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, May 13, 2014 /CNW/ - 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, 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 and Paralympic.ca/athletes.

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

 

SOURCE: Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC)

Canadian Olympic Committee Media Office:

Jane Almeida, Senior Manager, Media Relations
Tel: [phone] / Cell: 416-540-1788
Email: [email protected]

Luc Beaudin, Coordinator, Communications and Media Relations
Cell: 514-206-6720
Email: [email protected] 

Canadian Paralympic Committee Media Office: 

Alison Korn, Manager, Media Relations
Phone: [phone], ext # 243 / Cell: 613-298-4927
Email: [email protected]

Martin Richard, Executive Director, Communications & Marketing
Phone: [phone], ext # 2224 / Cell: 613-725-4339
Email : [email protected]