Media Advisory & Invitation - Entrepreneurship is the next game for many
athletes

KPMG sponsors Corporate & Celebrity Relay Challenge

TORONTO, July 29 /CNW/ - KPMG is proud to present the Corporate & Celebrity Relay Challenge, set to run in conjunction with the 2010 Canadian Track and Field Championships. The event will take place on July 29th at University of Toronto's Varsity Centre.

Teams will participate in a warm-up and mini-relay workshop conducted by national team coaches and athletes before competing on the U of T race track. Each corporate relay team will be anchored by a celebrity runner.

Professional athletes spend their lives honing their skills to pit them against others during competition; strenuous practices, strict diets, and focused work out regimens are designed to ensure peak performance. Sadly, when the cheering stops and the last tip-off or snap of the ball is completed, many athletes find themselves without the skills needed to survive in the business world.

A growing number of athletes, however, are finding continued success on a different playing field-business and entrepreneurship.

Some key points to consider:

    
    -   In the last decade or so, there have been a number of sports figures
        who have actively pursued business opportunities, including Nancy
        Greene's success with Sun Peaks and other ski resorts, Dick Pound,
        partner at the law firm Stikeman Elliott , Wayne Gretzky's successful
        wine and other business interests, Tricia Smith, vice-president of
        COC and Grant Main, Deputy Minister - BC Ministry of Healthy Living

    -   Increased media coverage of sports has provided athletes with greater
        visibility and name recognition than past athletes. This self-
        branding can be transferred into business success

    -   Sports has taken on more of a commercial appeal within the last
        decade or so as athletes realize their potential as business
        entities.

    Spokespersons:
    --------------

    1.  Charmaine Crooks, Five-time Olympian and President of NGU Consultants
        Inc.
    2.  Joel Finlay, Olympian and Global Lead of Infrastructure & Major Sport
        Events, KPMG
    

Quote: "The world of sports and business can be both extremely competitive, taking many years of hard work and dedication to reach the top," said Charmaine Crooks, Five-time Olympian and President of NGU Consultants Inc. "Many athletes learn valuable lessons that help them to navigate the parallel worlds of high performance sport and business. Dedication, teamwork, and commitment to goals are just some of the qualities of successful athletes and entrepreneurs."

Details and highlights of the event include:

    
    Date:   Thursday, July 29, 2010

    Time:   2:00 pm - Athlete check-in begins

            3:00 pm - Warm-up and mini-relay workshop conducted by national
                      team coaches
            4:00 pm - Corporate & Celebrity Relay Challenge

            5:00 pm - Post-race reception

    Place:  University of Toronto - Varsity Centre, 299 Bloor St. W.
    

About KPMG

KPMG LLP, the audit, tax and advisory firm, a Canadian limited liability partnership established under the laws of Ontario, is the Canadian member firm of KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG International"). KPMG International's member firms have 140,000 professionals, including more than 7,900 partners, in 146 countries.

Please visit www.kpmg.ca for further information.

For further information: or to arrange an interview, please contact: Dhruv Chhabra, Media Relations Coordinator, KPMG, 416-777-8983, [email protected]; Shilpa Kotecha, Manager, Media Relations, KPMG in Canada, [email protected], 416-777-8918