The Government of Ontario is supporting an athlete from Mississauga who will be representing Canada at the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Mississauga resident Jennifer Botterill received support through the province’s Quest for Gold program and will be competing in the upcoming Winter Olympic Games as a part of Canada’s Women’s Hockey team.
Established in 2006, the province’s Quest for Gold program is helping Ontario’s athletes reach the highest level of international competition by giving them access to high-performance training and competitive opportunities.
The program also provides funding to high-performance coaches in Ontario.
The province committed $10 million to the Quest for Gold program in 2009-2010. Approximately $6.3 million is going directly to more than 1,100 high-performance athletes, including those vying for spots on Canada’s team for the Paralympic Games in March.
QUOTES
“It’s great to see one of our local athletes going to compete in Vancouver. We’re all very proud of Jennifer’s achievement. We’ll be cheering her on as she and the rest of Team Canada take on the world in their quest for gold.”
- Charles Sousa MPP, Mississauga South
“Supporting high-performance athletes is an important part of our government’s plan to build sport in Ontario. Our Quest for Gold program ensures that our athletes have every opportunity to reach their full potential. We are proud of our amateur athletes. They are wonderful role models who inspire Ontarians to lead healthy, active lives.”
- Margarett Best, Minister of Health Promotion
QUICK FACTS
§ Approximately 85 per cent of eligible Ontario athletes competing in the Vancouver Olympics are Quest for Gold recipients.
§ Since 2006, the Quest for Gold program has provided over $42 million to support more than 8,000 high-performance athletes and coaches.
§ At the 2008 Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, 131 of the 180 Ontario athletes on Team Canada were Quest for Gold recipients. Twenty-three of these athletes won medals.
§ Ontario has invested an additional $2.5 million over three years in ‘Own the Podium’, a national program to help Canada’s winter athletes succeed at the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Vancouver.
LEARN MORE
Find out more about Ontario’s Quest for Gold program.
Check out the latest on the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Vancouver.