February 21, 2007 (Toronto, ON) — The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) welcomes the Harper Government’s renewal of ParticipACTION, a charitable not-for-profit organization designed to promote physical fitness and activity. The COC also took the opportunity to encourage the government to provide support in the forthcoming budget for the Road To Excellence program, designed to help Canada’s summer Olympians as they prepare for Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.

“Similar to the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit announced last year, the renewal of ParticipACTION is another encouraging step by the Government of Canada towards promoting the benefits of sport and physical activities to all Canadians,” said Chris Rudge, COC Chief Executive Officer. “The Canadian Olympic Committee supports initiatives from grassroots athletics to high-performance sport that are designed to develop the complete spectrum of the Canadian sport system. By involving a greater number of children in sport, Canada is strengthening its base of athletes who have the potential to achieve podium success at future Olympic Games.”

“At the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Canada’s athletes demonstrated the heights that can be achieved with strong funding and support,” said Alex Baumann, Executive Director, Road To Excellence. “We look forward to ongoing discussions with Secretary of State Helena Guergis regarding a commitment of funding for the Road To Excellence program in the upcoming budget to give Canada’s summer athletes a similar opportunity to achieve the Olympic podium results of their winter colleagues.”

The Road To Excellence Business Plan, released in June 2006, was developed by the 28 Olympic and Paralympic summer sports, the COC, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and Sport Canada as an initial action plan to start the process of creating a more coordinated, effective Canadian sport system resulting in world-class programs, policies and financing that will help Canada achieve podium success. The plan targets a top 16 placing for Canada at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and a top 12 placing at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

The Canadian Olympic Committee is a national, private, not-for-profit organization committed to sport excellence. It is responsible for all aspects of Canada’s involvement in the Olympic movement, including Canada’s participation in the Olympic and Pan American Games and a wide variety of programs that promote the Olympic Movement in Canada through cultural and educational means. For more information, see the COC website: www.olympic.ca.