student-athletes participating in gymnastics do so for just four member schools.

BC School Sports recognizes the historical significance of gymnastics and its long history as a BCSS activity and gratefully acknowledges the efforts of gymnasts, coaches, and clubs in promoting the sport. BCSS has had to make other difficult decisions in response to changing dynamics and demands across its 6-decade history. Conversely, BCSS has added Girls Rugby XVs, Boys and Girls Rugby 7s and Ultimate in recent years in response to evolving trends and requests from its member schools. It is important to note that should a school district or zone wish to continue to operate gymnastics programs and provide competitive opportunities in gymnastics they are encouraged to do so, despite the absence of a provincial championship.

BC School Sports remains dedicated to working closely with others from the gymnastics community, including Gymnastics BC to explore opportunities for these groups to coordinate an event to allow students to represent their school.

About BC School Sports
BC School Sports is a voluntary organization of over 450 public and independent schools in British Columbia. It is the governing body for school sport and coordinates and delivers opportunities with our member schools for interschool competition in over 18 activities to over 76,000 student-athletes each year. BCSS delivers 62 provincial championships each year to over 14,000 student-athletes, recognizing the pinnacle of interscholastic competition.

Media Contacts:
BC School Sports
Jordan Abney
Executive Director
jabney@bcschoolsports.ca
604-477-1488