BMO Joins the Invictus Games Toronto 2017 as a Signature Sponsor

The bank is also community partner of the official Invictus Games Flag Relay which will visit military bases across Canada between August and September

TORONTO, June 15, 2017 /CNW/ - BMO Bank of Montreal today announced it has signed on as an official sponsor of the Invictus Games Toronto 2017. BMO will act as a signature sponsor of the Games, as well as a community partner of the Invictus Games Flag Relay taking place across Canada this summer.

The Flag Relay will take place across military bases and detachments from coast to coast to coast with an opportunity for BMO customers and employees in those areas to get involved. The Games themselves will take place from September 23^rd to 30^th in Toronto, where competitors from across Canada and 16 other participating nations will compete for eight days. 

"This has been a historic year for BMO as we celebrate our bicentennial year, and we're proud to expand our partnership with the Canadian Defence Community by supporting the 2017 Invictus Games – an event that demonstrates the strength and perseverance of our servicemen and women through the power of sport," said Martin Nel, Head, Personal and Small Business Banking, BMO Financial Group.

The Invictus Games is an international, Paralympic-style multi-sport event, created by Britain's Prince Harry, in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and their associated veterans take part in sports including wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball and indoor rowing. The inaugural Games took place in London in 2014, followed by Orlando, Florida in 2016.

"The Invictus Games Toronto 2017 Flag Relay is an opportunity to unite the hearts and minds of Canadians across the country and raise awareness for our ill and injured servicemen, women and veterans," said Michael Burns, CEO, Invictus Games Toronto 2017. "For years, BMO has provided excellent service to our nation. We are confident the partnership between the 2017 Invictus Games and BMO will be a vital component to deliver a relay that celebrates the Invictus spirit on Canadian soil."

As the Official Bank of the Canadian Defence Community since 2008, BMO is also the presenting sponsor of the Canada Army Run, a multi-distance race that takes place September 15^th-17^th in the nation's capital. For the 2017 race, a commemorative year for both BMO and the CDC, participants will have the opportunity to partake in The Vimy Challenge, added to the 2017 Canada Army Run line-up to honour the 100^th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge during the First World War.

Earlier this year, BMO announced enhancements to its Canadian Defence Community Banking (CDCB) Program with the intent to better serve the banking needs of regular force personnel, reserves, recruits, military families, veterans and retirees, as well as Department of National Defence (DND) civilian personnel and the RCMP.

To learn more about these benefits, which apply to both new and existing customers, please visit http://www.bmo.com/cdcb. 

To learn more about the 2017 Invictus Games, including tickets and schedules, visit http://www.invictusgames2017.com/.

About BMO and the Canadian Defence Community
BMO has a long history of supporting national defence efforts. During the First World War, BMO established temporary branches to pay troops at various encampments throughout Canada, and Canadian men and women in uniform overseas were paid through the bank's Waterloo Place office in London. During the Second World War, BMO's president George Spinney headed the National War Finance Committee, which oversaw the sales of Victory Loan bonds. During the post-war years when Canada had forces stationed in Europe, Bank of Montreal branches on the bases provided banking services for Canadian servicemen and -women and their families. BMO Bank of Montreal is the official bank of the Canadian Defence Community (CDC) in partnership with Canadian Defence Community Banking (CDCB). CDCB is specifically designed for the Defence Community and offers cost-effective banking plans with unique features tailored to the military lifestyle and needs. BMO is the presenting sponsor of the Canada Army Run, an annual event that brings together Canadians and the Canadian Armed Forces to raise funds for two official charities of the Canadian Armed Forces that provide assistance to ill and injured soldiers and military families in need.

SOURCE BMO Financial Group

Media Contacts: Michelle Agnelo, Toronto, [e-mail], [phone]; Valerie Doucet, Montreal, [e-mail], [phone]; Web: www.bmo.com; Twitter: @BMOmedia