October 26, 2015 (Canmore, AB) – From the lanes in the pool to making his tracks on the Nordic ski trails, medal-winning sport leader Pierre Lafontaine will take over December 1 as Cross Country Ski de Fond Canada’s (CCC) new Chief Executive Officer, the Board of Directors announced on Monday.

One of Canada’s most distinguished sport leaders, Lafontaine brings a wealth of international experience with him to the cross-country skiing community, having served as CEO and national coach of Swimming Natation Canada from 2005-13, followed by two years as CEO of Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Lafontaine has achieved success working in all levels of the sport system across Canada, the United States and Australia – from national team athletes to youngsters getting introduced to the sport at the club level. Prior to taking the reigns of swimming in Canada, Lafontaine spent three years as head coach of the Australian Institute of Sport.

“CCC has enjoyed unprecedented success in international races, along with the development of coaches and athletes across Canada and the participation of recreational skiers in the past 10 years. We are committed to continuing our growth and success, and I can’t think of a better man to lead a new era for our sport in this country than Pierre,” said Jamie Coatsworth, Chair of the Board, CCC.

“Pierre is a passionate, decisive and pragmatic leader who is a proven performer at all levels he has touched in sport. We are counting on him to provide the necessary leadership and guidance our sport requires in its continued quest to build a medal-winning program, while introducing more people to cross-country skiing.”

Lafontaine is widely acclaimed as an innovative leader in the swimming community; not only in athlete and coach development, but also in building the critical relationships with key stakeholders, including Own the Podium, Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee, to develop world-leading high-performance programs. Under his guidance, Lafontaine has achieved podium results as a CEO and coach at major international events from the Olympics and Paralympics to World Championships, PanAm and Commonwealth Games.

“There are many synergies between swimming and cross-country skiing. They are technically-driven sports that have athletes with great engines who are fiercely dedicated to achieving excellence,” said Lafontaine, who will relocate to Canmore from Ottawa. “Similar to swimming in the Summer Games, cross-country skiing is one of the most iconic winter Olympic and Paralympic sports. I believe we have an opportunity to be a real powerhouse and position our sport, in its rightful place, as a constant pillar in the Canadian sport scene.”

Working with a team of highly dedicated individuals at Cross Country Ski de Fond Canada, Lafontaine will develop a long-term strategic plan that will focus on facilitating the continued development of the sport from the grassroots to elite levels.

“Cross-country skiing is an amazing sport, and we need to build this organization on the same principles we would build our country: strength, determination, values, and be family-oriented,” added Lafontaine. “We already have great Canadians in our program. Working with the provincial sport organizations and clubs, we need to focus on getting more of our people working together, providing mentoring to our coaches at all levels with the ultimate goal of being the best in the world.”

One of Lafontaine’s main priorities will be on delivering the tools and resources athletes need to excel.

“Creating an effective structure and great environment to develop – both on and off the snow – will result in great performances,” said Lafontaine, who added the short-term goal will be ensuring athletes have everything they need for 2018, while implementing a solid structure for 2022 and beyond.

“We need to work hard to maintain our strong relationships with existing corporate and sport partners, while finding innovative ways to bring new sponsors that want to be part of a great family that is focused not only on skiing for medals, but encouraging people of all ages across Canada to ski for life.”

About Cross Country Canada
CCC is the governing body of cross-country skiing in Canada, which is the nation’s optimal winter sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually. Its 60,000 members include athletes, coaches, officials and skiers of all ages and abilities, including those on Canada’s National Ski Teams and Para-Nordic Ski Teams. With the support of its valued corporate partners – Haywood Securities Inc., AltaGas, and Mackenzie Investments – along with the Government of Canada, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Own the Podium and B2Ten, CCC develops Olympic, Paralympic and world champions. For more information on CCC, please visit here.