Team BC's mission staff for the 2011 Halifax Canada Winter Games have been chosen, Minister of Healthy Living and Sport Ida Chong announced today.

Chef de Mission Ajay Patel will lead 17 mission staff members (Listed Below) who will provide administrative, logistical and performance preparation support for the athletes and coaches attending the Games. This is Patel's fourth time as Team BC's chef de mission, having also served in the 2005, 2007 and 2009 Canada Games. The mission team includes practitioners, communications and other support staff.

The Canada Games are held every two years, alternating between winter and summer. They are a key step in the development of Canada's amateur athletes, producing the next generation of national, international, Olympic and Paralympic champions - such as NHL superstar Paul Kariya, who competed in the 1991 Canada Winter Games and gold medal Paralympic wheelchair basketball player Jaimie Borisoff, who competed for Team BC at the 1995 Canada Winter Games.

Team BC will send 260 athletes and 75 coaches to the 2011 Halifax Games.

The 2011 Canada Winter Games take place Feb. 11-27 in Halifax and will bring together approximately 2,700 athletes who will be competing in 20 sports, along with coaches, managers and officials from every province and territory in Canada.

Team BC mission staff for the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax are:

Chef de Mission
Ajay Patel
Department of Human Kinetics, Langara College

Assistant Chef de Mission
Judy Joseph-Black
Sport and Recreation Branch, Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport

Team BC Manager/Sport Mission Staff
Chris Graham, Sport and Recreation Branch

Sport Mission and Operations Staff
Becki O'Rae, Sport and Recreation Branch
Operations Manager

Mary Jane Abbott, Canoe Kayak BC
Sport Mission Staff

Kyna Fletcher, Vancouver Phoenix Gymnastics Club/Gymnastics BC
Sport Mission Staff

Colin Guiguet, BC Hockey
Sport Mission Staff

Kristen Harrott, PacificSport Northern BC
Sport Mission Staff

Andree-Anne Leroy, Canadian Sport Centre Pacific
Sport Mission Staff

Andree Montreuil, Gymnastics BC
Sport Mission Staff

Doug Nicholas, PacificSport Okanagan
Sport Mission Staff

Chris Trenholme, BC Games Society
Sport Mission Staff

Keven Dubinsky, BC Alpine Ski Association
IT Manager/Sport Mission Staff

Michelle Collens, Victory Sport Consulting Operations/Special
Events/Sport Mission Staff

Jennifer Halfhide, BC Games Society
Operations

Marc Bowles, Canadian Sport Centre Pacific
Planner

Communications
Jan Mansfield, Janus Communications Inc.
Communications Manager

Danielle Williams, Skate Canada - BC/YT Section
Communications