OLG and Team Canada Launch Official Partnership Ahead of Paris 2024

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) is excited to announce its first ever official partnership with the Canadian Paralympic Committee and Canadian Olympic Committee – becoming the Official Ontario Lottery Partner of Team Canada for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Ontario is ready to cheer on Team Canada athletes as they compete in Paris,” said Stan Cho, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. “This new partnership is a terrific way to kick-off the excitement, while showcasing one of the many ways OLG’s support makes a difference to people and communities across the province.”

“We are so pleased to be entering a new partnership with OLG and welcoming them into the Canadian Paralympic community,” said Karen O’Neill, CEO, Canadian Paralympic Committee. “We know support for sport and athletes has been important to OLG for many years, and we are excited to work with them to continue to champion Ontario’s Para athletes and inclusive sport across Ontario.”

“We are thrilled to welcome OLG to Team Canada,” said Jacqueline Ryan, Chief Brand and Commercial Officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee and CEO of the Canadian Olympic Foundation. “Ontario has such a rich sporting history and OLG has long been a supporter of sport and amateur athletes. We know this support has made a profound impact on athletes across the province, whether they’re engaged in sport at the grassroots level or pursuing their Olympic dreams.”

As momentum builds towards the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, OLG is also shining a spotlight on its players, who have helped support amateur athletes in Ontario by playing with OLG. The new “Sponsored by You” campaign reinforces that when you play with OLG, you support Ontario athletes.

Since 2006, OLG and the Ontario Government have supported high-performance amateur athletes through Quest for Gold. The program has provided direct financial support to thousands of amateur athletes, enhancing their ability to train by offsetting the costs of training and living expenses.

“Many people don’t realize 100 per cent of OLG’s profits are reinvested into Ontario, and that we have a longstanding history of supporting amateur athletes,” said Maxine Chapman, VP Brand & Marketing Officer at OLG. “OLG’s ability to give back to communities is only possible thanks to our players, so we wanted to use this opportunity to recognize and celebrate them.”

OLG’s campaign features Team Canada athletes Andre De Grasse, Penny Oleksiak, Maggie Mac Neil, Jillian Weir and other Ontario athletes and Para athletes who have received funding from Ontario’s Quest for Gold program.

“Training for the Olympics takes a lot of preparation – physically, mentally and financially – and it’s not something you can succeed at alone,” said six-time Olympic medallist Andre De Grasse. “Having programs like Quest for Gold to help and knowing your community is supporting you makes all the difference, especially when you’re competing on the world stage.”

The success of the Quest for Gold program shows in the numbers – in the last four Olympic cycles, over 90 per cent of Ontario medal winners had received Quest for Gold funding during their career.

“The Quest for Gold program showcases our government’s continued efforts to enable Ontario athletes to achieve their full potential at the highest levels of competition,” said Neil Lumsden, Ontario Minister of Sport. “We are proud to join with the OLG, our partners across the sport sector and all Ontarians in wishing our Olympic and Paralympic athletes the best of luck in Paris!”

To make players feel like sponsors, OLG is bringing a traveling “Sponsored by You” Portrait Studio to several Ontario communities this summer. Players will have the opportunity to take a personalized portrait to show their support for Ontario’s amateur athletes and will also have a chance to win great prizes — including Team Canada prize packs.

Plus if you buy a lottery ticket online at OLG.ca between July 15 and August 12, 2024, you can enter for a chance to win a trip to watch Team Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games!

For more information on the campaign and contest, visit SponsoredByYou.ca.

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will begin with the Opening Ceremony on August 28 and continue through September 8. Audiences can tune in for CBC/Radio-Canada’s coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8 on CBC, CBC Gem, CBC’s Paris 2024 website (cbc.ca/paris2024) and the CBC Paris 2024 app in English and on ICI TÉLÉ, ICI TOU.TV, Radio-Canada.ca/paris2024, and on the Radio-Canada Paralympiques app in French.