December 24, 2005 – Petro-Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), announced this week that $204,060 in scholarships awarded through the Petro-Canada Olympic Scholarship Fund (PCOSF) to 44 high-performance student-athletes and 24 coaches for the 2005-06 academic year.

“This grant from Petro-Canada really makes a difference in helping me continue my education while I pursue my athletic dreams at the Olympic Winter Games,” said figure skater Patrick Chan.

Quebec cross country skier Christine Bisson was another of the more than 40 athletes that received a scholarship, and 2 coaches Lisa Patterson and Eric Bailey received contributions toward their educational expenses at the Ontario Natioal Coaching Institute.

The PCOSF was launched in 1988 as a legacy of the highly successful Calgary Olympic Torch Relay. Since then over 2,000 scholarships have been awarded to high-performance athletes and coaches. The fund ranks among Canada’s largest private sources of post-secondary education funding and has helped such notable Olympians as Sylvie Fréchette (synchronized swimming, Laval, Que.), Mark Tewksbury (swimming, Calgary, Atla.) and Susan Auch (speed skating, Winnipeg, Man.) attain their educational and Olympic goals.

“For the past 17 years, the Petro-Canada Olympic Scholarship Fund has been instrumental in providing Canadian high-performance athletes and coaches with much needed financial support in order to pursue their athletic and educational goals,” said COC Chief Executive Officer Chris Rudge. “The Fund is a valuable high performance resource that is essential in helping Canada’s athletes and coaches achieve podium success at the Olympic Games.”

Recipients of the PCOSF were chosen by a special selection committee chaired by Olympian Diane Jones Konihowski (pentathlon, Saskatoon, Sask.). This year’s committee was comprised of fellow Olympians and coaches, as well as representatives from the COC and Petro-Canada.

“We are very proud of our legacy of grassroots support for Canadian athletes and coaches,” said Steven Keith, Director of Olympic Activation for Petro-Canada. “Programs like the Olympic Scholarship Fund are our way of giving back and helping young Canadians in our communities achieve their dreams.”

Through the PCOSF, each athlete and coach receives tuition funding of $1,500 and $4,000 respectively. Additional financial support is also available for athletes requesting assistance for development opportunities such as training camps and competitions, and coaches with special needs.

The Canadian Olympic Committee is a national, private, not-for-profit organization committed to sport excellence. It is responsible for all aspects of Canada’s involvement in the Olympic movement, including Canada’s participation in the Olympic and Pan American Games and a wide variety of programs that promote the Olympic Movement in Canada through cultural and educational means. For more information, see the COC website: www.olympic.ca.

Petro-Canada is one of Canada’s largest oil and gas companies, operating in both the upstream and the downstream sectors of the industry in Canada and internationally.