Kelowna

The 2011 International Children's Winter Games are exceeding organizers expectations.

The games, set for Kelowna January 26 to 31 of next year, are expected to attract between 450 and 500 athletes from around the world.

Organizers had originally hoped for about 400 athletes to participate.

Games interim chair, Heather Schneider, told Kelowna Council Monday that 41 cities had confirmed participation in the games when registration closed at the end of November.

Twenty one Canadian cities will be sending teams, 12 from within B.C. and nine others outside the province.

Schneider says international teams are coming from Innsbruck Austria, Reykjavik Iceland, Darmstadt Germany, Kaunas City Lithuania, Seoul Korea along with three cities from Switzerland and two more from Australia.

In all, at least 13 countries will be represented.

Athletes ranging in age from 12 to 15 will take part in curling, hockey, figure skating, speed skating, alpine skiing, cross country skiing and snowboarding.

"Hockey and speed skating are new to the winter games and we're very proud to tell you that boys hockey sold out. We wanted eight teams and we got eight teams from around Canada and the world," says Schneider.

"We had hoped to get six girls teams and we fell just short. We got five. Hockey was a great success and we're doing very well in speed skating as well."

Schneider says they are also on pace to reach between 650 and 700 volunteers necessary to run the games.

With nearly two months to go, she says 500 volunteers have already signed up.

Schneider says they are also on pace to fill up an expected 600 room bookings over the course of the week.

The games begin with the opening ceremonies on the evening of January 27 with closing ceremonies set for January 30 at the Delta Grand Hotel.

Link: Link to Children's Games website