The City of Nelson is calling for applications and nominations for the position of Nelson’s 2020 Sports Ambassador.
The inaugural Sports Ambassador will be selected by a jury and announced at the city’s annual reception on Dec. 9. The ambassador will receive a $1,000 honorarium.
The Sports Ambassador designation will be awarded to an individual athlete, group or team who has achieved a high standard of excellence in their athletic pursuits, and who, in the opinion of a jury, is a worthy representative of Nelson’s sports and recreational community.
At its Oct. 7 meeting, council passed a Sports Ambassador policy that lays out criteria for nominations and appointments, and outlines what is expected of the ambassador.
The policy was created by a working group headed by councillor Cal Renwick and consisting of one member each from Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism, the Nelson Regional Sports Council, the Nelson Athletic Association and Whitewater Ski Resort.
The jury for the first year will consist of that working group. In later years the make-up of the jury will be adjusted and expanded.
The Sports Ambassador program is modeled on Nelson’s Cultural Ambassador program that has run for more than a decade.
Council’s new policy states that the Sports Ambassador can use the designation in promoting and fundraising for their own sports activities and asks them to make their role as ambassador visible to audiences in promotional materials.
It states that the ambassador can continue to use the designation in future years if they identify the year in which they served as the active ambassador.
The deadline to submit an application or nomination is Nov. 4. Forms are available at nelson.ca/799/Sports-Ambassador.
Questions should be directed to the city’s deputy corporate officer at gbouvet@nelson.ca.
