War Memorial Gymnasium is a gymnasium on the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

campus. It was officially dedicated on October 26, 1951, to the family members of service personnel who died in the two world wars. The Memorial walls have since been updated to reflect UBC's involvement with Canada's military. It is frequently referred to as 'The' 'Historic' War Memorial Gymnasium and hosts the annual UBC Remembrance Day Ceremony. It is home to the

UBC Thunderbirds The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thun ...

basketball and volleyball teams, as well as the central offices for the Athletics and Human Kinetics departments. There are 2,222 permanent seats, with retractable bleachers that increase total capacity of 4,836. The gymnasium has hosted the likes of the

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, the B.C. high school basketball championships, concerts by

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and

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

, as well as others, and is the current venue for the finals of all division of the

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Basketball Classic. In October 2010, the

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held their first training in the province of BC in the venue. Playing sports in this facility was unique because of the floor's special spring. Folklore has it that horsehair had been inserted beneath the wood surface, which has been since removed. It is still viewed as one of the premier University level basketball/volleyball facilities in Canada.

References

Sports venues in Vancouver University of British Columbia University sports venues in Canada UBC Thunderbirds 1951 establishments in British Columbia Sports venues completed in 1951 Basketball venues in Canada Volleyball venues in Canada {{canada-sports-venue-stub