CBC – The 2016 Summit will take place in Richmond, B.C. from November 5-7

Petro-Canada’s FACE™ grant recipients will connect with Canadian Olympians, Paralympians and past recipients while taking part in development sessions that will help shape them as they prepare to compete on the world stage

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November 1, 2016 – As part of their multi-year partnership, CBC/Radio-Canada and Petro-Canada will host the second annual Fuelling Athlete and Coaching Excellence (FACE) Summit from Saturday, Nov. 5 to Monday, Nov. 7, in Richmond, BC. This year’s Summit will include seminars, activities and presentations designed to further the development of the 2016 FACE grant recipients’ skills that they will need off the field of play as they set their sights on becoming Tomorrow’s Team Canada.

The sessions will be led by previous FACE athletes, Olympians and Paralympians, along with subject matter experts in the areas of media training, social media, and personal brand development.

Building on the success of the first annual Summit in 2015, a concept that was developed by the CBC & Radio-Canada Media Solutions group in collaboration with Petro-Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the Coaches Association of Canada, the 2016 Summit aims to foster an environment of support and growth for high-potential Canadian athletes.

“We are thrilled to continue to work alongside our partners at Petro-Canada who have made a clear commitment to developing future Canadian Olympians and Paralympians, a commitment that we share and take seriously at CBC/Radio-Canada,” said Adam Mitchell, associate director, sports marketing for CBC/Radio-Canada. “This event and the content series that will stem from it will showcase unique athlete and coach stories that will give Canadians a look into the day-to-day process involved with the transition from a high-potential athlete to a Canadian Olympian or Paralympian.”

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s Olympic Network through 2024 and CBC Sports continues to extend the coverage of and conversation around high-performance sport year-round through the multi-platform Road To The Olympic Games program. The weekly television show on CBC, combined with live streaming competition coverage and in-depth editorial and video features at cbcsports.ca and on the CBC Sports app, connects Canadian audiences with the athletes who represent them on the national and international stage every week. As part of an ongoing multi-year partnership with Petro-Canada, CBC Sports produces online and in-broadcast features that showcase the stories of the athletes who benefit from the FACE program.

“At CBC Sports we are committed to providing our audiences with a means to follow Canadian high-performance athletes throughout their journey to the top of the podium, rather than meeting them for the first time as a champion,” said Greg Stremlaw, executive director, CBC Sports, and general manager and chef de mission for CBC/Radio-Canada’s coverage of PyeongChang 2018. “The recipients of the FACE grant represent the next generation of great Canadian athletes and we are proud to bring more attention to their stories through the work we do as part of our continued partnership with Petro-Canada.”

Petro-Canada’s FACE Program supports up-and-coming athletes when they need it most: when they are striving to represent Canada at the Olympic or Paralympic Games, but don’t yet qualify for government funding. Every year, Petro-Canada selects fifty-two promising athletes from across Canada. These athletes and their coaches are awarded a $10,000 FACE grant to help them along their journey, with $5,000 going directly to the athlete and $5,000 to their coach. FACE grants are often used for training, equipment, coach education, and travel expenses for competitions. Since 1988, Petro-Canada has supported more than 2,750 Canadian athletes and their coaches by providing more than $9,900,000 in financial support. This summer, forty-nine FACE athletes competed and contributed to Canada’s overall medal count at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

For members of the media interested in attending the FACE Summit:
Members of the media are invited to attend the FACE Summit and to learn more about the athletes first-hand on Sunday, Nov. 6 at the Richmond Oval (6111 River Road, Richmond, BC). Interviews with athletes and VIPs will be available on the red carpet beginning at 5:30pm. The induction ceremony, hosted by Olympian Mark Tewksbury, will take place at 6pm, followed by dinner. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP for dinner and request interviews via Joanna Basen at 416-205-3480 or joanna.basen@cbc.ca. Those unable to attend are encouraged to follow the Summit throughout the weekend on social media by following #facesummit2016 and @petrocanada.

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About Suncor
Suncor Energy is Canada’s leading integrated energy company. Suncor’s operations include oil sands development and upgrading, onshore and offshore oil and gas production, petroleum refining, and product marketing under the Petro-Canada brand. A member of Dow Jones Sustainability indexes, FTSE4Good and CDP, Suncor is working to responsibly develop petroleum resources while also growing a renewable energy portfolio. Suncor is listed on the UN Global Compact 100 stock index and the Corporate Knights’ Global 100. Suncor’s common shares (symbol: SU) are listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges.

Petro-Canada, a Suncor business, operates almost 1,500 retail stations and 280 Petro-Pass wholesale locations nationwide. Petro-Canada’s retail loyalty program, Petro-Points™, provides Canadians with the opportunity to earn and redeem rewards. Petro-Canada is proud to be a National Partner of the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees, supporting Canadian athletes, coaches and their families for more than 25 years. For more information, visit petro-canada.ca.

About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada’s trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities all across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective.

For further information, please contact:
Simon Bassett, publicist, CBC
simon.bassett@cbc.ca
416-205-8533 (office); 416-988-1590 (mobile)​