Olympic athletes from around the world have been using the Okanagan as a training base in recent weeks, preparing for the upcoming winter games in Vancouver.
They are taking advantage of the areas snow covered ski hills, as well as hockey arenas and curling rinks.
The international athletes are so impressed, they plan to return.
“It's a great place for us to practice before going on to Vancouver,” says Niklas Edin, Swedish Olympic Men's Curling Skip. “Not too many good curling rinks in Sweden. There's only two or three that are really good and the rest are just four sheets and maybe not so good.”
More than a year ago the Swedish Olympic committee decided to use Kelowna as an Olympic training centre for its women's hockey and curling teams.
They are so impressed by the city's sports facilities they plan to come back.
“What we have seen here gives us prospects for the future,” Glenn Ost, Swedish Olympic Committee. “We know there will be curling tournaments in Canada, we know for sure there will be hockey tournaments, and this could be a base for a long time.”
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