IMAGE : M-J Milloy

Home-field advantage for BC athletes at the Winter Olympics

British Columbians will have plenty of homegrown heroes to cheer for at the 2010 Winter Games. Thirty-five athletes from British Columbia were named to the Canadian Olympic team last week, making up nearly 20% of the National team.

BC Athletes Representing at Winter Olympics

The Canadian team is made up of 206 athletes from across the country, with 32 Olympic Medalists from the Torino Games and six 2009 world champions representing the team. BC Premier Gordon Campell says B.C. athletes are ready to show their home province just what they're capable of come Feb. 12th.

"While British Columbia has been getting ready to welcome the world, these athletes have been preparing to make their own personal history. They've spent years preparing for their moment in the spotlight and they'll go to the Games knowing they have the support of a province and a nation behind them."

Home-field Advantage for B.C.'ers?

So will B.C. athletes really have an advantage over other competitors? Many of the athletes have competed in different events held at Olympic facilities, and have become acclimated to the surroundings. The familiarity is definitely a good thing. There is also the extra incentive of performing well in front of family and friends. The B.C. athletes have been training all their lives for this moment, and having the crowd in their corner might give them the additional boost needed.

Could the first Canadian to win a medal on Canadian soil come from B.C.? There's a very good possibility one of these British Columbians could be the one to make history.