February 6, 2006 – After concluding one of the most successful seasons in the history of Canadian winter high-performance sport, Canada remains on track to achieve its goal of being one of the top three nations at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games after finishing second overall in the final pre-Olympic 2005-06 World Cup medal standings.

From the start of the season, through last weekend’s competitions, Canada ranked second overall in the number of total 2005-06 World Cup medals won with 136 (accomplished in a nation-leading 42 events and nine sports). Germany led all nations with 175 podium finishes (39 events and 12 sports) followed by Canada, the United States of America with 132 (40 events and 10 sports), Austria with 100 (24 events and nine sports) and Norway with 86 (31 events and eight sports).

Overall, Canada’s current medal haul of 136 in 2005-06 is 28 ahead of the pace set in 2004-05 and 37 ahead of the pace set in 2003-04.

The Canadian Olympic Committee’s (COC) findings were compiled using the results of the 75 events on the 2006 Olympic Winter Games program which have been contested on the World Cup or Grand Prix circuit to date. The 2006 Games in Turin will feature a total of 84 events in 15 disciplines.

“The 2005-06 World Cup season has been an unequivocal success for Canadian winter high-performance sport,” said COC Director of International Performance, Alex Gardiner. “Heading into the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, the Canadian Olympic Committee continues to encourage and support this momentum as we strive to achieve our goal of a top-three finish in Turin.”

Last season, World Championship podium performances indicated that Canada was on target for a top-three finish at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games after ranking third overall in terms of total medals won at 2005 World Championship events.

Canada’s 2005 World Championship medal tally of 28 trailed only Norway and Germany which captured 33 and 32 medals respectively. The United States ranked fourth with 25 while Russia finished fifth with 20.

In 2002, Canada finished fourth at the Olympic Winter Games with 17 total medals after garnering a fifth-best total of 18 medals in 2001 World Championship events.

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.