Paralympian Search visits Toronto to discover next generation of Canadian Paralympic athletes

Toronto to host Paralympic athlete recruitment event Sat. Feb. 27

OTTAWA, Feb. 24, 2015 /CNW/ - The search continues for the next generation of #PARATOUGH athletes ready for the athletic opportunity of a lifetime – the chance to discover a new sport and spark the dream of competing for Canada.

The Canadian Paralympic Committee, in collaboration with the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network and Canada's national sport organizations, is pleased to announce that the Paralympian Search will visit Toronto on Saturday, February 27.

Paralympian Search is an exciting program designed to identify the next generation of Canadian Paralympic athletes. It is a series of one-day events offering people with a disability the chance to test their abilities and discover which Paralympic sports they are best suited for.

The event is open to people with a physical disability or a visual impairment, aged 14 to 35. Registration is free and can be done at paralympic.ca/paralympian-search.

Participants will have the chance to meet Elaine Allard, a Paralympic wheelchair basketball player, silver medallist at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and 2014 world championship gold medallist.

WHERE: Canadian Sport Institute Ontario / Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre
100-875 Morningside Avenue, Toronto, Ont. M1C 0C7
WHEN: Saturday, February 27, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
REGISTER: paralympic.ca/paralympian-search

Additional Paralympian Search events this year are scheduled for Halifax on April 23 and Montreal on April 30. The first Paralympian Search event was held in Calgary on Nov. 14, 2015. For more information and to register, please visit paralympic.ca/paralympian-search.

"I'm very excited to be involved in the Paralympian Search event in Toronto because I will always be grateful to the people who helped me get involved in parasport," said Paralympic wheelchair basketball player Elaine Allard. "I was first exposed to wheelchair basketball in my late teens while rehabbing from my accident, and ever since sport has provided me with unparalleled opportunity to grow as a person on and off the field of play. I'm very much looking forward to the opportunity to help more Canadians with a disability discover opportunities in Paralympic sport."

"The inaugural Paralympian Search event in Calgary was a great success and we are looking forward to bringing the program to Toronto," said Catherine Gosselin-Després, Executive Director, Sport at the Canadian Paralympic Committee. "This unique program supports the identification of Canada's next generation of Paralympic stars through an innovative targeted approach with sports. It's very exciting to work with our sport partners to help people discover the sports they are suited for and to ensure that all participants benefit from expert testing and follow up."

"Canadian Sport Institute Ontario is delighted to welcome the Paralympian Search to our facility," said Debbie Low, CEO of Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO). "This initiative is a unique and forward-thinking program to identify talented individuals and assist them on their sporting journey. Our team at CSIO is pleased to provide leadership and expertise in helping with the identification and support of new athletes. We look forward to working with many of these participants as they progress towards becoming Paralympic athletes."

About the Canadian Paralympic Committee

The Canadian Paralympic Committee is a non-profit, private organization with 27 member sports organizations dedicated to strengthening the Paralympic Movement. The Canadian Paralympic Committee's vision is to be the world's leading Paralympic nation. Its mission is to lead the development of a sustainable Paralympic sport system in Canada to enable athletes to reach the podium at the Paralympic Games. By supporting Canadian high performance athletes with a disability and promoting their success, the Canadian Paralympic Committee inspires all Canadians with a disability to get involved in sport through programs delivered by its member organizations. For more information, visit www.paralympic.ca

About the Canadian Olympic & Paralympic Sport Institute Network:
The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network (COPSI Network) is a partnership between the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and the Canadian Sport Institute Network which is made up of seven Sport Institutes and Centres across Canada. The aim of this partnership is to strengthen and align Canada's high performance sport system through a shared vision, areas of collaboration and new funding opportunities. The COPSI Network supports Canada's world-leading Olympic and Paralympic podium performances by providing world-class, multi-sport daily training environments to high performance athletes, coaches, and sport organizations through expert leadership, programs, and sport science and sport medicine services.

Follow the Canadian Paralympic Committee:

www.paralympic.ca 
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SOURCE Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC)

Laura Albright, Senior Communications Coordinator, Canadian Sport Institute Ontario, Phone: [phone] ext. 238, Cell: 416.801.4778, [email protected]; Alison Korn, Senior Manager, Media Relations and Communications, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Phone: [phone] ext. 243, Cell: 613-298-4927, [email protected]