Update - Media Advisory/Photo & Video Opportunity - Chef de Mission Chantal Petitclerc continues Canadian Tour in Toronto to promote Paralympic sport on the road to Rio 2016

Petitclerc to connect with local athletes training for Rio

TORONTO, Feb 25, 2016 /CNW/ - Chantal Petitclerc, Canada's Chef de Mission for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, will continue her Canadian Tour on Friday, February 26 with a stop in Toronto to promote Paralympic sport and local athletes on the road to Rio.

Toronto will be Petitclerc's third stop in a national tour that brought her to Ottawa/Gatineau in December and Calgary in January.

In Toronto, Petitclerc will cheer on a wheelchair basketball demonstration by members of Canada's national teams and meet with local Rio 2016 hopefuls :

• Wheelchair basketball player Melanie Hawtin, of Oakville, Ont., a silver medallist at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and a 2014 world championship gold medallist;
• Athletes training at the National Wheelchair Basketball Academy.

Media are invited to the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre Field House for photo, video and interview opportunities – and the chance to try wheelchair basketball.

WHAT	Interview and photo/video opportunities
WHO	Chantal Petitclerc, Canada's Chef de Mission for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games Melanie Hawtin (wheelchair basketball), Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games silver medallist, Rio hopeful Athletes training at the National Wheelchair Basketball Academy Additional special guests including City of Toronto Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong, Olympians Curt Harnett (cycling) and Mark Tewksbury (swimming), Peter Ihnacak (Toronto Maple Leafs), Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC)
WHEN	Friday, February 26, 2016 12 :30 – 1 :00 p.m. B-roll and action photos of national wheelchair basketball team members 1 :00 to 2 :00 p.m. Welcome from Chantal Petitclerc, interview and photo opportunities, chance to try wheelchair basketball
WHERE	Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, Field House 875 Morningside Avenue, Toronto, Ont. M1C 0C7 Parking: South Parking Entrance: Main Lobby (south end of the building)

Petitclerc's cross-country tour will encompass eight Canadian cities until June 2016, aiming to build awareness of Canadian Paralympic athletes. Petitclerc, a five-time Paralympian and 14-time Paralympic gold medallist in wheelchair racing, knows that community support is crucial to every athlete's success.

For more information and/or to arrange interviews, please contact :

ONSITE :
Alison Korn, Canadian Paralympic Committee :
Cell: 613-298-4927 / [email protected]

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

Follow the Canadian Paralympic Committee:
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SOURCE Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC)

Alison Korn, Senior Manager, Media Relations and Communications, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Phone: [phone] ext. 243, Cell: 613-298-4927, [email protected]; Martin Richard, Executive Director, Communications and Marketing, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Cell: 613-725-4339, [email protected]