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Port Coquitlam eyeing a future Sports Hall of Fame

A virtual Sports Hall of Fame — honouring Port Coquitlam's best and brightest athletes and coaches — appears to be on the horizon for the new Community Recreation Complex.
hamil
Hockey player Zach Hamill is a Port Coquitlam product.

A virtual Sports Hall of Fame — honouring Port Coquitlam's best and brightest athletes and coaches — may be on the horizon for the new Community Recreation Complex.

Today (Thursday), the city's healthy community committee was expected to recommend that council grant $5,000 to the Port Coquitlam Sports Alliance Society to formally recognize local sports heroes.

Next year, to tie in with Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations, the society — headed by former PoCo city councillor Mike Bowen — wants to launch its first-ever sport award program event.

And that will lay the ground work to create a virtual Sports Hall of Fame — parts of which may be included in the new rec complex that is due to open in the spring of 2021, said Lori Bowie, PoCo's recreation director.

No date has been set yet for the inaugural ceremony; however, it's expected to take place in late spring, she said.

Bowie said a committee of community members plus a city representative will be formed to review nominations for the Hall of Fame. 

Among PoCo most notable sports heroes are: 

• Marathon of Hope runner Terry Fox; 

• hockey player Zach Hamill; 

• football players Sukh Chungh, Bret Anderson, Sandy Beveridge and Chris Szarka; 

• Paralympian shooter Doug Blessin.

• Olympic gymnast Brittany Rogers;  

• and Olympic wrestlers Chris Rinke and Dan Payne; 

Ryan Clark, executive director of the PoCo Sport Alliance Society, which represents about 5,000 athletes in PoCo, said if council approves the $5,000 grant for the inaugural event, it "will create new and enhanced synergies among all sport clubs, local business and arts and heritage."

For more details on the Port Coquitlam Sports Alliance Society, visit pocosport.ca. 

jcleugh@tricitynews.com 

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