Canadian Olympic Foundation
Dominating the podium with your donations
This article is brought to you by the Canadian Olympic Foundation for the March 2018 edition of STRIVE.
Team Canada just wrapped up its most successful Olympic Winter Games ever with a remarkable 29 medal total. Finishing as third overall with a gold medal count of 11, our athletes have so much to be proud of.
But they could not have succeeded without you and the generous donations of Canadians both here at home and around the world.
Canadian athletes enter the stadium during the closing ceremonies at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, while drones design the Games’ mascot in the sky on Sunday, February 25, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
To be an Olympian it takes years of training to perfect your sport, tough international competitions and constant upgrades in equipment. These things are essential to performing at high levels in sport. Unfortunately, these things also come with a hefty price tag that often falls directly on the athletes’ shoulders.
In our February 2018 newsletter, we told you about a few athletes to keep your eye on that your donations have supported through the Canadian Olympic Foundation. Two of those athletes – Justin Kripps (bobsleigh) and Kelsey Serwa (freestyle skiing) – brought back gold medals thanks to your support.
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Kim Boutin, featured in our December 2015 issue of STRIVE, was an incredible story from the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 as she came home with not one, not two, but THREE medals (2x bronze, 1x silver). Kim’s outstanding performances landed her as Team Canada’s official Closing Ceremony flag bearer. As donors through the Canadian Olympic Foundation, you have followed her Olympic journey from Next Gen to achieving her goals and dreams of becoming a decorated Olympian.
PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA – FEBRUARY 22: Kim Boutin finish 2nd in at the Short Track Speed Skating -Women’s 1000m Final at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Ice Arena on February 22, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea (Photo by Vincent Ethier/COC)
To give you an idea of just how much money goes into performing at their best, Justin Kripps purchased one set of new runners (the blades on the bottom of each bobsled) for his 2-man sled just before the Games. That one set cost him a cool $15,000. Each pilot generally travels with upwards of SIX sets of runners. Kim Boutin covers the cost of her blades and boots running her about $3,000 every year. Your donation will help athletes pay for these essential pieces of equipment and can also help with specialized sport nutrition, high-performance coaching, and essential travel helping them to maintain their high level of skill.
Justin Kripps and Alexander Kopacz of Canada during the bobsleigh finals of PyeongChang 2018 on February 19, 2018. (Photo by Jason Ransom/COC)
With your help we can make sure these athletes no longer have to stress and worry about where to find the money to continue in their sport. With generous contributions from donors and Canadians like you, we can help Team Canada become the best in the world. Thank you so much for your contributions so far! #BeGenerous #BeOlympic
