Olympians and coaches receive $1.8 million for Sochi medal performances

86 athletes and 56 coaches receive $1,840,000 in rewards through the RBC Athlete Excellence Fund and The Globe and Mail Coach Reward Program

GATINEAU, QC, June 4, 2014 /CNW/ - Today, the Canadian Olympic Committee, in partnership with RBC and The Globe and Mail, presented more than $1.8 million in cheques to Sochi Olympians and their coaches for their medal performances in Sochi.  As part of the Celebration of Excellence events presented by RBC, the cheques were presented during a breakfast at the Hilton Lac-Leamy in Gatineau.

"This support is an added reward after all the hard work and gruelling hours spent training on the ice," said Caroline Ouellette, four-time Olympian, four-time Olympic gold medallist. "Thank you to my coach for all of their support and to RBC for this generous gift, it means the world to me."

The Canadian Olympic Committee's Athlete Excellence Fund presented by RBC is an athlete support and reward program that provides Canadian athletes with performance awards of $20,000, $15,000 and $10,000 for winning Olympic gold, silver or bronze medals respectively. The performance rewards are the same for each athlete regardless of whether it is an individual or team sport. It also provides grants of $5,000 during non-Olympic years.

The Canadian Olympic Committee introduced the Coach Reward Program presented by The Globe and Mail prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games. The aim of the program is to recognize excellence in coaching and the critical impact it has on performance through financial awards made to coaches of Canadian Olympic medallists. 

"We do our jobs every day because we love sport and competition," said Chris Le Bihan, bobsleigh coach. "Thank you to The Globe and Mail for generously recognizing the coaches who are so vital to our athlete's success and the realization of their Olympic dreams."

The Sochi 2014 Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Teams will be making public appearances starting today at Ottawa-area schools and hospitals as well as being honoured in 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 5th; and the post-Sochi Parade of Champions and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Gala, Induction Ceremony will  take place in the City of Calgary on June 6th.

About the Canadian Olympic Committee: 

The Canadian Olympic Committee leads the achievement of the Canadian Olympic Team's podium success and advances Olympic values in Canada. Independent and predominantly privately funded, the Canadian Olympic Committee delivers resources that Canada's elite athletes need to perform at their best and give their everything every day. The backbone of Canada's Olympic movement, the Canadian Olympic Committee works with National Sport Federations to prepare the Team for the Olympic, Youth Olympic and Pan American Games. By sharing our athletes' stories, we inspire all Canadians through the power of sport: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

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Backgrounder

RBC & THE GLOBE AND MAIL OLYMPIANS AND COACHES RECEIVING MEDAL REWARD CHEQUES

Olympians receiving cheques:

First	Last	Hometown	Sport
Heather	Moyse	Summerside, PE	Bobsleigh
Kaillie	Humphries	Calgary, AB	Bobsleigh
Dawn	McEwen	Winnipeg, MB	Curling
Jennifer	Jones	Winnipeg, MB	Curling
Jill	Officer	Winnipeg, MB	Curling
Kaitlyn	Lawes	Winnipeg, MB	Curling
Kirsten	Wall	Milton, ON	Curling
Brad	Jacobs	Sault Ste. Marie, ON	Curling
Caleb	Flaxey	Caledon, ON	Curling
E.J.	Harnden	Sault Ste. Marie, ON	Curling
Ryan	Fry	Sault Ste. Marie, ON	Curling
Ryan	Harnden	Sault Ste. Marie, ON	Curling
Patrick	Chan	Toronto, ON	Figure Skating
Tessa	Virtue	London, ON	Figure Skating
Scott	Moir	Ilderton, ON	Figure Skating
Kevin	Reynolds	Coquitlam, BC	Figure Skating
Kaetlyn	Osmond	Sherwood Park, AB; Marystown, NL	Figure Skating
Kirsten	Moore-Towers	St. Catharines, ON	Figure Skating
Dylan	Moscovitch	Toronto, ON	Figure Skating
Meagan	Duhamel	Lively, ON	Figure Skating
Eric	Radford	Balmertown, ON	Figure Skating
Shannon	Szabados	Edmonton, AB	Hockey
Charline	Labonté	Boisbriand, QC	Hockey
Jocelyne	Larocque	Ste. Anne, MB	Hockey
Catherine	Ward	Montreal, QC	Hockey
Caroline	Ouellette	Montreal, QC	Hockey
Jayna	Hefford	Kingston, ON	Hockey
Marie-Philip	Poulin	Beauceville, QC	Hockey
Rebecca	Johnston	Sudbury, ON	Hockey
Hayley	Wickenheiser	Shaunavon, SK	Hockey
Natalie	Spooner	Scarborough, ON	Hockey
Meaghan	Mikkelson-Reid	St. Albert, AB	Hockey
Meghan	Agosta-Marciano	Ruthven, ON	Hockey
Gillian	Apps	Unionville, ON	Hockey
Jennifer	Wakefield	Pickering, ON	Hockey
Lauriane	Rougeau	Beaconsfield, QC	Hockey
Laura	Fortino	Hamilton, ON	Hockey
Brianne	Jenner	Oakville, ON	Hockey
Tara	Watchorn	Newcastle, ON	Hockey
Mélodie	Daoust	Valleyfield, QC	Hockey
Haley	Irwin	Thunder Bay, ON	Hockey
Geneviève	Lacasse	Kingston, ON	Hockey
Jamie	Benn	Victoria, BC	Hockey
Patrice	Bergeron	Sillery, QC	Hockey
Jay	Bouwmeester	Edmonton, AB	Hockey
Jeff	Carter	London, ON	Hockey
Sidney	Crosby	Cole Harbour, NS	Hockey
Drew	Doughty	London, ON	Hockey
Matt	Duchene	Haliburton, ON	Hockey
Ryan	Getzlaf	Regina, SK	Hockey
Dan	Hamhuis	Smithers, BC	Hockey
Duncan	Keith	Penticton, BC	Hockey
Chris	Kunitz	Regina, SK	Hockey
Roberto	Luongo	Montreal, QC	Hockey
Patrick	Marleau	Aneroid, SK	Hockey
Rick	Nash	Brampton, ON	Hockey
Corey	Perry	Peterborough, ON	Hockey
Alex	Pietrangelo	King City, ON	Hockey
Carey	Price	Anahim Lake, BC	Hockey
Patrick	Sharp	Thunder Bay, ON	Hockey
Mike	Smith	Kingston, ON	Hockey
Martin	St-Louis	Laval, QC	Hockey
PK	Subban	Toronto, ON	Hockey
John	Tavares	Oakville, ON	Hockey
Jonathan	Toews	Winnipeg, MB	Hockey
Marc-Édouard	Vlasic	Montreal, QC	Hockey
Shea	Weber	Sicamous, BC	Hockey
Charles	Hamelin	Sainte-Julie, QC	Speed Skating
Denny	Morrison	Cumberland, ON	Speed Skating
Marie-Ève	Drolet	Chicoutimi, QC	Speed Skating
Jessica	Hewitt	Kamloops, BC	Speed Skating
Valérie	Maltais	Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, QC	Speed Skating
Marianne	St-Gelais	Saint-Félicien, QC	Speed Skating
Charle	Cournoyer	Boucherville, QC	Speed Skating
Jan	Hudec	Calgary, AB	Alpine Skiing
Justine	Dufour-Lapointe	Montreal, QC	Freestyle Skiing
Alex	Bilodeau	Rosemère, QC	Freestyle Skiing
Dara	Howell	Huntsville, ON	Freestyle Skiing
Marielle	Thompson	Whistler, BC	Freestyle Skiing
Chloé	Dufour-Lapointe	Montreal, QC	Freestyle Skiing
Mikaël	Kingsbury	Deux-Montagnes, QC	Freestyle Skiing
Mike	Riddle	Sherwood Park, AB	Freestyle Skiing
Kelsey	Serwa	Kelowna, BC	Freestyle Skiing
Kim	Lamarre	Quebec City, QC	Freestyle Skiing
Dominique	Maltais	Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, QC	Snowboard
Mark	McMorris	Regina, SK	Snowboard

Olympic coaches receiving medals:

First	Last	Hometown	Sport
John	McBride	Pasadena, CA	Alpine Skiing
Adam	Burwell	Regina, SK	Snowboard - Slopestyle
Bart	Schouten	Calgary, AB	Long Track Speed Skating
Ben	Black	Aspen, CO	Alpine Skiing
Chris	Le Bihan	Kelowna, BC	Bobsleigh
Claude	Julien	Orleans, ON	Men's Hockey
Danielle	Goyette	Saint-Nazaire, QC	Women's Hockey
Derrick	Campbell	Cambridge, ON	Short Track Speed Skating
Eric	Archer	Vail, CO	Ski Cross
Frédéric	Blackburn	Chicoutimi, QC	Short Track Speed Skating
Graham	Richardson	Bourne, UK	Bobsleigh
Gregor	Jelonek	Montreal, QC	Long Track Speed Skating
Janet	Arnott	Winnipeg, MB	Women's Curling
Jean-François	Cusson	Sainte-Agathe, QC	Freestyle Skiing - Slopestyle
Joanne	McLeod	Vancouver, BC	Figure Skating - Team
Johnny	Johns	Detroit, MI	Figure Skating - Team & Ice Dance
Jonathon	Cavar	Calgary, AB	Short Track Speed Skating
Jean-Paul	Richard	Mascouche, QC	Freestyle Skiing - Moguls
Kathy	Johnson	Kansas City, MO	Figure Skating - Team & Men's Singles
Ken	Hitchcock	Edmonton, AB	Men's Hockey
Kevin	Dineen	Toronto, ON	Women's Hockey
Kris	Wirtz	Waterloo, ON	Figure Skating - Team
Laurent	Daignault	Montreal, QC	Short Track Speed Skating
Lindy	Ruff	Warburg, AB	Men's Hockey
Lisa	Haley	Westville, NS	Women's Hockey
Marc	McDonnell	Squamish, BC	Freestyle Skiing - Halfpipe
Marc-Andre	Moreau	Chambly, QC	Freestyle Skiing - Moguls
Marcel	Mathieu	Orcières, FRA	Snowboard Cross
Mark	Wild	Calgary, AB	Long Track Speed Skating
Martin	Rufener	Canmore, AB	Alpine Skiing
Matt	Cockell	Winnipeg, MB	Women's Hockey
Michel	Hamelin	Val-Morin, QC	Freestyle Skiing - Moguls
Mike	Babcock	Saskatoon, SK	Men's Hockey
Mike	Crowe	Butte, MT	Long Track Speed Skating
Ralph	Krueger	Winnipeg, MB	Men's Hockey
Ravi	Walia	Edmonton, AB	Figure Skating - Team
Rewk	Patten	Crested Butte, CO	Alpine Skiing
Richard	Gauthier	Montreal, QC	Figure Skating - Team
Rob	Kober	Penticton, BC	Freestyle Skiing - Moguls
Serge	Dugas	Magog, QC	Alpine Skiing
Stefan	Guay	Mont-Tremblant, QC	Alpine Skiing
Stephan	Bosch	Penzberg, GER	Bobsleigh
Steve	Omischl	North Bay, ON	Freestyle Skiing - Moguls
Toben	Sutherland	Orillia, ON	Freestyle Skiing - Slopestyle
Todd	McClements	Calgary, AB	Long Track Speed Skating
Tom	Coulterman	Sault Ste. Marie, ON	Men's Curling
Tom	De La Hunty	Bromley, Great Britain	Bobsleigh
Trennon	Paynter	Squamish, BC	Freestyle Skiing - Halfpipe
Willy	Raine	Whistler, BC	Ski Cross
Xiuli	Wang	Calgary, AB	Long Track Speed Skating

SOURCE: Canadian Olympic Committee

Canadian Olympic Committee Media Office: Jane Almeida, Senior Manager, Media Relations, Tel: [phone] / Cell: 416-540-1788, Email: [email protected]; Luc Beaudin, Coordinator, Communications and Media Relations, Cell: 514-206-6720, Email: [email protected]