Skip to content

London summer Olympics live in Hope

There are several viewing locations throughout the community

Last month, staff at the Hope Visitor Centre received numerous inquiries from European visitors — and others —regarding locations where they could watch the various matches of the Euro Cup Soccer competition.

Since the Summer Olympic Games in London, England kick off on Friday and run through to August 12, the staff at the visitor centre has compiled information about where to view the television broadcasts.

Visitors staying over in local motels can tune in on their own television sets and RV campers can connect to cable in most of the local campgrounds. If there are campers who wish to view an event in a large group, the new Sunshine Valley RV Resort will open up their new clubhouse facilities for them to use.

For travellers just passing through though, the Olympic viewing locations that come to mind right away are those that fans seek out for other major sporting events – namely the local pubs and lounges. Venues for those who are 19 and over include the Silver Chalice Pub, the Gold Rush Pub, the pub at the Hope Motor Hotel, the Royal Canadian Legion lounge, the Fraternal Order of Eagles lounge and the Kingpin Lounge at Sunshine Lanes. The location with the longest hours of opening is by far Sunshine Lanes, as they will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 1a.m. daily – except Sundays when they close at midnight. It should be noted that there is no alcohol served prior to 11a.m.

Food and beverage locations available to families with sports fans under 19 years of age include one of the official sponsors of the games – McDonalds. They have two televisions in their seating area (open 24 hours per day) and these sets will always be tuned to the Olympic games. Other restaurant options include the Driftwynd Bistro and the Hope Drive-In & Restaurant. Another choice is the clubhouse at the Hope Golf Course. It has a large television screen and is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily and will be offering some Olympic menu specials.

The Hope Recreation Complex on Sixth Avenue is also a good choice for those that wish to view the Olympic Games in a community location that does not require them to make a purchase. The hours of operation of the complex vary throughout the week but will be available from at least 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays plus 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays. The large television tuned to the Olympic coverage will be set up in the hall area by the concession stand (which is now closed for the summer season). It should be noted that travel party members that are not interested in being Olympic spectators can make use of the other facilities in the complex while the telecasts are on.

To find out what events are to be televised when, see the Olympic Games viewing schedule at www.ctvolympics.ca.