During the 2015 Canada Winter Games, Kin 1 will be known as the Lakewood Dental Arena at CN Centre.
The announcement was made Thursday afternoon at the local rink, which recently re-opened to the public after going through major renovations. The name change will come as a result of the Lakewood Dental Group signing on as an official sponsor of the Games.
"Lakewood Dental and its collective of dentists and specialists have been serving the city of Prince George and surrounding communities for decades," said partner Tessa von den Steinen. "We are extremely excited and very proud to be an official sponsor of the 2015 Canada Winter Games. We truly believe this will be an unparalleled event for the city of Prince George and an amazing opportunity for us to be involved with the 2015 Games at the local level while showcasing our city on the national stage. We are looking forward to helping make this the best Canada Games ever."
One of Lakewood Dental's managing partners, Kit Wong, has a special tie to the Canada Winter Games because his son, Chris, won a silver medal in freestyle skiing at the 1999 Games in Corner Brook, Nfld. Chris went on to represent Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
The 2015 Canada Winter Games, Feb. 13 to March 1, will be the largest multi-sport and cultural event ever held in northern B.C. Athletes from 10 provinces and three territories will compete in 19 different sports. The Games are expected to pump $70 million to $90 million into the local economy.
"The opportunity to sponsor an official venue for the 2015 Canada Winter Games offers great exposure for our partners," said Stuart Ballantyne, CEO of the Games. "With athletes, coaches, volunteers, fans and media utilizing the venues at Games time, sponsoring an official venue makes them part of the 2015 Games experience."
