54 Canadian athletes to get funding from RBC Olympians program

• Fifty-four Canadian athletes will receive funding and support from the Royal Bank of Canada through its RBC Olympians program
• RBC Olympians provides athletes with financial support, career experience, skill development opportunities and personal brand exposure
• The roster includes Canada’s most decorated Olympian Penny Oleksiak, record-setting hockey player Sarah Nurse and decathlon world champion Pierce LePage
• Shares of RBC were down slightly Thursday, closing at C$113.03

Penny Oleksiak, Pierce LePage and Sarah Nurse lead a cast of 54 Canadian athletes who will receive funding and support from the Royal Bank of Canada (TSX:RY) through its RBC Olympians program.

Now in its 20th year, RBC Olympians provides athletes with financial support, career experience, skill development opportunities and personal brand exposure as they train for upcoming Olympic Games.

Oleksiak, Canada’s most decorated Olympian, will try to add to her tally of seven swimming medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

“I’m very proud to continue partnering with a brand that has made such a significant impact on thousands of Canadian Olympians,” Oleksiak said in a news release. “Since joining the team following my first Olympics, I have been inspired by RBC’s involvement in sport at the national and community level and look forward to welcoming my new RBC teammates to the program.”

Other RBC Olympians expected to contend for medals at Paris 2024 include reigning decathlon world champion Pierce LePage and world-ranked beach volleyball duo Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa-Humana Paredes. Also among the 54 athletes are reigning Olympic champions Kelsey Mitchell (track cycling) and Avalon Wasteneys (rowing) who were discovered through the RBC Training Ground, the nationwide talent identification program designed to find and fund athletes with Olympic potential.

“RBC has been with me at each step of my Olympic dream ever since I won the inaugural RBC Training Ground event in 2016,” LePage said. “My athletic career was accelerated by the belief RBC had in me and I am grateful to be part of such an empowering community of support.”

Eight athletes on the latest roster were previously discovered and supported through RBC Training Ground. Since the program started in 2016, 13 RBC Training Ground alumni have gone on to compete at the Olympics, with seven winning medals.

Sarah Nurse, who scored a record 18 points in the 2022 Beijing Olympics while leading Team Canada to gold, heads the list of Winter Olympians along with three-time gold medal-winning teammate Marie-Philip Poulin.

As part of the program, RBC Olympians act as brand ambassadors, spreading Olympic values of teamwork, excellence, commitment and leadership to clients, employees and Canadians.

“The RBC Olympians program is a reinforcement of RBC’s long-standing commitment to Olympic athletes at every stage of their careers – from up-and-coming talent to Olympic champions to those transitioning to life after sport,” Shannon Cole, vice president, brand marketing at RBC said in a statement. “We’re proud to welcome this incredible group of athletes into our community and we look forward to celebrating their successes both in competition and in life.”

Here is the full list of RBC Olympians:

Royal Bank of Canada, which has been a corporate supporter of Team Canada since 1947, is Canada’s largest bank and one of the largest in the world, based on market capitalization. It has more than 17 million clients in Canada, the United States and 27 other countries.

Shares of RBC were down 0.55 per cent Thursday, closing at C$113.03.

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