Athlete search to air on CBC Sports

OTTAWA, ON (February 9, 2017) — For a second straight year, RBC Training Ground will be crossing Canada in search of the next Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Canoe Kayak Canada is again involved with partners RBC, CBC Sports, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and the Canadian Olympic Foundation (COF), and the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute (COPSI) Network to be included as one of eleven sports in the talent search.

RBC and the COF will invest in identifying, developing and supporting Team Canada’s next generation of athletes. The RBC Training Ground program is an opportunity for enhanced funding and training support for CKC’s NextGen programs and athletes to reach the podium in 2020.

This is also a recruitment opportunity for clubs to take in new athletes found through the search.

The RBC Training Ground consists of a series of local qualifier events across Canada where athletes between the ages of 14 and 25 will be assessed against performance benchmarks over a series of key tests in power, speed, strength and endurance. Participants will be identified to attend regional finals where up to 100 athletes will perform in front of national and provincial sport representatives. Up to 50 of those athletes will receive additional assistance such as funding, resources, coaching and/or mentorship through the COF and RBC to be administered through the National Sport Organizations. In addition, the top athlete from each regional final will receive a trip to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Similar to familiarization trips taken by Canada’s top Olympians, this opportunity will help prepare and encourage the athletes when they, hopefully, make future Olympic Games.

CBC Sports will produce broadcast features to introduce Canadians to the athletes and their stories uncovered at RBC Training Ground events across the country. These features will follow the journey of the top athlete from each of the five main regional events as they train in their new sport and begin the transition from relative unknown to a potential member of Team Canada. Olympian and former national women’s soccer team member Karina LeBlanc will attend the five main regional events on behalf of CBC Sports and will appear within the network’s weekly TV program, Road To The Olympic Games, online at cbcsports.ca and via CBC Sports’ social media platforms with reports from each event.

Upcoming Local Qualifier Events

• February 12 – Kamloops, BC (Tournament Capital Centre)
• February 19 – Victoria, BC (University of Victoria)
• February 19 – Fredericton, NB (University of New Brunswick)
• February 25 – Saint John, NB (University of New Brunswick – Saint John Campus)
• March 18 – Grande Prairie, AB (Crosslink County Sportsplex)
• March 25 – Lethbridge, AB (University of Lethbridge)
• March 25 – Antigonish, NS (St. Francis Xavier University)
• April 1 – Halifax, NS (Dalhousie University)
• April 1 – Okotoks, AB (Crescent Point Regional Field House)
• April 8 – Edmonton, AB (Foote Field Dome)
• April 8 – Longueuil, QC (Cégep Édouard-Montpetit)
• April 15 – St. John’s, NL (Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Centre)
• April 22 – Sherbrooke, QC (Sherbrooke University)
• April 30 – Charlottetown, PEI (University of Prince Edward Island)
• May 6 – Québec City, QC (Laval University)
• September (dates and locations TBC) – events throughout Ontario

Regional Finals

• March 4, Vancouver, BC (Richmond Oval in partnership with Canadian Sport Institute Pacific)
• May 6, Calgary, AB (Winsport in partnership with Canadian Sport Institute Calgary)
• June 10, Halifax, NS (Canada Games Centre in partnership with Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic)
• July 8, Montréal, QC (in partnership with Institut National du Sport)
• October 7, Toronto, ON (Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre in partnership with Canadian Sport Institute Ontario)

Learn more about RBC Training Ground

About Canoe Kayak Canada

Canoe Kayak Canada is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada. Canoe Kayak Canada has been one of Canada’s top performing summer sports having won an impressive count of 24 Olympic medals. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization which includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial, territorial and divisional paddling associations. Elite National Team athletes proudly represent Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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For more information:

Ian Miller
Communications and Marketing Officer, Canoe Kayak Canada
613.314.1352
imiller@canoekayak.ca