Ottawa, Canada – The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) is pleased to announce its broadcast agreement with Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium and its partners to provide Canadian coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games – in addition to the live, up-to-the minute Team Canada results, photos, videos, schedules and news that will be available on www.paralympic.ca every day of the Games.

“We are extremely pleased with the broadcast coverage plan for the London 2012 Paralympic Games,” said Henry Storgaard, CEO of the Canadian Paralympic Committee. “The Consortium and its partners are providing more hours of coverage in Canada than any other previous Paralympic Summer Games broadcaster. It is important that these performances are available so Canadians across the country can watch and cheer some of Canada’s best athletes!”

“We are very happy to share the stories of Paralympic athletes with Canadians during this all-important time for amateur sports,” added Adam Ashton, President, Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium. “We know the Canadian public will be eager to cheer on Team Canada as they take on the world in London.”

Online Streaming

For the first time in history, Canadians can watch live multiple online streams of Paralympic Summer Games throughout the 12 days of competition. Five digital streams will offer a total of 580 hours of live coverage. Three feeds will offer daily uninterrupted coverage of swimming, wheelchair basketball, and athletics, while two additional channels will cover a range of sports and a will show a “best of” coverage from the day. All digital channels can be accessed from CTVParalympics.ca and RDSparalympiques.ca.

In addition to the live streaming, the Consortium’s digital coverage also includes a comprehensive video on demand and Paralympic news library available online and via mobile platforms.

Television

Daily highlights will be broadcast from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST showcasing the day’s performances, medal winners, athlete interviews and event features. Complete coverage of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will also be available on several networks including TSN2, Sportsnet One, RDS, and RDS2. A complete television broadcast schedule will be published in August.

Additionally, two of the features from the Consortium’s Difference Makers series will feature Paralympians. Hosted by Rick Hansen (English) and Chantal Petitclerc (French), the series asks elite athletes to reveal inspiring stories of those who made a difference in their lives.

Website and Social Media

Supporting the online streaming and television broadcast initiatives will be athlete biographies, competition updates, results and photos on both Paralympic.ca and CTVParalympics.ca/RDSparalympiques.ca.

In addition, the CPC partnered with the Consortium earlier this year to create its London 2012 Paralympic Games promotional campaign, Super Athletes. The Super Athlete spots are a dramatic and edgy look at some of Canada’s best Paralympians in short vignettes identified by the nickname of the featured athlete. Examples include: The Shark, The Heat, The Professor and The Pit Bull. To view the entire library of Super Athlete videos visit www.Paralympic.ca/superathletes.

Canadians can also stay connected through the CPC’s Twitter and Facebook accounts@CDNParalympics and facebook.com/CDNParalympics.

The Team Canada Today Newsletter will be produced and available for download on the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s website each and every day of the Games. Users can sign up for the newsletter distribution here: http://paralympic.ca/en/London-2012/2012-News.html.

Image Courtesy of  CHEN WS / Shutterstock.com

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Ottawa, Canada – The 2012 Paralympic Games are just a few weeks away, and the Canadian Para-Cycling Team will be looking very strong as it enters its final preparations for this biggest para-cycling race in the world.

A total of 13 athletes, men and women, along with four pilots, have been nominated by Cycling Canada to the Canadian Paralympic Team that will be heading to London to compete at the 2012 Paralympic Games from August 29 to September 9, with the objective to secure medals for Canada and make our great nation proud.

“It’s very exciting to have the para-cycling athletes nominated for London, as they are expected to be one of Canada’s top medal potential sports at the Paralympics,” said Chef de Mission, Gaétan Tardif. “We’ll be looking to this team to lead the way for Canada with their chances to win medals early on in the Games.”

“Our team will be ready to compete with the World’s best, and come back home with medals to make our nation proud. We have all the items in place for strong performances, with resilient athletes, great coaches and a solid group of support staff,” said Jacques Landry, Team Leader and High Performance Director for Cycling Canada. “Our Canadian para-cyclists have proven race after race that they are a force to be reckoned with, in all disciplines and all categories.”

Canada has enjoyed a highly successful season in 2012, grabbing six UCI World Cup titles, an all-time high, and has been a strong medal contender in every para-cycling race it has entered in 2012.

The team will be headlined by the very powerful tandem of Robbi Weldon and Lyne Bessette, two athletes who have dominated the international scene over the last two years, in both the road race and the time trials. The tandem won the 2010 World Championships Road Race, and in 2011 went on win the Time Trial race at the Worlds. Over the last three years, the powerful team grabbed the coveted White Jersey, awarded to the overall World Cup Champion.

The women’s tandem of Geneviève Ouellet and Emily Roy will be looking to defend and improve on their bronze medal performance from the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

“I am very pleased to attend my second Paralympic Games. It is always gratifying to see that efforts Emily and I are putting in sport are recognized by Cycling Canada and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. The very good start that Emily and I had this season and distinguished career give us hope for a podium on the road in London. One thing is certain, we will work very hard in the next 40 days to achieve this objective,” commented blind athlete Geneviève Ouellet.

The Women’s tricycle race will be another great event for Canada, with three contenders for medals. Marie-Ève Croteau won back to back World Cup titles, and won the World Championships title in both road events in the last two World Championships. Shelley Gautier could also be a medal threat, and so is rookie Dominique Mainguy, who surfaced this year and has shown great potential for success at the Paralympic Games.

“Since I was little, sport has always been part of my life and the Olympics have always been for me an impossible dream after many obstacles that life has given me, but now today, my dreams come true having the honor to represent my country at the Paralympic Games in London on August 29,” said Croteau, who is a two-time World Champions and two-time World Cup Champion.

“Is this the reward for having made it through all these challenges, having kept my head high, to have kept my positivism but also never giving up despite my many obstacles? Who knows! But one thing is certain is that I will have even bigger smile and my heart beating to get a medal even if I have to compete with men.”

Gauthier is thrilled about her nomination to the team: “Before my accident my goal was to go to the Olympic or Paralympic Games as a physiotherapist. Now it is to go as a para-cyclist. I am almost there, going as an athlete.”

Handcyclist Mark Ledo is making his cycling debut at Paralympic Games, but is no rookie to the environment. Ledo is a convert from Athletics, and represented Canada at the 2008 Games in the wheelchair marathon and the 5000m races.

“It’s an honor to be nominated and selected to represent Canada, the country I love. I look forward to the Paralympic experience once again. I would like to thank my family, friends, coaches, trainers, sponsors and staff for making this all possible!,” said Ledo.

Mark Beggs, which became the first Canadian hand cyclist to race at Paralympic Games as the discipline was introduced in 2004 in Athens, will be making his third trip to Paralympic Games. “These games will be my third and I’m still as motivated as my first. This was my most difficult selection because I really worked hard to get there and it did not come easy.

With my experience of two other great games I am able to anticipate a little how it will happen, even though there are always unexpected challenges. The two other Games that I attended are undoubtedly the most beautiful experience I have lived as an athlete and those who come in this summer will be equally as beautiful, and even more because I will not repeat the mistakes I’ve already done. I’m more prepared than ever.”

“I will always be the first athlete in hand bike has represented Canada at the Paralympics and I’d even be the first athlete in hand bike has to earn a medal at the Paralympics.”

Also noteworthy is Alexandre Cloutier’s fourth appearance at Paralympic Games. Cloutier, who has piloted blind cyclists to many Paralympic medals, will be looking to secure a podium performance along with Daniel Chalifour.

Canada will field seven rookies to the Paralympic Games: Marie-Ève Croteau, 2012 World Cup Champion Robert Labbé, Dominique Mainguy, pilot and Olympian Lyne Bessette, Jaye Milley, 2012 World Cup Champion and world record holder in the individual pursuit Marie-Claude Molnar, as well as World Champion and World Cup Champion Shelly Gautier.

Molnar is seeing her selection as trust from her coaches: “Each must prove that he/she belongs on the team to represent Canada in cycling at the Paralympic Games in London. I see a selection for the Games as trust from my coaches. Not only it is the confidence of a coach, but the confidence of all people involved directly or indirectly in the story of an athlete. The athlete is chosen because he/she accomplished something that is not easy for everyone, because otherwise everyone would do cycling and high-performance would not be as well. To be selected is not only an honor but an invisible contract that the athlete signs with the whole country, with an athlete promising to be at its best when it comes time to race day.

Image Courtesy of   CHEN WS / Shutterstock.com

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Ottawa, Canada- A strong team of five archers has been nominated by Archery Canada to the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) for entry into the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The Canadian contingent will be led by 2008 Paralympian and 2011 Parapan American Games gold medalist, Kevin Evans (Jaffray, BC). Evans is also a two-time defending world champion, having struck gold in 2007 and 2009 in the Men’s Open Compound Bow category.

“I’m really pleased and excited about returning to the Paralympic Games,” said Evans. “Last season was a bit rough with some untimely injuries, but things are definitely looking up this season and for the Paralympics.”

Joining Evans will be first-time Paralympian Bob Hudson (Leoville, SK). Hudson captured the silver medal in his category at the 2011 Parapan American Games. Both Hudson and Evans will compete in the men’s Compound Bow, Open category.
Lyne Tremblay (Magog, QC), a 2008 Paralympian, will compete in her second Paralympic Games. Tremblay will compete in the women’s Recurve Bow, ARW2 category.

Karen Van Nest (Wiarton, ON) will be competing in her fourth Paralympic Games. She competed in the 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games in pistol shooting. The London 2012 Paralympic Games will mark the first time she competes as an archery athlete. Van Nest will compete in the women’s Compound Bow, Open category.

Rounding-out the strong Canadian contingent is international veteran Norbert Murphy (Vaudreuil-Dorion, QC). Murphy will be competing in his third Paralympic Games. He competed at the 2000 Sydney and 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. Murphy captured the bronze medal at the 2009 World Para-Archery Championship and finished fifth at the 2011 World Para-Archery Championship (in the men’s Compound Bow, ARW1 category).

The five archers nominated to the Canadian Paralympic Team for London is an increase from the three who competed at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games four years ago.

“I am really happy to see the fantastic growth in Paralympic archery with a record number of athletes being nominated to the London 2012 team with real chances of medals,” said Gaétan Tardif, Chef de mission for Team Canada.
Vladimir Kopecky (Kimberley, BC) is Archery’s Team Leader for the Games.

“I believe we have a very strong team and that we have a real chance to be on the podium,” Kopecky said. “We are going to the Games to do Canada proud.

Athletes and staff nominated to the Canadian Paralympic Committee for the London 2012 Paralympic Games in archery are Kevin Evans (Jaffray, BC) – Compound Bow, Men’s Open category, Bob Hudson (Leoville, SK) – Compound Bow, Men’s Open category, Karen Van Nest (Wiarton, ON) – Compound Bow, Women’s Open category, Lyne Tremblay (Magog, QC) – Recurve Bow, Women’s ARW2 category, Norbert Murphy (Vaudreuil-Dorion, QC) – Compound Bow, Men’s ARW1 category, Rob Cox (Winnipeg, MB) – Alternate in Compound Bow, Men’s Open category, Vladimir Kopecky (Kimberley, BC) – Team Leader, and Linda Gagnon (Magog, QC) – Team Support Staff

The archery competition for the London 2012 Paralympic Games will take place at the Royal Artillery venue in London from August 30 to September 5.

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