November 23, 2005 – Biathlon Canada, the governing body for the sport of biathlon in Canada, is extremely pleased to announce that Lieutenant-General, the Honourable Roméo A. Dallaire, O.C., C.M.M., G.O.Q., M.S.C., C.D., (Ret’d), Senator, has graciously accepted the position of Patron of Biathlon Canada. During his distinguished military career, General Dallaire was an enthusiastic supporter of this dynamic, physically and mentally demanding sport which combines competitive cross-country skiing and small-bore rifle marksmanship in the same competition. As he believes that the sport embodies fundamentals and values which are ideally Canadian, his interest and support continue with the new position of Patron.

The sport gained considerable prominence in Canada during the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway, with the astounding double gold-medal victories by Canadian Myriam Bédard, a feat yet to be achieved by any other woman in the history of biathlon.