Royal Canadian Mint congratulates Canada's Paralympic Team - Lucky Loonies being sent to communities as thanks for supporting their medal-winning Paralympic athletes

OTTAWA, March 18, 2014 /CNW/ - The Royal Canadian Mint is proud to congratulate the Canadian Paralympic Team for its many accomplishments at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics Games, earning an exceptional 16 medals - 7 gold, 2 silver and 7 bronze.

"Canadians were riveted by the remarkable and inspirational performances of our Paralympic athletes during a thrilling nine days of competition," said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "Each hometown should also be extremely proud of these achievements as they supported the athletes through years of dedication and training as they realized their dreams."

The Mint is pleased to announce that a 2014 Lucky Loonie displayed in a special commemorative frame will be sent to each medalist's hometown* later this week to highlight their commitment to the athletes.  This special keepsake will also serve as a reminder of the world-class performances delivered during the Paralympic Winter Games.

2014 Lucky Loonies will be sent to the following hometowns:

Charlottetown, PE:	Mark Arendz - Silver^1 and Bronze^2	Biathlon: 7.5km Standing^1 and 12.5km Standing^2 - Men
Toronto, ON:	Chris Williamson - Bronze	Para-Alpine Skiing: Slalom - Visually Impaired - Men
Sault-Ste Marie, ON:	Mac Marcoux - Gold^1 and Bronze^2,3	Para-Alpine Skiing: Giant Slalom - Visually Impaired^1; Downhill - Visually Impaired^2; and Super G - Visually Impaired^3 - Men
Canmore, AB:	Brian McKeever - Gold	Para-Nordic Skiing: 1km Sprint Visually Impaired; 10km Visually Impaired; and 20km Visually Impaired - Men
	Chris Klebl - Gold	Para-Nordic Skiing: 10km Sitting - Men
Kimberley, BC:	Josh Dueck - Gold^1 and Silver^2	Para-Alpine Skiing - Super Combined - Sitting^1 and Downhill - Sitting^2 - Men
Rossland, BC:	Kimberly Joines - Bronze	Para-Alpine Skiing: Slalom - Sitting - Women
Terrace, BC:	Caleb Brousseau - Bronze	Para-Alpine Skiing: Super G - Sitting - Men

To recognize the contribution of the guides who steered our athletes with visual impairments to the podium, the Mint is also sending a framed 2014 Lucky Loonie to: Robin Fémy of Mont-Tremblant, QC (Mac Marcoux); Erik Carleton of Canmore, AB and Graham Nishikawa of Whitehorse, YK (Brian McKeever); and Nick Brush of Invermere, BC (Chris Williamson).

*For larger team event medalists, the 2014 Lucky Loonie will be sent to the following national sporting organizations:

Canadian Curling Association (Ottawa, ON):	Team Canada - Gold	Wheelchair Curling - Mixed
Hockey Canada (Calgary, AB):	Team Canada - Bronze	Sledge Hockey - Men

Five million 2014 Lucky Loonies were produced and entered circulation on January 20^th. Canadians are encouraged to look for the coin in their change or visit www.mint.ca/luckyloonie.

Canadians looking for a lasting keepsake of our athletes' amazing performances in Sochi can also acquire a 99.99% pure silver collector version of the 2014 Lucky Loonie. Adorned with a full-colour logo of the Canadian Olympic Team and limited to a mintage of only 15,000 coins, the 2014 Fine Silver Lucky Loonie retails for $39.95 CAD.

About the Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown Corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada's circulation coins. An ISO 9001-2008 certified company, the Mint is recognized as one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, offering a wide range of specialized, high quality coinage products and related services on an international scale. For more information on the Mint, its products and services, visit. www.mint.ca.

Lucky Loonie images are available by visiting ftp://communications:[e-mail].

SOURCE: Royal Canadian Mint

For further information:

media are asked to contact:
Alex Reeves
Senior Manager, Communications
Tel: [phone]
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