Paralympic Foundation of Canada celebrates first year of ImagiNation campaign
Ottawa, June 7, 2018 – The Paralympic Foundation of Canada celebrated the first anniversary of its ImagiNation campaign this week, an ambitious four-year fundraising program aimed at investing an unprecedented $10 million in developing the future stars of Paralympic sport.
Launched in June 2017, ImagiNation seeks to raise $6 million over four years, which will unlock $1 million in matching funds per year from the Government of Canada.
Wheelchair racer Brent Lakatos named Athletics Canada’s Athlete of the Year
OTTAWA – Wheelchair racing star Brent Lakatos of Dorval, Que., won the 2017 Jack W. Davis for Athlete of the Year Award from Athletics Canada on Wednesday.
Lakatos won four gold medals at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships with victories in the T53 disability category 100-m, 200-m, 400-m and 800-m. He was the favorite to win those races after setting world records at each of those distances a few week before the worlds.
‘’It’s a great honor to win the award,’’ said Lakatos, a three-time Paralympian before thanking his coaches and family.
Paralympian Search ambassador Alexandre Dupont went from no sport to all sport
MONTREAL – Before his motorcycle accident at age 17, two-time Paralympian Alexandre Dupont was not interested in sport.
Today he is one of Canada’s best wheelchair racers and owner of Révolution Sport with his wife Ilana Dupont, also on the national wheelchair racing team.
Dupont’s life is now basically all sports, all the time.
‘’Everything revolves around sport for me,’’ said Dupont. ‘’It’s my work. It’s through it that I met my wife and it’s now a business for both of us as designers and fabricators of sports equipment for people with a disability.’’
Para ice hockey player Garrett Riley fondly remembers Paralympian Search
OTTAWA – One of the best decisions Garrett Riley ever made in his sports career was making the six-hour drive from Brantford to Montreal in April 2017 to participate in the Paralympian Search.
Open to athletes of all experience levels, Paralympian Search is a one-day identification event designed to test participant aptitudes to excel in various Paralympic sports, and maybe one day represent Canada at the Paralympic Games.
Team Canada celebrates life beyond the Games with first ever Game Plan Day in Canada
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TORONTO (June 5, 2018) – Team Canada and Deloitte are helping to support athletes develop life skills beyond sport by hosting over 60 Game Plan eligible Olympians, Paralympians and National Team athletes for a half day of concrete skills-based training. Today, athletes across five cities including Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal will take part in an immersive in-office experience, supporting career development, including networking, job shadowing and interview skills preparation.
Weekend round-up: Aurélie Rivard caps World Series with gold
SHEFFIELD, England – Aurélie Rivard of Swimming Canada’s High Performance Centre – Quebec won gold in the women’s 400-m freestyle on Sunday for her third medal this week at the fifth stop on the Para swimming World Series circuit.
Rivard, a triple gold medallist at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, clocked four minutes and 33.68 seconds for the victory. She tied for first with Naomi Maike Schnittger of Germany while Liesette Bruinsma of the Netherlands was third.
Parasport Jumpstart Fund open for applications across Canada
Ottawa, June 4, 2018 – The Canadian Paralympic Committee encourages all community and sport organizations to apply for the 2018 Parasport Jumpstart Fund, for the opportunity to receive grants for parasport programming aimed at removing barriers for children and youth with disabilities to participate in physical activity and sport.
Canadians to battle for early Paralympic Games spots at goalball world championships
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OTTAWA – With the dust settled on the 2016 Paralympic Games, the Canadian men’s and women’s goalball teams have kept a veteran presence heading to the world championships, which get underway Sunday (June 3) in Malmo, Sweden.
A top-three finish in both the men’s and women’s tournament guarantees an early spot for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Canadian researchers review quality of exercise options for those with disabilities
KELOWNA – While blueprints are essential for any construction project, a team of researchers—working in consultation with the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC)—say a clear blueprint is vital when it comes to establishing sporting programs including people with disabilities.
University of British Columbia researcher Kathleen Martin Ginis, along with a team of scientists from several universities and disability sport leaders from across North America, has been examining the quality of sport-related activities for people with disabilities.
Paralympic team skip a tough and satisfying role for Mark Ideson
OTTAWA – Mark Ideson won’t soon forget his role as skip for Canada’s wheelchair curling team at the recent Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang.
The tournament was a big success as Canada re-emerged in the international picture with the bronze medal. The team was coming off a tough quad posting sixth, seventh and fifth place finishes at the three previous world championships.
The skip role was one the 41-year-old relished but it was also a position that came with added responsibilities and pressure.