Release: 200 Sochi Athletes And Coaches To Be Celebrated
May 12, 2014
MORE THAN 200 OLYMPIANS, PARALYMPIANS AND COACHES TO PARTAKE IN 2014 CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE
Athletes and coaches to participate in three-day series of events for the 2014 Celebration of Excellence
CALGARY – Today, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee announced the Olympians, Olympic coaches, Paralympians and Paralympic coaches who will take part in the 2014 Celebration of Excellence presented by RBC, which includes a House of Commons visit, Heroes Tour to hospitals and schools and the Sochi 2014 Parade of Champions.
The festivities will finish with the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Gala and Induction Ceremony in Calgary.
“The Celebration of Excellence is an amazing opportunity for Olympians and Paralympians to thank Canadians for their unwavering and heartwarming support during the Games in Sochi,” said Tessa Virtue, two-time Olympian, three-time Olympic medallist. “I can’t wait to celebrate with all of our fans and teammates!”
“Canada’s success at the Games belongs to everyone,” said para-alpine skier Josh Dueck, who won gold and silver medals at the Sochi Paralympic Games and was Canada’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony. “We, the athletes, are only a small part of what the whole experience is really about and I’m looking forward to celebrating the Sochi experience with as many Canadians as possible.”
“The Celebration of Excellence is a great opportunity for Olympic fans and our Olympians to connect and celebrate together the successes of the Games,” said Marcel Aubut, President, Canadian Olympic Committee. “It’s fantastic to see so many of our athletes involved.”
“We are looking forward to showcasing and connecting our Paralympic athletes and coaches to Canadians through the Celebration of Excellence,” said Gaétan Tardif, President of the Canadian Paralympic Committee. “The Canadian Paralympic Team achieved great success in Sochi, placing third in the gold medal count and I know Canadians will love meeting our team at these many exciting events.”
Throughout the events, fans can expect to see appearances from Olympic athletes including but not limited to: Jesse Lumsden, Jennifer Jones, Brad Jacobs, Kaetlyn Osmond, Patrick Chan, Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir, Maxime and Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Alex Bilodeau and Denny Morrison. Paralympic athletes taking part include triple gold medallist para-Nordic skier Brian McKeever, opening ceremony flag bearer and wheelchair curling gold medallist Sonja Gaudet, closing ceremony flag bearer and para-alpine gold and silver medallist Josh Dueck, and many more.
A number of Olympic and Paralympic coaches will also be participating.
The Sochi 2014 Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Teams will be making public appearances starting on June 4 at Ottawa-area schools and hospitals as well as the House of Commons. The Heroes Tour, consisting of school and hospital visits, will be making its way through Calgary, Banff, Red Deer and Edmonton on June 5 and the Sochi 2014 Parade of Champions will be hosted by the City of Calgary on June 6.
Festivities will conclude with the post-Sochi Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Gala and Induction Ceremony in Calgary on June 6. Proceeds from the Hall of Fame Gala in Calgary will go to the Canadian Olympic Foundation as well as a legacy coaching program in Calgary to support the next generation of Olympians. The 2012 Hall of Fame Gala in Toronto raised more than $3 million for high performance sport and athletes in Canada.
For more information on the 2014 Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, please visit: http://wp.me/P3DwEw-Xn
Biographies available at Olympic.ca/athletes, Paralympic.ca/athletes
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Canadian Olympic Committee Media Office:
Jane Almeida, Senior Manager, Media Relations
Tel: 416-324-4120 / Cell: 416-540-1788
Email: jalmeida@olympic.ca
Luc Beaudin, Coordinator, Communications and Media Relations
Cell: 514-206-6720
Email: lbeaudin@olympic.ca
Canadian Paralympic Committee Media Office:
Alison Korn, Manager, Media Relations
Phone: 613-569-4333, ext # 243 / Cell: 613-298-4927
Email: akorn@paralympic.ca
Martin Richard, Executive Director, Communications & Marketing
Phone: 613-569-4333, ext # 2224 / Cell: 613-725-4339
Email : mrichard@paralympic.ca
Backgrounder
OLYMPIANS, PARALYMPIANS AND COACHES PARTICIPATING IN THE 2014 CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE
*Denotes Sochi 2014 medallist
Sochi 2014 Canadian Olympic Team:
| First | Last | Hometown | Sport |
| Phil | Brown | Toronto, ON | Alpine Skiing |
| Mike | Janyk | Whistler, BC | Alpine Skiing |
| Erin | Mielzynski | Guelph, ON | Alpine Skiing |
| Manuel | Osborne-Paradis | Invermere, BC | Alpine Skiing |
| Brittany | Phelan | Mont-Tremblant, QC | Alpine Skiing |
| Brad | Spence | Calgary, AB | Alpine Skiing |
| Elli | Terwiel | Sun Peaks, BC | Alpine Skiing |
| Rosanna | Crawford | Canmore, AB | Biathlon |
| Brendan | Green | Hay River, NT | Biathlon |
| Megan | Imrie | Falcon Lake, MB | Biathlon |
| Zina | Kocher | Red Deer, AB | Biathlon |
| Jean-Philippe | Le Guellec | Shannon, QC | Biathlon |
| Scott | Perras | Regina, SK | Biathlon |
| Nathan | Smith | Calgary, AB | Biathlon |
| Lascelles | Brown | Calgary, AB | Bobsleigh |
| Jenny | Ciochetti | Edmonton, AB | Bobsleigh |
| Ben | Coakwell | Regina, SK | Bobsleigh |
| Justin | Kripps | Summerland, BC | Bobsleigh |
| Jesse | Lumsden | Burlington, ON | Bobsleigh |
| *Heather | Moyse | Summerside, PEI | Bobsleigh |
| Tim | Randall | Burlington, ON | Bobsleigh |
| Lyndon | Rush | Humboldt, SK | Bobsleigh |
| Cody | Sorensen | Ottawa, ON | Bobsleigh |
| Chris | Spring | Calgary, AB | Bobsleigh |
| Neville | Wright | Edmonton, AB | Bobsleigh |
| Ivan | Babikov | Canmore, AB | Cross-Country Skiing |
| Jesse | Cockney | Canmore, AB | Cross-Country Skiing |
| Chandra | Crawford | Canmore, AB | Cross-Country Skiing |
| Daria | Gaiazova | Banff, AB | Cross-Country Skiing |
| Perianne | Jones | Almonte, ON | Cross-Country Skiing |
| Emily | Nishikawa | Whitehorse, YT | Cross-Country Skiing |
| Lenny | Valjas | Toronto, ON | Cross-Country Skiing |
| Amanda | Ammar | Onoway, AB | Cross-Country Skiing |
| Heidi | Widmer | Banff, AB | Cross-Country Skiing |
| *Dawn | McEwen | Winnipeg, MB | Curling |
| *Caleb | Flaxey | Caledon, ON | Curling |
| *Ryan | Fry | Sault Ste. Marie, ON | Curling |
| *E.J. | Harnden | Sault Ste. Marie, ON | Curling |
| *Ryan | Harnden | Sault Ste. Marie, ON | Curling |
| *Brad | Jacobs | Sault Ste. Marie, ON | Curling |
| *Jennifer | Jones | Winnipeg, MB | Curling |
| *Kaitlyn | Lawes | Winnipeg, MB | Curling |
| *Jill | Officer | Winnipeg, MB | Curling |
| *Kirsten | Wall | Milton, ON | Curling |
| *Patrick | Chan | Toronto, ON | Figure Skating |
| Gabrielle | Daleman | Newmarket, ON | Figure Skating |
| *Meagan | Duhamel | Lively, ON | Figure Skating |
| Mitchell | Islam | Barrie, ON | Figure Skating |
| Paige | Lawrence | Kennedy, SK | Figure Skating |
| *Scott | Moir | Ilderton, ON | Figure Skating |
| *Kirsten | Moore-Towers | St. Catharines, ON | Figure Skating |
| *Dylan | Moscovitch | Toronto, ON | Figure Skating |
| *Kaetlyn | Osmond | Marystown, NL/Sherwood Park, AB | Figure Skating |
| Alexandra | Paul | Midhurst, ON | Figure Skating |
| Andrew | Poje | Waterloo, ON | Figure Skating |
| *Eric | Radford | Balmertown, ON | Figure Skating |
| *Kevin | Reynolds | Coquitlam, BC | Figure Skating |
| Rudi | Swiegers | Kipling, SK | Figure Skating |
| *Tessa | Virtue | London, ON | Figure Skating |
| Kaitlyn | Weaver | Waterloo, ON | Figure Skating |
| *Alex | Bilodeau | Rosemère, QC | Freestyle Skiing – Moguls |
| Noah | Bowman | Calgary, AB | Freestyle Skiing – Halfpipe |
| Justin | Dorey | Vernon, BC | Freestyle Skiing – Halfpipe |
| Maxime | Dufour-Lapointe | Montreal, QC | Freestyle Skiing – Moguls |
| *Justine | Dufour-Lapointe | Montreal, QC | Freestyle Skiing – Moguls |
| *Chloé | Dufour-Lapointe | Montreal, QC | Freestyle Skiing – Moguls |
| Marc-Antoine | Gagnon | Terrebonne, QC | Freestyle Skiing – Moguls |
| Travis | Gerrits | Milton, ON | Freestyle Skiing – Aerials |
| Roz | Groenewoud | Calgary, AB | Freestyle Skiing – Halfpipe |
| Keltie | Hansen | Edmonton, AB | Freestyle Skiing – Halfpipe |
| *Dara | Howell | Huntsville, ON | Freestyle Skiing – Slopestyle |
| *Mikaël | Kingsbury | Deux-Montagnes, QC | Freestyle Skiing – Moguls |
| *Kim | Lamarre | Quebec City, QC | Freestyle Skiing – Slopestyle |
| Philippe | Marquis | Quebec City, QC | Freestyle Skiing – Moguls |
| *Mike | Riddle | Sherwood Park, AB | Freestyle Skiing – Halfpipe |
| Audrey | Robichaud | Quebec City, QC | Freestyle Skiing – Moguls |
| Yuki | Tsubota | Whistler, BC | Freestyle Skiing – Slopestyle |
| Brady | Leman | Calgary, AB | Freestyle Skiing – Ski Cross |
| *Kelsey | Serwa | Kelowna, BC | Freestyle Skiing – Ski Cross |
| Georgia | Simmerling | West Vancouver, BC | Freestyle Skiing – Ski Cross |
| *Marielle | Thompson | Whistler, BC | Freestyle Skiing – Ski Cross |
| *Meghan | Agosta-Marciano | Ruthven, ON | Ice Hockey |
| *Mélodie | Daoust | Valleyfield, QC | Ice Hockey |
| *Laura | Fortino | Hamilton, ON | Ice Hockey |
| *Haley | Irwin | Thunder Bay, ON | Ice Hockey |
| *Rebecca | Johnston | Sudbury, ON | Ice Hockey |
| *Charline | Labonté | Boisbriand, QC | Ice Hockey |
| *Geneviève | Lacasse | Kingston, ON | Ice Hockey |
| *Jocelyne | Larocque | Ste. Anne, MB | Ice Hockey |
| *Meaghan | Mikkelson | St. Albert, AB | Ice Hockey |
| *Caroline | Ouellette | Montreal, QC | Ice Hockey |
| *Marie-Philip | Poulin | Beauceville, QC | Ice Hockey |
| *Lauriane | Rougeau | Beaconsfield, QC | Ice Hockey |
| *Natalie | Spooner | Scarborough, ON | Ice Hockey |
| *Jennifer | Wakefield | Pickering, ON | Ice Hockey |
| *Catherine | Ward | Montreal, QC | Ice Hockey |
| Sam | Edney | Calgary, AB | Luge |
| John | Fennell | Calgary, AB | Luge |
| Alex | Gough | Calgary, AB | Luge |
| Arianne | Jones | Calgary, AB | Luge |
| Mitchel | Malyk | Calgary, AB | Luge |
| Kimberley | McRae | Calgary, AB | Luge |
| Justin | Snith | Calgary, AB | Luge |
| Tristan | Walker | Cochrane, AB | Luge |
| John | Fairbairn | Calgary, AB | Skeleton |
| Eric | Neilson | Kelowna, BC | Skeleton |
| Sarah | Reid | Calgary, AB | Skeleton |
| Taylor | Henrich | Calgary, AB | Ski Jumping |
| Trevor | Morrice | Calgary, AB | Ski Jumping |
| Matthew | Rowley | Red Deer, AB | Ski Jumping |
| Atsuko | Tanaka | Calgary, AB | Ski Jumping |
| Caroline | Calvé | Aylmer, QC | Snowboard |
| Alexandra | Duckworth | Kingsburg, NS | Snowboard |
| Rob | Fagan | Cranbrook, BC | Snowboard |
| Kevin | Hill | Vernon, BC | Snowboard |
| Jake | Holden | Caledon, ON | Snowboard |
| Ariane | Lavigne | Lac-Supérieur, QC | Snowboard |
| Marianne | Leeson | Burlington, ON | Snowboard |
| Derek | Livingston | Aurora, ON | Snowboard |
| *Dominique | Maltais | Petite-Rivière St-François, QC | Snowboard |
| Mercedes | Nicoll | Whistler, BC | Snowboard |
| Maëlle | Ricker | West Vancouver, BC | Snowboard |
| Chris | Robanske | Calgary, AB | Snowboard |
| Katie | Tsuyuki | Toronto, ON | Snowboard |
| Ivanie | Blondin | Ottawa, ON | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Anastasia | Bucsis | Calgary, AB | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Kali | Christ | Regina, SK | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Vincent | De Haître | Cumberland, ON | Long Track Speed Skating |
| William | Dutton | Humboldt, SK | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Jamie | Gregg | Edmonton, AB | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Marsha | Hudey | White City, SK | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Gilmore | Junio | Calgary, AB | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Lucas | Makowsky | Regina, SK | Long Track Speed Skating |
| *Denny | Morrison | Fort St. John, BC | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Brittany | Schussler | Winnipeg, MB | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Brianne | Tutt | Airdrie, AB | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Danielle | Wotherspoon-Gregg | Red Deer, AB | Long Track Speed Skating |
| *Charle | Cournoyer | Boucherville, QC | Short Track Speed Skating |
| Michael | Gilday | Yellowknife, NT | Short Track Speed Skating |
| *Charles | Hamelin | Sainte-Julie, QC | Short Track Speed Skating |
| François | Hamelin | Sainte-Julie, QC | Short Track Speed Skating |
| Olivier | Jean | Lachenaie, QC | Short Track Speed Skating |
| *Valérie | Maltais | La Baie, QC | Short Track Speed Skating |
| *Marianne | St-Gelais | St-Felicien, QC | Short Track Speed Skating |
Sochi 2014 Olympic Coaches:
| First | Last | Hometown | Sport |
| Ben | Black | Aspen, CO | Alpine Skiing |
| Serge | Dugas | Magog, QC | Alpine Skiing |
| Matthias | Ahrens | Canmore, AB | Biathlon |
| Stephan | Bosch | Penzberg, GER | Bobsleigh |
| Chris | Le Bihan | Kelowna, BC | Bobsleigh |
| Nathan | Cicoria | Calgary, AB | Bobsleigh / Skeleton |
| Eric | de Nys | Canmore, AB | Cross-Country Skiing |
| Tom | Coulterman | Sault Ste. Marie, ON | Curling |
| Paul | Webster | Calgary, AB | Curling |
| Patricia | Hole | Virden, MB | Figure Skating |
| Kathy | Johnson | Kansas City, MO | Figure Skating |
| Ravi | Walia | Edmonton, AB | Figure Skating |
| Marc | McDonell | Squamish, BC | Freestyle Skiing |
| Trennon | Paynter | Squamish, BC | Freestyle Skiing |
| Toben | Sutherland | Orillia, ON | Freestyle Skiing |
| Marc-André | Moreau | Chambly, QC | Freestyle Skiing |
| Danielle | Goyette | St-Nazaire, QC | Ice Hockey |
| Lisa | Haley | Westville, NS | Ice Hockey |
| Todd | McClements | Calgary, AB | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Bart | Schouten | Calgary, AB | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Xiuli | Wang | Calgary, AB | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Mark | Wild | Calgary, AB | Long Track Speed Skating |
| Jonathon | Cavar | Calgary, AB | Short Track Speed Skating |
Sochi 2014 Canadian Paralympic Team:
| First | Last | Hometown | Sport |
| *Caleb | Brousseau | Terrace, BC | Para-Alpine |
| *Nick | Brush | Panorama, BC | Para-Alpine – Guide |
| *Josh | Dueck | Kimberley, BC | Para-Alpine |
| *Robin | Fémy | Mont-Tremblant, QC | Para-Alpine – Guide |
| *Kimberly | Joines | Rossland, BC | Para-Alpine |
| Erin | Latimer | Toronto, ON | Para-Alpine |
| Braydon | Luscombe | Duncan, BC | Para-Alpine |
| *Mac | Marcoux | Sault Ste. Marie, ON | Para-Alpine |
| Kurt | Oatway | Calgary, AB | Para-Alpine |
| Kirk | Schornstein | Spruce Grove, AB | Para-Alpine |
| Alexandra | Starker | Calgary, AB | Para-Alpine |
| *Chris | Williamson | Toronto, ON | Para-Alpine |
| *Mark | Arendz | Hartsville, PEI | Para-Nordic |
| Caroline | Bisson | Ottawa, ON | Para-Nordic |
| Colette | Bourgonje | Porcupine Plain, SK | Para-Nordic |
| *Erik | Carleton | Canmore, AB | Para-Nordic – Guide |
| Sébastien | Fortier | Quebec City, QB | Para-Nordic |
| Louis | Fortin | Shippagan, NB | Para-Nordic |
| Margarita | Gorbounova | Ottawa, ON | Para-Nordic |
| Brittany | Hudak | Prince Albert, SK | Para-Nordic |
| *Chris | Klebl | Canmore, AB | Para-Nordic |
| *Brian | McKeever | Canmore, AB | Para-Nordic |
| Robbi | Weldon | Thunder Bay, ON | Para-Nordic |
| John | Leslie | Arnprior, ON | Para-Snowboard |
| Tyler | Mosher | Whistler, BC | Para-Snowboard |
| Michelle | Salt | Calgary, AB | Para-Snowboard |
| *Brad | Bowden | Orton, ON | Sledge Hockey |
| *Adam | Dixon | Barrie, ON | Sledge Hockey |
| *James | Gemmell | Quesnel, BC | Sledge Hockey |
| *Dominic | Larocque | Quebec City, QC | Sledge Hockey |
| *Karl | Ludwig | Brampton, ON | Sledge Hockey |
| *Tyler | McGregor | Forest, ON | Sledge Hockey |
| *Graeme | Murray | Gravenhurst, ON | Sledge Hockey |
| *Ina | Forrest | Fort St. John, BC | Wheelchair Curling |
| *Sonja | Gaudet | North Vancouver, BC | Wheelchair Curling |
| *Mark | Ideson | Parry Sound, ON | Wheelchair Curling |
| *Dennis | Thiessen | Crystal City, MB | Wheelchair Curling |
Sochi 2014 Paralympic Coaches:
| First | Last | Hometown | Sport |
| Lasse | Ericsson | Kimberley, BC | Para-Alpine – Coach |
| Jean-Sébastien | Labrie | Plessisville, QC | Para-Alpine – Head Coach |
| Sven | Pouliot | Quebec City, QC | Para-Alpine – Coach |
| Robin | McKeever | Canmore, AB | Para-Nordic – Head Coach |
| Bjorn | Taylor | Lamont, AB | Para-Nordic – Coach |
| Kaspar | Wirz | Saskatoon, SK | Para-Nordic – Coach |
| Joe | Rea | Prince George, BC | Wheelchair Curling – Coach |