city

PHOTOS: The 2023 BC Sports Hall of Fame Induction Dinner & Gala

The BC Sports Hall of Fame raises a glass to its class of 2023.

By Fred Lee /

On June 1st, 2023, the 52nd annual Induction Gala celebrated extraordinary B.C. athletes as they were officially enshrined in the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

“We are extremely energized about being able to honour and celebrate the inspiring athletes, builders, pioneers, media and supporters who have been selected for inclusion in the BC Sports Hall of Fame,” said Tom Mayenknecht, chair of the BC Sports Hall of Fame. “The Gala event is an annual highlight and the induction of this year’s class will help launch us into an exciting new chapter in the growth and development of the BC Sports Hall.”

This year’s inductees included Canucks legend Dennis Kearns, Olympic ski cross gold medalist Kelsey Serwa and many more local honourees.

 

Recently selling their Vancouver Canadians franchise, former owners Jake Kerr and Jeff Mooney were among the class of 2023 inductees into the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

A.C Bennett Award recipients Kerr and Mooney acknowledged the hire of Vancouver Canadians president Andy Dunn for transforming baseball in Vancouver.

Past BC Sports Hall of Fame inductees Rick Hansen and Charmaine Crooks were among 600 athletes and community leaders in attendance at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

The first Paralympic athlete elected to Canadian Parliament, Delta Liberal MP Carla Qualtrough was among the new kids in the hall. In addition to honouring the newest inductees, guests supported the hall’s Hero in You educational initiative bringing B.C. athletes’ inspired stories into schools.

Newly appointed BC Sports Hall of Fame CEO Michelle Kitchen joined gala committee member Joanie McMaster for her first BC Sports Hall of Fame dinner.

BFF Diane Dupuis joined Anna Nyarady, past chair and only woman to have held the role to date, for the BC Sports Hall of Fame’s biggest night.

Ardent BC Sports Hall of Fame supporter Bill Maclagan, along with Carolyn Tuckwell, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Coast BC, helped celebrate sports history, heritage and culture in B.C.

Global TV’s Yvonne Schalle and Squire Barnes presided over the 52nd Induction Gala.