Young cricketers welcome CIMA Mayor's School Cricket Tournament and new CIBC trophy

TORONTO, April 19, 2012 /CNW/ - Today, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford; Amal Ratnayake, Chair, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA); Police Chief Bill Blair; Raza Hasan, Senior Vice President, CIBC; Chris Bolton, Chair, Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and Ann Andrachuk, Chair, Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) officially launched the CIMA Mayor's School Cricket Tournament.

"We have launched this tournament to give Toronto youth who play cricket an opportunity to participate in their own tournament," said Mayor Rob Ford. "Cricket helps young people develop sport and leadership skills, and encourages them to stay involved in healthy activities."

The CIMA Mayor's School Cricket Tournament was also initiated as a way for the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants to extend its support, engage youth and contribute to the community and the sport of cricket.

"As good management accountants, our members understand the value of partnerships in community building," said Amal Ratnayake, the Chair of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, (CIMA) Canada. "We are delighted to be able to build a strong partnership between TDSB, TCDSB, the City of Toronto and CIBC to engage our young people through the game of cricket."

Cricket is one of the fastest growing sports in the Toronto. Played in more than 100 countries across the world, cricket is part of the cultural heritage of thousands of Torontonians. It is becoming increasingly popular with school-age children and youth across the city. Cricket is played at several local schools and over 50 school teams take part annually in Toronto tournaments alone. Cricket rivals basketball in popularity at some schools.

"The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is delighted to partner with the City of Toronto, the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) and the Chartered Institute of Management Consultants (CIMA) in promoting the first formal inter school cricket tournament - CIMA's Mayor's School Cricket Tournament," said Chris Bolton, Chair, Toronto District School Board.

"We are pleased to support the development of this sport in our schools," said Ann Andrachuk, Chair of the Toronto Catholic District School Board. "With our continued focus on student achievement and well being, we take very seriously our role in promoting healthy and active living starting from an early age. This includes supporting the growth of athletics in our schools, as we know that a student's educational experience is not limited to what is learned in the classroom setting."

The main objective of the CIMA Mayor's School Cricket Tournament is to provide Toronto's diverse populations of young cricketers with an opportunity to experience tournament play and to learn team-building, cross-cultural communications and leadership.

At today's event, Gayan Ferdinands was given special recognition for being named best bowler at the International Cricket Association Americas Under 15 Northern Championship.

Last year's pilot tournament winners from Woburn Collegiate Institute and Smithfield Middle School were presented with the new CIBC Trophy. Highfield Junior School received cricket kits donated by CIBC.

The girls' cricket team from West Humber Collegiate Institute was honoured for its participation in the first TDSB indoor cricket tournament.

"CIBC is proud to support this exciting and inclusive event that will continue to foster the growth of cricket in Canada at the grassroots level and give Toronto's students from all backgrounds a chance to experience the game," said Raza Hasan, Senior Vice-President, CIBC. "We look forward to awarding the CIBC Trophy to the winning team in each division."

The tournament will be held on May 14 to 17 at the Eglinton Flats Park, G. Ross Lord Park, Centennial Park and Sunnybrook Park. The final games of the tournament will be held on June 2 at Summerlea Park. Tournament website: http://www.cima.mayorscricket.com

CIBC is a leading North American financial institution with nearly 11 million personal banking and business clients. CIBC is committed to supporting causes that matter to our clients, our employees and our communities. We aim to make a difference in communities through corporate donations, sponsorships and the volunteer spirit of employees. In 2011, CIBC contributed more than $35 million to charitable and non-profit initiatives in Canada to support national, regional and local organizations. You can find other news releases and information about CIBC in our Press Centre on our corporate website at www.cibc.com.

Toronto is Canada's largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.7 million people. Toronto's government is dedicated to delivering customer service excellence, creating a transparent and accountable government, reducing the size and cost of government and building a transportation city. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can dial 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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