A unique program recognizing Canadian athletes

The Road to Excellence, a national program recognizing Canadian athletes, is off to a great start in its second year with a selection of 86 Canadian athletes for 1999. Thirty-second TV vignettes profiling the athletes, their sports and their goals will be aired throughout the country on CBC/Radio Canada, the official Olympic network, until the 2008 Games.

The Road to Excellence is based on a two-year cycle determined by the schedule of the Olympic Games. As the next Olympics are the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, the athletes chosen this year all compete in summer sports.

Created in 1997, The Road to Excellence program has a mission to make as many Canadians as possible recognize and appreciate our national athletes and their accomplishments on the international and Olympic scenes. Fostering interest in our athletes and having them share the highlights of their sports careers should boost Canadians’ pride and support, which is the primary objective of The Road to Excellence.

The Road to Excellence complements its goal of generating greater pride in our athletes with a financial component.   In 1999, the program expects to contribute about $88,000 to the athletes, and $44,000 to their sports federations.  In all, the program will distribute a sum estimated at more than $130,000.   An initial grant of $500 to the athletes or $1,000 to teams has already been paid to those chosen in 1999.  An additional grant of $1,000 goes to the athletes or $2,000 to the teams who achieve their goal.

The Canadian Fencing Federation had four athletes selected for the program - Sherraine Schalm, Mathieu Brouillet, Marc-Olivier Hassoun and Julie Mahoney.

The Road to Excellence was conceived and is produced by Serdy Video, a television production company located in Longueuil, Québec.   It has been made possible through the commitment of the program’s main partner, The Dairy Farmers of Canada, its sponsor, Royal Bank Financial Group, its patron, the Government of Canada, and its two contributors, the Canadian Olympic Association and Canadian Sports Federations.

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