Team Canada unveils fourth edition OLY Canada Legacy Grant recipients – Team Canada
TORONTO (February 28, 2023) – On Thursday, the Canadian Olympic Committee unveiled the Olympian-led projects that will receive this edition of the OLY Canada Legacy Grant.
Seven $10,000 grants will be awarded to each Olympian-led charitable initiative in their community. This is the fourth edition of the OLY Canada Legacy Grant, which since its inception in 2019 has funded 25 groundbreaking projects led by Olympians across the country.
This year, the OLY Canada Legacy Grant was developed to reflect the three pillars of Team Canada’s Impact Agenda – the COC’s commitment to making sport safe, inclusive and accessible so more young people can play sport and stay in sport.
The selected projects fall into three categories:
- Podium – helps to strengthen the sports system and support the athlete’s journey
- Play – improves accessibility, promotes inclusion and diversity among youth and communities at all levels of sport
- Planet – promotes and supports environmental sustainability and the health of our planet.
The fourth edition OLY Canada Legacy Grant recipients are:
Podium:
Maxime Dufour-Lapointe, OLY — Freestyle Skiing, Sochi 2014
(Saint-Sauveur, Que.)
Le Camp 3SDL – 11th edition: Led by the Dufour-Lapointe sisters, the event’s mission is to spread the passion for skiing in Quebec and empower the next generation of Canadian skiers through access to top-flight female coaches.
Guylaine Dumont, OLY – Beach Volleyball, Athens 2004
(Quebec City, Que.)
The Spirit of Trust, Survivor-Led Programs: Led by survivors and like-minded people, the Spirit of Trust is a healing path for elite athletes who have suffered abuse in sport. The main goal is to give them hope during their recovery and empower them to pass it on, stay engaged and productive, and have the strength to recover actively and safely.
Play:
Liam Gill, OLY – Snowboarding, Beijing 2022
(Banff, Alta.)
Liam and his friends: This event welcomes young participants in rural communities where many Indigenous athletes face barriers that limit access to sport – poverty, isolation, health issues, intergenerational trauma from residential communities, cultural barriers and lack of opportunity. Teens are given safe opportunities to socialize and have fun while developing leadership skills.
Brandon McBride, OLY – Athletics, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020
(Windsor, Ontario)
The McBride Youth United Association Mentoring Program: This eight-week mentoring program aims to help underrepresented, racialized youth cultivate a growth-oriented mindset and increase podium representation in diverse playing fields.
Nickolos Farrell, OLY – Boxing, Atlanta 1996
(Hamilton, Ontario)
The Farrell boxing program: This grassroots program with a mission to instill confidence and empowerment through the development of fundamental boxing skills. Located in an accessible area of the city, the program helps support many areas with at-risk youth.
Nadine Rolland, OLY – Swimming, Sydney 2000
(Granby, Que.)
Toute le Monde a l’eau! All in the water!: A program focused on providing free swimming lessons to those in need and girls in the sport, allowing participants with a passion for the sport to become positive influencers in their respective communities.
Planet:
Brenda Taylor, OLY – Rowing, Barcelona 1992
(Vancouver Island, BC)
Decarbonizing Rowing: Electric Outboard Pilot : The goal of this project is to educate and empower the BC rowing community to make the transition from gas to electric outboards. Fuel economy, performance, user experience and cost data is collected on both petrol and e-outboards to develop the e-outboard business case and provide clubs with accessible information to support informed purchasing decisions.
Visit the OLY Canada website for more information on the fourth edition of the OLY Canada Legacy Grant process and selected projects.
QUOTES
“At COC, we often talk about the immense potential of sport to transform the lives of Canadians and our communities. We see this most prominently through the incredible Canadian Olympians who are using their platforms to give back to their communities. We are very proud to be able to support these projects.”
– David Shoemaker, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary General of the COC
“Sport is a powerful platform – we see it in how the Canadian Olympians inspire us to pursue what matters and hold on to higher values. Sport can also create positive change, and the Olympian-led programs receiving the OLY Canada Legacy Grant are a great example of implementing the Team Canada Impact Agenda. We are excited to support the work of these projects to transform Canada through the power of sport.”
– Jacquie Ryan, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Foundation and COC Chief Brand and Commercial Officer
“Having the support of an organization like the Canadian Olympic Committee is really inspiring. During my journey I have seen countless talented people who were unable to continue their sport because they didn’t have the right support, especially minorities. These gifted people left their sport because they saw no representation or felt uncomfortable in their environment. My mentoring program aims to solve both problems by providing a variety of mentors in different sports and fields and equipping the next generation with tools to overcome adversity in sport and in life. I hope that athletes will leave our program more motivated, focused, prepared and comfortable in their own skin.
– Brandon McBride, two-time Olympic Champion in Athletics, OLY Canada Legacy Grant Recipient (Fourth Edition)
About OLY Canada
OLY Canada is an alumni initiative launched by the Canadian Olympic Committee in 2017. The program was created to complement the World Olympians Association’s global initiative, which awards Post-Nominal Letters (OLY) to Olympians in recognition of their years of hard work, dedication and promotion of Olympic values.
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