Exciting competition ahead in 2026 SOBC Winter Regional Qualifiers
For the first time, floorball joins the eight different Special Olympics BC winter sports that will be part of this season’s qualifier competitions.
It’s an exciting time for Special Olympics BC winter sports athletes and coaches, as the 2026 Special Olympics BC Winter Regional Qualifiers are soon to get underway.
Regional Qualifiers are competitions hosted in communities across the province, where athletes must participate to earn spots in Special Olympics BC Provincial Games. Regional Qualifiers are the start of the Special Olympics Games cycle in Canada. Athletes who would like to pursue competing in World Games need to start right here, with registering for local programs and participating in Regional Qualifiers.
The 2026 SOBC Winter Regional Qualifiers will be taking place between January and April. Hundreds of athletes from across the province will be competing to qualify for the 2027 Special Olympics BC Winter Games.
Those Provincial Games are the provincial qualifier for the 2028 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games. Those National Games are the qualifier for the 2029 Special Olympics World Winter Games set to be held in Switzerland.
What sports will be part of the 2026 SOBC Winter Regional Qualifiers?
The eight sports that will be played are 5-pin bowling, alpine skiing, cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, snowshoeing, speed skating, and floorball, which is making Its highly anticipated debut at this season’s Regional Qualifiers.
Athletes can compete in multiple different sports in the qualifiers. However, they must stick to one sport if they qualify for the 2027 SOBC Winter Games. For example, if an athlete were to qualify in both speed skating and figure skating, they can only compete in one of those sports in Provincial Games, not both.
What is Special Olympics floorball?
Floorball is replacing floor hockey in the Regional Qualifiers. There will be no Regional Qualifiers for floor hockey as the sport is no longer being offered in Provincial, National, and World Games, although the sport can still be offered recreationally in communities.
With less equipment and fewer roster spots per team, floorball has seen a rise in popularity over the last year. This has also helped smaller communities to enter the sport due to the lower number of barriers.
Floorball and floor hockey are fairly similar, with a few differences. The main difference is that floor hockey uses a circular ring and sticks with a rounded tip instead of a blade, while floorball plays with a small ball and sticks with blades. Think of floorball like ball hockey like we see kids playing on streets and driveways.
Where will Regional Qualifiers take place?
Volunteers in communities across the province are generously giving their time and efforts to organize and host Regional Qualifiers between January and April 2026. It is an exciting time as communities including Terrace and Golden are likely to host a Regional Qualifier for the first time in a long time.
To offer quality competition and help with logistics, some Regional Qualifiers will be events just for one or two Regions, and some will be province-wide events. The 2026 SOBC Cross Country Skiing Regional Qualifier will be hosted in Golden for all cross country skiing athletes across the province, and the 2026 SOBC Alpine Skiing and Snowshoeing Regional Qualifiers will be hosted in Kelowna for all athletes.
When there is a designated Regional Qualifier for your Region, you must attend that competition in order to have the chance to be selected to your Regional team for the SOBC Games.
How can I get involved?
To compete in a Regional Qualifier, you must be a registered athlete in your local Special Olympics programs.
To help athletes get to compete in qualifiers, you can volunteer as a coach or organizer. You can also make a generous donation to support Special Olympics BC!
Fans are welcome to cheer on athletes and teams in the Regional Qualifiers. Please note that some venues may have a higher capacity than others, so it may be advisable to check with local event organizers if you’re planning on attending.
Good luck to all athletes, coaches, and organizers, and heartfelt thanks to everyone making these exciting competitions possible!
Article by James Ngo, BCIT Online & Broadcast Journalism