Media advisory - Star athletes take up the challenge for the less fortunate

More than 500 amateur and professional athletes will attempt to race up the 41 flights of Place Ville Marie in record time

MONTREAL, Nov. 19, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - November 21, 2012 at 11:30 a.m. will mark the start of the 15^th Annual RBC Challenge for Centraide, a relay race to the top of one of Montreal's tallest buildings to raise money for Centraide's campaign.

For the occasion, a group of star athletes will team up to compete against some 500 downtown office workers in an attempt to race up the 1,013 steps to the 41st floor of Place Ville Marie in record time.

The media are invited to witness this exciting event:
DATE:	Wednesday, November 21, 2012
HOUR:	11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
PLACE:	1 Place Ville Marie, Montreal (Main entrance on University Street. Assembly point on the main floor, south side, opposite René-Lévesque Blvd.)

There will be a photo session at 11:40 a.m., before the start of the race.

The star athletes who will attempt to beat this record are:

• Steve Charbonneau (football), former player with the Alouettes and Eskimos
• Roseline Filion (diving), bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics
• Hugues Fournel (kayaking), bronze medallist at the 2012 World Cup
• Benoît Huot (Paralympic swimming), gold medallist at the 2012 London Olympics
• Etienne Lalonde-Turbide (fencing), 7th place at the 2012 London Olympics
• Sandra Lizé (water polo), bronze medallist at the 2001 World Championships
• Marie-Ève Marleau (diving), 7th place at the 2008 Peking Olympics
• Sandra Sassine (fencing), bronze medallist at the 2012 Pan-American Championships
• Sledge hockey player and gold medallist at the 2006 Turin Paralympics Benoît St-Amand, and wheelchair basketball player David Eng, will serve as the team's coaches.

Michèle Thibodeau-DeGuire, President and Executive Director of Centraide of Greater Montreal, will attend the event with Luc Bisaillon, Vice-President of Commercial Financial Services at RBC and Honorary President of the RBC Challenge.

All the proceeds of this sporting event will be donated to Centraide Campaign 2012. This year's goal is to raise $60 million to support 370 community agencies that help half a million disadvantaged people in the metropolitan area. The campaign ends on December 11.

SOURCE: CENTRAIDE OF GREATER MONTREAL

Annick Gagnon, Centraide of Greater Montreal
Tel.: [phone], ext. 242, [email protected]
www.centraide-mtl.org