U SPORTS  – TORONTO (U SPORTS) – U SPORTS International announced Friday its 122-member delegation for the 2017 Winter Universiade, set for Jan. 29 – Feb. 8 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The 122 Canadians includes 88 student-athletes and 34 mission and support staff in six sports – biathlon, cross country skiing, alpine skiing, snowboard, along with men’s and women’s teams in the U SPORTS championship offerings of hockey and curling.

“We’re excited to compete in Kazakhstan,” said chef de mission Ari Grossman. “The mission staff have been working with the Organizing Committee to make sure that we have a great experience for our student-athletes.

“From the competition venues to the athletes’ village, everything is ready for what will be an outstanding games in Almaty. We’re excited to get there and compete.”

At the 2015 Winter Universiade in Granada, Spain, Canada won five medals, including bronze in alpine skiing, short-track speed skating and men’s hockey, and a pair of silvers in women’s curling and women’s hockey.

Canada will begin competition in women’s hockey on Jan. 28 against China at 4:30 pm local time (5:30 am ET), while the men’s hockey team – made up of OUA players and staff as per the U SPORTS conference rotation – faces off Jan. 30 against USA at 7:30 pm local (8:30 am ET). Curling, alpine skiing, cross country skiing and snowboard will also begin on Jan. 30, with biathlon starting on Jan. 31.

Since the U SPORTS conference rotation began in 1997, Canada has reached the podium in men’s hockey all but once, winning a pair of gold and silver medals to go along with five bronze. In women’s hockey, the Canadians took home gold in each of the first three tournaments dating back to 2009, before winning silver in 2015. Canada has also been a force in curling at the Winter Universiade, capturing four medals in the women’s competition (one gold, three silver) and two medals in the men’s event (one gold, one bronze).

In snow sports, sisters Abby and Emma Van Groningen from the University of Guelph, along with Ryerson’s Jennifer Hawkrigg, are all members of the national alpine snowboarding development group.

The Opening Ceremony of the 2017 Winter Universiade will be held on Jan. 29, beginning at 7 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET) from the Almaty Arena, which also serves as the ice hockey venue.

Canadian fans can livestream the action from the 2017 Winter Universiade at liveFISU.TV.

For the full Almaty 2017 Canadian delegation listed by sport, click here.
 

Team Canada website: http://en.cis-sic.ca/universiade/winter/2017/index  

Almaty 2017 website: www.almaty2017.com  

Almaty 2017 schedule: http://en.cis-sic.ca/universiade/winter/2017/files/16.11.03_WU2017-Timetable-of-Competition-Schedule.pdf

About the Winter Universiade

The Winter Universiade is a biennial international multi-sport event open to competitors who are at least 17 and less than 28 years of age as of January 1 in the year of the Games. Participants must be full-time students at a post-secondary institution (university, college, CEGEP) or have graduated from a post-secondary institution in the year preceding the event.

The Almaty Universiade will feature eight compulsory sports and four optional sports. Compulsory sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, ice hockey, curling, cross country skiing, short track speed skating, figure skating and snowboarding. Optional sports: ski jumping, nordic combined, freestyle skiing and long-track speed skating.

About U SPORTS
U Sports is the national brand for University Sports in Canada. Every year, over 12,000 student-athletes and 500 coaches from 56 universities vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. U Sports also provides higher performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit usports.ca or follow us on:

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-U SPORTS –
For further information, please contact:
 

Ken Saint-Eloy
Manager, Communications
U SPORTS
Cell: 647-871-7595y
ksainteloy@usports.ca

Alan Hudes
Coordinator, Communications
U SPORTS
Off: 905-508-3000 ext. 242
Cell: 647-991-5343
ahudes@usports.ca