OTTAWA, ON (December 22, 2016) — Canoe Kayak Canada is pleased to announce that Graham Barton will return to lead the technical side of its organization. Barton was Canoe Kayak Canada’s High Performance Director for eleven years from 1999 to 2010, as well as a high performance coach and athlete. He spent the last six years working at Own the Podium as a High Performance Advisor.

“Graham has a strong track-record and remarkable leadership qualities that will be critical in empowering our team to be among the best in the world,” said Casey Wade, CEO of Canoe Kayak Canada. “We are very pleased to have him returning to the sport he knows so well and I’m extremely optimistic for the future.”

As the Chief Technical Officer, Barton will head Canoe Kayak Canada’s High Performance strategy and National Team Programs in collaboration with coaches, athletes, officials, clubs and funding partners. He will lead the development and implementation of a strategic long-term technical plan to ensure sustainable success across the system. He will initially focus on the sprint program and in the long-term will work to adapt best practices and common services across disciplines. He will also further the implementation of Canoe Kayak Canada’s Long Term Athlete Development model which he initially helped to develop.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to Canoe Kayak Canada where we have such a strong history of success and a tradition of excellence in athlete development,” said Barton. “One of the main lessons I have learned from my many years in sport is that excellence is a process. A culture of excellence can have an impact on everything we do. I will to come to the job everyday thinking about how I can be better, how can I make the organization better and how can I make the environment better for the athletes. It will take a collaborative approach to reach our goals as an organization and I look forward to being a part of the team making this possible for Tokyo and beyond.”

With Canoe Kayak Canada’s revamped organizational structure, Barton will work as part of the senior leadership team composed of CEO Casey Wade and Ian Mortimer, the newly named Director of Development, and soon to be hired Head Coach in 2017. This team will work to ensure success throughout the system, stemming from the grassroots and club level, and progressing to the highest levels of competition. Barton will also work closely with the Senior Sprint Team Manager, Athlete Service Manager, National Team Coaches and other staff.

Barton will officially start his post as Chief Technical Officer on January 30 at Canoe Kayak Canada’s office in Ottawa after wrapping up his duties with Own the Podium.

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