PARALYMPIAN SEARCH visits Halifax to discover next generation of Canadian Paralympic athletes
Canadian Paralympic Committee – Halifax to host Paralympic athlete identification event Saturday, April 23
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Pamela LeJean photo: Matthew Murnaghan CPC |
HALIFAX, April 19, 2016 – The search continues for the next generation of #PARATOUGH athletes ready for the athletic opportunity of a lifetime – the chance to discover a new sport and spark the dream of competing for Canada.
The Canadian Paralympic Committee, in collaboration with the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network and Canada’s national sport organizations, is pleased to announce that the Paralympian Search will visit Halifax on Saturday, April 23.
Paralympian Search is an exciting program designed to identify the next generation of Canadian Paralympic athletes. It is a series of one-day events offering people with a disability the chance to test their abilities and discover which Paralympic sports they are best suited for.
The event is open to people with a physical disability or a visual impairment, aged 14 to 35. Registration is free and can be done at paralympic.ca/paralympian-search.
Participants will have the chance to meet Pamela LeJean, who has emerged as one of Canada’s top throwers in para-athletics in recent years. At the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games, she won gold in the shotput and bronze in the javelin. A few weeks later at the 2015 IPC World Championships, she won silver in the shotput.
WHERE: Fieldhouse, Canada Games Centre, 26 Thomas Raddall Drive, Halifax, NS
WHEN: Saturday, April 23, 2016. 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
REGISTER: paralympic.ca/paralympian-search
Following the Halifax event, an additional Paralympian Search event this year will be held in Montreal on April 30. The first two Paralympian Search events were held in Calgary on Nov. 14, 2015 and Toronto on Feb. 27. For more information and to register, please visit paralympic.ca/paralympian-search.
QUOTES
“I’m thrilled to be involved in the Paralympian Search in Halifax because getting involved in parasport has changed my life,” said world silver medallist and Rio 2016 hopeful Pamela LeJean (hometown Sydney, N.S., now living in Halifax). “I was athletic even before my car accident when I was 17, and since then, I played wheelchair basketball before finding I had a real talent in throwing events. I’m looking forward to the chance to help more Canadians with a disability discover opportunities in Paralympic sport.”
“The first two Paralympian Search events, in Calgary and Toronto, were very successful and we are looking forward to bringing the program to Halifax,” said Catherine Gosselin-Després, Executive Director, Sport at the Canadian Paralympic Committee. “This unique program supports the identification of Canada’s next generation of Paralympic stars through an innovative, targeted approach with sports. It’s very exciting to work with our sport partners to help participants discover sports they are best suited for and to ensure that all participants benefit from expert testing and follow up.”
“Over the past decade we’ve had more focus on parasport and building quality support for athletes and coaches,” said Ken Bagnell, President of Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic. “As a result there have been more athletes competing and succeeding at the national and international level. So we’re excited to host the Paralympian Search because not only is it timely, we expect there to be strong interest among para-athletes. We look forward to working with the Canadian Paralympic Committee and helping more athletes find their path to the Paralympics.”
About the Canadian Paralympic Committee
The Canadian Paralympic Committee is a non-profit, private organization with 27 member sports organizations dedicated to strengthening the Paralympic Movement. The Canadian Paralympic Committee’s vision is to be the world’s leading Paralympic nation. Its mission is to lead the development of a sustainable Paralympic sport system in Canada to enable athletes to reach the podium at the Paralympic Games. By supporting Canadian high performance athletes with a disability and promoting their success, the Canadian Paralympic Committee inspires all Canadians with a disability to get involved in sport through programs delivered by its member organizations. For more information, visit www.paralympic.ca
About the Canadian Olympic & Paralympic Sport Institute Network:
The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network (COPSI Network) is a partnership between the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and the Canadian Sport Institute Network which is made up of seven Sport Institutes and Centres across Canada. The aim of this partnership is to strengthen and align Canada’s high performance sport system through a shared vision, areas of collaboration and new funding opportunities. The COPSI Network supports Canada’s world-leading Olympic and Paralympic podium performances by providing world-class, multi-sport daily training environments to high performance athletes, coaches, and sport organizations through expert leadership, programs, and sport science and sport medicine services.
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Carolyn Townsend
Director of Public Relations & Communications
Sport Nova Scotia
Phone: 902-425-5454 Ext 321 / Cell: 902-830-7227
Alison Korn
Senior Manager, Media Relations and Communications
Canadian Paralympic Committee
Phone: 613-569-4333 ext. 243 / Cell: 613-298-4927