December 5, 2005 – In an ongoing effort to support professional coaching in Canada and to help athletes reach the podium in international competition, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced today the recipients of the 2005-06 Olympic Legacy Coaching Fund. Twelve winter National Sport Federations will receive grants totalling $294,520 to support 19 coaches.

The 2005-06 recipients of the Fund are:

-Alpine Canada, $19,920, shared between Mark Sharp (Invermere, B.C.), –National Technical Director, and Julie Lemieux (Levis, Que.), National Programs and Operations Director
-Biathlon Canada, $27,600, Richard Boruta (Canmore, Alta.), Head Coach – National Team
-Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, $27,600, shared between Teresa Schlachter (Pincher Creek, Alta.), General Manager – Skeleton and Matt Hindle (Calgary, Alta.), Development Coordinator
-Cross Country Canada, $27,600, Alain Parent (Hull, Que.), Team 2014 Coach
-Canadian Curling Association, $21,300, Bill Tschirhart (Calgary, Alta.)
-Canadian Freestyle Association, $25,900, shared between, Michael Hamelin (Montreal, Que.), Head Coach – Moguls Development Team and Jason Smith (Lions Bay, B.C.), Assistant Coach – Moguls Development Team
-Hockey Canada, $21,800, shared between, National Women’s Team Head Coach, Melody Davidson (Oyen, Alta.), and Assistant Coaches Tim Bothwell (Calgary, Alta.) and Margot Page (Stoney Creek, Ont.)
-Canadian Luge Association, $27,600, Walter Corey (Calgary, Alta.), Head Coach – National Senior Team
-Nordic Combined Ski Canada, $22,500, Jon Servold (Devon, Alta.), Head Coach – National Team
-Ski Jumping Canada, $22,500, Tadeusz Bafia (Calgary, Alta.), Head Coach – National Team
-Canadian Snowboard Federation, $21,300, Martin Jensen (Calgary, Alta.), Director and Head Coach, High Performance Program
-Speed Skating Canada, $28,900 shared between, National Long Track Team Coaches Xiuli Wang (Calgary, Atla.), Neal Marshall (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Sean Ireland (Winnipeg, Man.)

Launched during the 1989-90 international season, the Fund provides financial assistance to National Sport Federations to hire full-time, part-time or seasonal coaches certified under the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP).

“The Olympic Legacy Coaching Fund is an essential resource for high performance coaches in Canada,” said 2005-06 recipient Teresa Schlachter of Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton. “Through the support of the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Government of Canada, these funds will go a long way towards helping us prepare our athletes for podium success at the 2006 and 2010 Olympic Winter Games.”

The Fund is a joint program of the COC and the Government of Canada. It was established with funds from the Government of Canada’s $200-million contribution to the organizing committee for the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary. The fund supports high performance coaches in sports that are on the Olympic Winter Games program. The Fund, now in its 17th year of existence, was implemented to increase the use of Olympic facilities in the Calgary area and to help develop high performance athletes. At the end of this year, the program will have provided a total of $5,951,486 in grants to winter National Sport Federations to hire and retain certified coaches. The guidelines, including the list of criteria to be eligible for financial support, are available on the COC website: www.olympic.ca/EN/funding/legacy_fund.shtml.

“The Olympic Legacy Coaching Fund is a critical development resource as it allows National Sport Federations to keep their high performance coaches on board year round,” said Chris Rudge, CEO, Canadian Olympic Committee. “By working together to increase the amount of full-time coaches in this country, Canadian athletes will continue to receive an increased level of training and preparation which will ultimately translate into greater podium success at future Olympic Games.”

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.