Rowing Canada Aviron to Receive Inaugural Mark Lowry Memorial Sport Excellence Fund Grant

    OTTAWA, Feb. 26 /CNW/ - The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and the
family of the late Mark Lowry announced today that Rowing Canada Aviron is the
inaugural recipient of a $30,000 grant from the Mark Lowry Memorial Sport
Excellence Fund. The Fund is a tribute to Lowry, the COC's former Director of
Sport, and is designed to help high-performance athletes and coaches achieve
podium success at the Olympic Games.
    "My son Brendan and I are delighted to be a part of the inaugural
donation of the Mark Lowry Memorial Sport Excellence Fund to Rowing Canada
Aviron," said Jennifer Lowry, Mark's wife of 26 years. "As a family, we are
strongly committed to fulfilling Mark's dream of helping Canadian athletes
reach the podium at the Olympic Games. Our goal is to continue Mark's
dedication to the Canadian Olympic Movement by providing a donation each year
towards the development of key high-performance initiatives. We celebrate with
Rowing Canada and all those who were associated with Mark because celebrating
Canadian sport was what Mark loved to do the most."
    The decision to award the first Mark Lowry Memorial Sport Excellence
grant to Rowing Canada Aviron was based on a recommendation provided by the
Canadian Sport Review Panel, a group of sport technical experts who assess the
high-performance needs of Olympic sports and programs. Throughout his career
in Olympic sport, Mark had a long association with rowing and developed strong
relationships with several national team members and volunteer leaders in the
sport.
    Rowing Canada Aviron will use the funding towards the set-up and
maintenance of the Ergometer Centre, an indoor training facility in Victoria,
B.C., which will give national team athletes and coaches access to a suitable
indoor training facility to allow them to continue to train at an optimum
level during the winter months in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games in
Beijing.
    "Mark had such a focus on helping athletes and he had a particular bond
with rowers," said Ian Moss, Executive Director, Rowing Canada Aviron. "We are
honoured to be the first recipient of the Mark Lowry Memorial Sport Excellence
Fund and we are thrilled that this grant will go towards a project that
directly helps the athletes reach their ultimate goal of Olympic gold."
    The Mark Lowry Memorial Sport Excellence Fund was established by the
Lowry family and the COC in October 2005. The Fund is managed by the COC on
the family's behalf.
    Mark was passionate about the sporting community and worked tirelessly to
advance the cause of athletes and sport in Canada. His lasting legacy will be
the successes of the many athletes and coaches who have benefited and will
benefit from the high-performance programs which he helped to create. He
passed away on October 21, 2005 following a valiant, two-year battle with
pancreatic cancer.
    In June 2006, the inaugural Mark Lowry Memorial "Drive for the Podium"
Golf Tournament was held at the Stonebridge Golf Course in Ottawa, Ont. The
tournament is the primary fundraising source for the Mark Lowry Memorial Sport
Excellence Fund. In 2007, the event will return to the Stonebridge Golf Course
on June 25.

    The Canadian Olympic Committee is a national, private, not-for-profit
organization committed to sport excellence. It is responsible for all aspects
of Canada's involvement in the Olympic movement, including Canada's
participation in the Olympic and Pan American Games and a wide variety of
programs that promote the Olympic Movement in Canada through cultural and
educational means. For more information, see the COC website: www.olympic.ca.

For further information: Media Contact: Eric Michalko, Manager, Media
Relations, Canadian Olympic Committee, Office: [phone], Cell: (416)
528-6742, Email: [e-mail]; Jackie Skender, Director of
Communications, Rowing Canada, Office: [phone], Cell: [phone],
Email: [e-mail]