The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and Okanagan, in British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1908, it is the oldest university in British Columbia. With an annual research budget of $747.3 million, UBC funds 9,675 projects annually in various fields of study within the industrial sector, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word kiʔláwnaʔ, referring to a grizzly bear.
The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thunderbirds are the most successful athletic program both regionally in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association, and nationally in U Sports, winning 116 national titles. UBC has won an additional 20 national titles competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics against collegiate competition from the United States and 40 national titles in sports that compete in independent competitions.
Kelowna International Airport is a Canadian airport located approximately 10 minutes or 6.2 nautical miles northeast of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, on Highway 97.
Lake Country is a district municipality with a population of approximately 15,000 in the Okanagan Valley region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a part of the Central Okanagan Regional District, and of the Kelowna metropolitan area. The city of Kelowna lies to the south, while the city of Vernon lies to the north. As its name suggests, there are a number of lakes in the vicinity of Lake Country, and outside the municipal boundaries in the hills to the east. Okanagan Lake defines the western boundary of the municipality, while the entirety of Wood Lake and the southernmost portion of Kalamalka Lake are encompassed by it.
Karel Gut was a Czech ice hockey player and coach, who later worked in sports management. He was born in Prague and later played in the Czechoslovak Extraliga. While Gut played soccer in his youth, he was better known as an, "offensive-minded hockey defenseman". Gut was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 1998, and has also been inducted into the Czechoslovak Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
VK Jihostroj České Budějovice is a professional men's volleyball club based in České Budějovice, which competes in the Czech Extraliga.
Sports play a significant part in the life of many Czechs who are generally loyal supporters of their favourite teams or individuals.
The Maxa liga is the second-highest level of professional ice hockey in the Czech Republic, after the Extraliga. It began in 1993 and is run and administered by Czech Ice Hockey Association.
VK Prostějov is a Czech women's volleyball club based in Prostějov. The club competes in the Czech Women's Volleyball Extraliga, the highest Czech league.
Curtis Hamilton is an American-born Canadian retired professional ice hockey forward. He last played with the Manchester Storm in the British Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). Hamilton previously skated for the Graz 99ers in the Austrian Hockey League (EBEL). Hamilton was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2nd round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
The UBC Okanagan Heat are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia Okanagan in Kelowna, British Columbia and currently compete in the Canada West conference of U Sports. The Heat field varsity teams in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, rugby, and volleyball.
Casey Adam Schouten is a Canadian male volleyball player. He is part of the Canada men's national volleyball team. On club level he plays for VK Lvi Praha
Stephen Timothy Maar is a Canadian professional volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter for Gas Sales Piacenza and the Canada national team.
Samuel Schachter is a Canadian Olympic beach volleyball player. In 2010 he won the FIVB World Junior (U-21) Championship with Garrett May. He and partner Josh Binstock were 2014 Canadian national champions, and represented Canada at the 2015 Pan American Games and the 2016 Summer Olympics. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, he and Binstock earned silver medals. He is competing with partner Daniel Dearing at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Men's tournament.
LKPS Lublin, officially known for sponsorship reasons as Bogdanka LUK Lublin, is a professional men's volleyball club based in Lublin in eastern Poland, founded in 2013. The club has been promoted to the top flight of the Polish volleyball, PlusLiga in 2021.
Shanice Marcelle is a Canadian female volleyball player and assistant coach for the York Lions women's volleyball team. She is a five-time CIS volleyball champion as a university athlete and two-time Bundesliga champion as a professional athlete. Individually, she was twice awarded the CIS women's volleyball player of the year in 2011 and 2013, was the 2011 CIS volleyball championship MVP, and was named the 2013 winner of the BLG Award as the best female athlete in all of Canadian Interuniversity Sport. She joined the Canadian women's national volleyball team in 2011 and is a member of the beach volleyball national team.
Jerome Blake is a Canadian track and field athlete specializing in the sprint events. As a member of the Canadian 4 × 100 m relay team, he is the 2024 Olympic gold medallist, 2020 Olympic silver medallist and the 2022 World champion.
Canada competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France from July 26 to August 11, 2024. Since Canada's debut in 1900, Canadian athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, except for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow because of the country's support for the United States-led boycott.
Justin Lui is a Canadian volleyball player. He is a member of the Canada men's national volleyball team and a participant in 2024 Summer Olympics.
