Canadian Olympians to march in 2014 World Pride Parade
Toronto’s annual Pride Week gets an international look this year with the 2014 World Pride Parade. Attending will be some of the country’s finest sport ambassadors: Canadian Olympians.
Among the athletes will be rower Marnie McBean, a three-time Olympic gold medallist.
“We are a diverse country and we’re at our best when we choose to embrace each other’s identities, fostering a safe and open environment for our friends, teammates and neighbours to be themselves,” McBean said through the Canadian Olympic Committee.
Parade starts at the corner of Bloor and Church streets in downtown Toronto on Sunday, June 29 at 1 p.m. ET. This will be the second straight year the Canadian Olympic Committee will be marching as an official participant in various Canadian cities.
The annual event, a LGBTQ celebration, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to Toronto for Pride Week. The global nature of this year’s festivities dubbed WorldPride 2014 raises the profile of one of Canada’s largest yearly celebrations and for Canadian Olympians, a natural extension of their belief in fair play.
“The Canadian Olympic community has always been a place where the values of excellence, respect and friendship have been practiced,” McBean added. She will be “proudly” marching with her wife and fellow Canadian Olympians on Sunday.
Olympians marching on Sunday
Adam van Koeverden, four-time Olympic medallist, Canoe/Kayak Sprint
Anastasia Bucsis, two-time Olympian, Long Track Speed Skating
Anastasiya Muntyanu, London 2012, Gymnastics
Charline Labonté, three-time Olympian, Women’s Ice Hockey
Dylan Moscovitch, Sochi 2014 silver medallist, Figure Skating
Eric Radford, Sochi 2014 silver medallist, Figure Skating
Gabrielle Daleman, Sochi 2014, Figure Skating
Ken Pereira, Beijing 2008, Field Hockey
Jennifer Wakefield, Sochi 2014, Women’s Ice Hockey
Jonathan Lockwood, Beijing 2008, Baseball
John Fennell, Sochi 2014, Luge
Julia Wilkinson, two-time Olympian, Swimming
Marnie McBean, three-time Olympic gold medallist, Rowing
Marie-Ève Marleau, Beijing 2008 Olympian, Diving
Natalie Spooner, Sochi 2014 gold medallist, Women’s Ice Hockey
Nathaniel Miller, Beijing 2008, Water Polo
Rosie Cossar, London 2012, Rhythmic Gymnastics
Sandra Sassine, two-time Olympian, Fencing
Sandra Levy, Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympics Chef de mission, two-time Olympian, Field-Hockey
Scott Sandison, Beijing 2008, Field Hockey
Stella Umeh, Barcelona 1992, Gymnastics
Therese Brisson, two-time Olympian, Women’s Ice Hockey
Vanessa Crone, Vancouver 2010, Ice Dancing
The Olympic Team encourages fans to use the following free images on social media during Pride Week. Simply copy image and share.
