“The No. 1 language everyone speaks is smiles.” It is what the Harlem Globetrotters Julian “Zeus” McClurkin said after large grins and laughter broke the ice with athletes during a surprise visit during a practice on the opening day of the BC Winter Games.

British Columbia's best young athletes, along with their coaches and officials have
gathered in the City of Penticton for the 2016 BC Winter Games.

Mountain resort near Penticton welcomes athletes and visitors

Speed skating dates back more than a 1,000 years from the frozen canals and waterways of Scandinavia and the Netherlands.

Games song performed at the Opening Ceremony features local children's choir