Cycling Canada  – OTTAWA, Oct. 30, 2016. – A capacity crowd came out for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Celebration & Fundraising Gala on Friday evening, at the Lord Elgin Hotel in Ottawa.  The occasion was to celebrate and honour the cycling athletes, coaches and staff who represented Canada at the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio. Organized in partnership with members of the Ottawa cycling community, the evening also recognized athletes, coaches and builders from the National Capital Region.

Over 25 athletes were in attendance, including gold, silver and bronze Paralympic medalist Tristen Chernove, Paralympic double silver medal winner Ross Wilson, Paralympic double bronze medalist Charles Moreau, bronze medal winning Paralympian Shelley Gautier, Olympic bronze medalist Catharine Pendrel and the Olympic bronze medal winning Women’s Team Pursuit squad.

John Tolkamp, President of Cycling Canada, said “The Olympic/Paralympic celebration is a fantastic and unique opportunity to bring all the athletes and coaches together and honour the accomplishments of a team which no doubt inspired the nation over this past summer Rio Olympics.  We also wish to thank the Ottawa Cycling community in supporting this event and making the evening a fitting tribute to a team of talented athletes and coaches.”

The Silent Auction featured spirited bidding for autographed jerseys, Olympic prints, paintings and donated items, with over $10,000 raised.  The funds raised will be shared between Cycling Canada national team programs and the National Capital Region Cycling Bursary program.

In addition to honouring the Olympians and Paralympians, special recognition was given to Cycling Canada CEO and Secretary General Greg Mathieu, who will be retiring at the end of this year, after four decades of service to Canadian sport.  Under Greg’s leadership at Cycling Canada, cycling has grown to become one of Canada’s top medal-producing sports.

Tolkamp stated, “It is fitting that as part of our Olympic Celebration we could also recognize the upcoming retirement of Greg Mathieu, who has a long career in sport, both as a COC employee and National Sport CEO, attending 9 Olympics and dozens of other major Games.  Greg has been a significant contributor to advancing the Olympic movement in Canada and is respected across many sports, the COC [Canadian Olympic Committee] and Sports Canada.  Greg has been instrumental in the growth of Cycling Canada, and it was a privilege to honour him and his family along with the Olympians.”
 
About Cycling Canada
Cycling Canada is the governing body for competitive cycling in Canada. Founded in 1882, Cycling Canada aims to create and sustain an effective system that develops talented Canadian cyclists to achieve Olympic, Paralympic, and World Championship medal performances. With the vision of being a leading competitive cycling nation by 2020 celebrating enhanced international success, increased national participation and world class event hosting, Cycling Canada manages the High Performance team, hosts national and international events and administers programs to promote and grow cycling across the country. Cycling Canada programs are made possible through the support of its valued corporate partners – Global Relay, Lexus Canada, Mattamy Homes, Louis Garneau and Bear Mountain Resort – along with the Government of Canada, Own The Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
 
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Source: Cycling Canada 
Information:
Karine Bedard l Cycling Canada l 613-248-1353 x 2617 l karine.bedard@cyclingcanada.ca