May 13, 2014 (Calgary, AB) – Today, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee announced the Olympians, Olympic coaches, Paralympians and Paralympic coaches who will take part in the 2014 Celebration of Excellence, which includes a House of Commons visit, Heroes Tour to hospitals and schools and the Sochi 2014 Parade of Champions.

Canada's Klebl and McKeever all smiles with GOLD ©

The festivities will finish with the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Gala and Induction Ceremony in Calgary.

“The Celebration of Excellence is an amazing opportunity for Olympians and Paralympians to thank Canadians for their unwavering and heartwarming support during the Games in Sochi,” said Tessa Virtue, two-time Olympian, three-time Olympic medallist. “I can’t wait to celebrate with all of our fans and teammates!”

“Canada’s success at the Games belongs to everyone,” said para-alpine skier Josh Dueck, who won gold and silver medals at the Sochi Paralympic Games and was Canada’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony. “We, the athletes, are only a small part of what the whole experience is really about and I’m looking forward to celebrating the Sochi experience with as many Canadians as possible.”

“The Celebration of Excellence is a great opportunity for Olympic fans and our Olympians to connect and celebrate together the successes of the Games,” said Marcel Aubut, President, Canadian Olympic Committee. “It’s fantastic to see so many of our athletes involved.”

“We are looking forward to showcasing and connecting our Paralympic athletes and coaches to Canadians through the Celebration of Excellence,” said Gaétan Tardif, President of the Canadian Paralympic Committee. “The Canadian Paralympic Team achieved great success in Sochi, placing third in the gold medal count and I know Canadians will love meeting our team at these many exciting events.”

Throughout the events, fans can expect to see appearances from Olympic athletes including but not limited to: Chelsea Valois, Jesse Lumsden, Jennifer Jones, Brad Jacobs, Kaetlyn Osmond, Patrick Chan, Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir, Maxime and Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Alex Bilodeau and Denny Morrison. Paralympic athletes taking part include triple gold medallist para-Nordic skier Brian McKeever, opening ceremony flag bearer and wheelchair curling gold medallist Sonja Gaudet, closing ceremony flag bearer and para-alpine gold and silver medallist Josh Dueck, and many more.

A number of Olympic and Paralympic coaches will also be participating.

The Sochi 2014 Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Teams will be making public appearances starting on June 4 at Ottawa-area schools and hospitals as well as the House of Commons. The Heroes Tour, consisting of school and hospital visits, will be making its way through Calgary, Banff, Red Deer and Edmonton on June 5 and the Sochi 2014 Parade of Champions will be hosted by the City of Calgary on June 6.

Festivities will conclude with the post-Sochi Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Gala and Induction Ceremony in Calgary on June 6. Proceeds from the Hall of Fame Gala in Calgary will go to the Canadian Olympic Foundation as well as a legacy coaching program in Calgary to support the next generation of Olympians. The 2012 Hall of Fame Gala in Toronto raised more than $3 million for high performance sport and athletes in Canada.

For more information on the 2014 Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, please click here.

Biographies available at Olympic.ca/athletes and Paralympic.ca/athletes

Olympic/Paralympic Nordic Athletes and Coaches to Participate in the 2014 Celebration of Excellence
*Denotes Sochi 2014 medallist

Sochi 2014 Canadian Olympic Team:
– Rosanna Crawford Canmore, AB Biathlon
– Brendan Green Hay River, NT Biathlon
– Megan Imrie Falcon Lake, MB Biathlon
– Zina Kocher Red Deer, AB Biathlon
– Jean-Philippe Le Guellec Shannon, QC Biathlon
– Scott Perras Regina, SK Biathlon
– Nathan Smith Calgary, AB Biathlon
– Ivan Babikov Canmore, AB Cross-Country Skiing
– Jesse Cockney Canmore, AB Cross-Country Skiing
– Chandra Crawford Canmore, AB Cross-Country Skiing
– Daria Gaiazova Banff, AB Cross-Country Skiing
– Perianne Jones Almonte, ON Cross-Country Skiing
– Emily Nishikawa Whitehorse, YT Cross-Country Skiing
– Lenny Valjas Toronto, ON Cross-Country Skiing
– Amanda Ammar Onoway, AB Cross-Country Skiing
– Heidi Widmer Banff, AB Cross-Country Skiing
– Taylor Henrich Calgary, AB Ski Jumping
– Trevor Morrice Calgary, AB Ski Jumping
– Matthew Rowley Red Deer, AB Ski Jumping
– Atsuko Tanaka Calgary, AB Ski Jumping

Sochi 2014 Olympic Coaches:
– Matthias Ahrens Canmore, AB Biathlon
– Eric de Nys Canmore, AB Cross-Country Skiing

Sochi 2014 Canadian Paralympic Team:
– *Mark Arendz Hartsville, PEI Para-Nordic
– Caroline Bisson Ottawa, ON Para-Nordic
– Colette Bourgonje Porcupine Plain, SK Para-Nordic
– *Erik Carleton Canmore, AB Para-Nordic – Guide
– Sébastien Fortier Quebec City, QB Para-Nordic
– Louis Fortin Shippagan, NB Para-Nordic
– Margarita Gorbounova Ottawa, ON Para-Nordic
– Brittany Hudak Prince Albert, SK Para-Nordic
– *Chris Klebl Canmore, AB Para-Nordic
– *Brian McKeever Canmore, AB Para-Nordic
– Robbi Weldon Thunder Bay, ON Para-Nordic

Sochi 2014 Paralympic Coaches:
– Robin McKeever Canmore, AB Para-Nordic – Head Coach
– Bjorn Taylor Lamont, AB Para-Nordic – Coach
– Kaspar Wirz Saskatoon, SK Para-Nordic – Coach