Wong at the 2018 Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame ceremony. [Source: Jackie Toews]

The Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame (HoF) honoured volleyball leader Hugh Wong and five more sport greats at its 2018 induction ceremony on Thursday.

Wong has spent the last 40 years raising the profile of volleyball both within and beyond the Okanagan. He started as the coach of the Kelowna junior boys’ team in 1975 and proceeded to establish the Kelowna Volleyball Club. Wong has also been the president of both Volleyball BC and Volleyball Canada, and served on the NORCECA Federation and FIVB.

His induction into the Central Okanagan Sports HoF is another notch on Wong’s belt of numerous accolades. He was welcomed into Volleyball BC’s HoF in 2015, as well as the Volleyball Canada’s HoF this past June. Wong also received the prestigious Daryl Thompson Award at the 2016 Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards.

From left to right: Heather Mandoli-Alschuler, Hugh Wong, Tracy Melesko, Chad Folk, Rob Dirk and Allan Simpson at the 2018 Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame ceremony. [Source: Jackie Toews]

This year’s additional Central Okanagan Sports HoF inductees were:

• Rob Dirk, NHL player semi-pro hockey coach
• Allan Simpson, Baseball America magazine founder and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
• Tracy Melesko, three-time Paralympic medalist in athletics
• Chad Folk, two-time CFL Grey Cup champion
• Heather Mandoli-Alschuler, rowing Olympian

You can learn more about the honour and its recipients at the Kelowna Museums website.