Three National Sport Organizations join the
search for new and undiscovered Team Canada athletes
TORONTO, Jan. 14, 2020 /CNW/ - While Canadian Olympians
prepare to take the world's biggest sporting stage at the Olympic
Games in Tokyo, RBC Training
Ground will once again be searching the country for the next
generation of Olympic talent.
Entering its fifth year, RBC Training Ground is a nation-wide
talent identification and athlete-funding program dedicated to
finding and supporting the next generation of Canadian Olympians.
Since its inception in 2016, the program has tested 8,000 athletes
at more than 100 free local events across Canada. At each
event participants perform speed, strength, power, and endurance
benchmark testing in front of National Sport Organizations.
In 2020, RBC Training Ground will hold events on centrally
located university campuses in eight provinces, culminating with a
national final to be held in Winnipeg,
Manitoba and timed with the province's 150th
anniversary. The second-ever national final will bring together the
top 100 high-potential athletes from across the country to compete
for funding and a spot on one of nine partner sport organizations'
teams. Up to 30 high-performing athletes will be selected as RBC
Future Olympians to receive funding, mentorship, and other
resources as they pursue their Olympic Games dreams.
Joining the program for the first time ever in 2020 are Ski
Jumping Canada, Nordic Combined Ski Canada and Boxing Canada. These
sport organizations join long-time program partners Freestyle
Canada, Speed Skating Canada, Cycling Canada Cyclisme, Rowing
Canada Aviron, Rugby Canada, and Canoe Kayak Canada – all looking
to identify new talent for development.
Several athletes who were discovered at previous RBC Training
Ground events and supported as RBC Future Olympians are now
emerging as Tokyo 2020 medal
hopefuls. World record-setting track cyclist and Tokyo 2020 medal hopeful Kelsey Mitchell was a university soccer player
when she was discovered at an RBC Training Ground event in
2017.
RBC Training Ground was developed in partnership with the
Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Olympic Foundation and CBC
Sports, with support from the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport
Institute Network. As the longest standing corporate partner of
Team Canada, RBC has proudly championed the growth of the Olympic
Movement since 1947.
Quick Facts:
- RBC Training Ground is free to attend and open to Canadian
athletes between the ages of 14–25;
- In 2020, RBC Training Ground will hold events in eight
provinces, culminating with a national final in Winnipeg, Manitoba on May 30, 2020;
- Since 2016, RBC Training Ground has tested 8,000 young elite
athletes at more than 100 free local events across the country,
identifying 800 high-potential athletes. More than $1.7M in funding has been provided to 117 RBC
Future Olympians to help support their Olympic dreams;
- Participating 2020 National Sport Organizations include: Ski
Jumping Canada, Nordic Combined Ski Canada, Boxing Canada,
Freestyle Canada, Speed Skating Canada, Cycling Canada Cyclisme,
Rowing Canada Aviron, Rugby Canada, and Canoe Kayak Canada;
- Tokyo 2020 hopefuls who have
participated in the RBC Training Ground talent search and received
RBC Future Olympian funding include Kelsey
Mitchell (Cycling), Pierce
Lepage (Athletics), Avalon
Wasteneys (Rowing) and Alanna
Bray-Lougheed (Canoe Kayak).
Quotes:
"At RBC, we are proud to support Canadian Olympic athletes at
every stage of their careers. RBC Training Ground is bridging the
gap between next-generation talent and Olympic medallists, and we
will experience the results first-hand as we cheer on graduates of
our program at the 2020 Games. We look forward to continuing to
work with our partners at the COC, COPSIN and CBC Sports for the
fifth year of RBC Training Ground to unlock the potential of the
next generation of Olympians."
- Mary DePaoli, Executive
Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer, RBC
"Year five represents an important milestone for the RBC
Training Ground program. This is the year that graduates of the
program make their Olympic dreams come true. I encourage all
participants this year to take their tests to heart as the
opportunity to represent Team Canada on the world's biggest
sporting stage can be made a reality."
- Eric Myles, Chief Sport
Officer, Canadian Olympic Committee
"CBC Sports is proud to partner on this special initiative which
allows us to engage with amazing young Canadians across the
country. We look forward to shining a spotlight on recent
graduates of the program at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and
will continue to share the journeys of RBC Training Ground hopefuls
as they strive to achieve their own dreams of reaching the podium,
through our digital platforms and weekly broadcast of Road
to the Olympic Games."
- Chris Wilson, Executive
Director, Sports & Olympics, CBC
"The most exciting aspect of the RBC Training Ground program is
that we are seeing athletes emerging as national and international
performers in sports they may never have considered had it not been
for the program. Athletes like Kelsey
Mitchell (Cycling), Gabby Smith and Avalon Wasteneys (Rowing), and Marion
Thénault (Freestyle Skiing) are now demonstrating with evidence
that this program can provide athletes with new and exciting
opportunities in high performance sport. The strength of
collaboration across the nine partner NSOs, and the Canadian
Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network, has definitely been
enhanced through this program, creating a much more aligned sport
system in Canada."
- Kurt
Innes, National Technical Lead, COPSI
Network
"Ski Jumping Canada and Nordic Combined Ski Canada are thrilled
to be part of the RBC Training Ground program as this is an
integral development component of identifying much-needed high
calibre athletes for our exciting sports. Many opportunities are
available for our athletes to advance to the National Team level
with higher than average exposure to Olympic qualifications and
participation."
- Todd
Stretch, Chairman, Ski Jumping Canada and Nordic
Combined Ski Canada
Registration and event information for all local RBC Training
Ground events is available at RBCTrainingGround.ca.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with
a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading
performance. Our success comes from the 85,000+ employees who bring
our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients
thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank, and one of the largest
in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified
business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional
experiences to 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 34 other countries. Learn
more at rbc.com.
We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives
through donations, community investments and employee volunteer
activities. See how at rbc.com/community-social-impact.
About COC
The Canadian Olympic Committee leads the
achievement of Team Canada's podium success and advances Olympic
values in Canada. Independent and
predominantly privately funded, the Canadian Olympic Committee
delivers resources that Canada's
elite athletes need to perform at their best and give their
everything every day. By sharing our athletes' stories, we inspire
all Canadians through the power of sport: 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, 365 days a year.
About CBC Sports
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's Olympic Network through 2024 and
Canada's Paralympic Network
through 2020. The national public broadcaster is committed to
showcasing Canadian and international athletes and sports across
all platforms under the CBC Sports and Hockey Night in Canada
brands, including on television, online at cbcsports.ca and via the
CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices. CBC Sports prides
itself on telling the story of the high-performance athlete's
journey every step of the way, ensuring Canadians always know the
people who represent them before they see them atop the podium.
SOURCE RBC