Media Advisory/Photo Opportunity - Toronto 2015 Parapan Am Games hopefuls to participate in Media Summit

TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2015 /CNW/ - A group of medal potential athletes training for the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games will gather in Toronto for a Media Summit hosted by the Canadian Paralympic Committee on Monday, March 23, at the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario located within the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TPASC).

The full-day event will provide an excellent opportunity for Canadian media to meet, photograph, interview and capture content of diverse athletes preparing for the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games.

Athletes will be joined by Team Canada's Chef de Mission Elisabeth Walker-Young and Assistant Chef de Mission Stephanie Dixon, both accomplished Paralympic swimmers. Pre-booked one-on-one interview opportunities will be followed by athletes training and showcasing their sports.

The roster of participating athletes in the Media Summit is currently being finalized and will be communicated to registered media, who will then be invited to indicate requests in order to receive customized interview schedules.

TPASC is the Parapan Am Games venue for swimming and sitting volleyball and home to the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (www.csiontario.ca) and Wheelchair Basketball Canada's National Academy. For more information about the venue, visit www.tpasc.ca.

WHAT:
Parapan American Games athlete hopefuls, Chef de Mission Elisabeth Walker-Young and Assistant Chef de Mission Stephanie Dixon available to media
*Photo and interview opportunities*

WHEN:
Monday, March 23, 2015
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

WHERE:
Canadian Sport Institute Ontario/Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TPASC)
875 Morningside Avenue, Toronto, ON M1C 0C7

TO REGISTER
Media who are interested in attending are asked to:

1. Express interest to Alison Korn at [email protected] / Cell: 613-298-4927
2. Register online by Feb. 27 at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/kb4fze4

Please note that individual space will be very limited. It is recommended media register early.

BACKGROUNDER: ABOUT TEAM CANADA AT THE PARAPAN AMERICAN GAMES

The Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games run August 7 to 15, 2015 and will feature 1,608 athletes from 28 countries competing in 15 sports.

All Parapan Am sports contested in Toronto will be qualifying opportunities for Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Team Canada is expected to comprise approximately 250 athletes competing in 14 sports:

Archery, Athletics, Boccia, Cycling – Road, Cycling – Track, Football 5-a-side, Goalball, Judo, Powerlifting, Sitting Volleyball, Swimming, Table Tennis, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Tennis

In consultation with performance partners, the Canadian Paralympic Committee has set a goal of placing in the top three nations in total medal count in Toronto.

About the Canadian Paralympic Committee

The Canadian Paralympic Committee is a non-profit, private organization with 25 member sports organizations dedicated to strengthening the Paralympic Movement. The Canadian Paralympic Committee's vision is to be the world's leading Paralympic nation. Its mission is to lead the development of a sustainable Paralympic sport system in Canada to enable athletes to reach the podium at the Paralympic Games. By supporting Canadian high performance athletes with a disability and promoting their success, the Canadian Paralympic Committee inspires all Canadians with a disability to get involved in sport through programs delivered by its member organizations. For more information, visit www.paralympic.ca

About Canadian Sport Institute Ontario

Located at the new Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, the largest legacy facility of the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games, Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) is committed to the pursuit of excellence by providing world-class programs, services, and leadership to high performance athletes and coaches to enhance their ability to achieve international podium performances. CSIO offers athletes a range of sport science and sport medicine services including nutrition, physiology, biomechanics, strength & conditioning, mental performance and sport therapy; as well as life services and assistance with transitioning in to and out of sport. CSIO also delivers programming and services to National and Provincial Sport Organizations and coaches to work towards building a stronger sport system in Ontario.

As a key partner in the sport systems of both Ontario and Canada, CSIO services approximately 700 high performance athletes and 250 coaches and is part of a larger network of 4 institutes and 3 multi-sport centres across the country known as the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network. CSIO is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Sport Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and the Coaching Association of Canada, along with the National and Provincial Sport Organizations within the sector.

SOURCE Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC)

Alison Korn, Senior Manager, Media Relations and Communications, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Phone: [phone] ext. 243, Cell: 613-298-4927, [email protected]; Martin Richard, Executive Director, Communications and Marketing, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Tel: [phone] ext. 224, Cell: 613-725-4339, [email protected]; Follow the Canadian Paralympic Committee: www.paralympic.ca, www.facebook.com/CDNParalympics, www.twitter.com/CDNParalympics, www.youtube.com/CDNParalympics