WINNIPEG, May 1, 2017 /CNW/ - RBC, the Canadian Olympic
Foundation (COF) and the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) today announced a marketing and athlete identification partnership with
the 2017 Canada Games.
Building on RBC's longstanding commitment to Canadian amateur and high-performance athletes, the partnership will include
opportunities for Canada Games athletes to participate on-site in RBC Training Ground - a series
of regional workout events designed to help sport officials uncover athletes with Olympic podium potential, in sports the
athletes may not have considered.
"RBC is pleased to support the Canada Games - an essential building block for our future
Olympians," said RBC Regional President Kim Ulmer. "Canada Games
alumni were responsible for more than 60 per cent of the medals Canada won at the Rio 2016
Olympic Games. Through this partnership, our goal is to help even more Canada Games athletes
achieve their Olympic dreams."
In addition to gaining invaluable multi-games experience, Canada Games participants will now
have the opportunity to perform benchmark testing and be evaluated by officials from more than 11 National Sports Organizations
(NSOs). Testing stations will be set up at the Active Living Centre at the University of Manitoba
throughout the duration of the event. RBC and the COC will also work with Canada Games officials
to raise awareness of the Games.
"We are very excited that RBC Training Ground is coming to the 2017 Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg," said Tom Quinn, Canada Games
Council Chairman. "Both the Canada Games and RBC Training Ground put a real focus on giving
athletes the tools they need to excel at the next level. The Canada Games are a key event in the
development of our next generation of champions and now that RBC Training Ground is part of the process, we are sure to see
plenty of future stars in Winnipeg this summer."
At each RBC Training Ground event, athletes execute a series of workouts measuring speed, power, strength and endurance. They
perform in front of coaches and officials from a variety of national and provincial sport organizations, and their results are
measured against performance benchmarks to determine an athlete's capacity for sport at its highest level. Launched in 2016, the
program has grown from four to 26 regional events, and from six NSOs to 11. More than 1,200 elite Canadian athletes in seven
provinces have already participated in RBC Training Ground this year, with dozens selected by NSOs for further testing and
training.
"RBC Training Ground has become an important part of our talent identification process, and is opening up more opportunities
for athletic stars to represent Canada in ways they may have never thought possible," said
Chris Overholt, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Olympic Committee. "We're proud to bring this
innovative program to the 2017 Canada Games in Winnipeg, enabling competitors to put their
skills to the test and discover the full extent of their potential."
SOURCE RBC Royal Bank
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