Sports

Be nimble, be quick. Isn’t that how the old nursery rhyme goes?  While Jack is busy jumping over candlesticks in preparation for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, we present lesson number one in the IST Lowdown: ISTs are nimble and ISTs are quick.

The Integrated Support Team (IST) – a collection of experts across a multitude of disciplines that collaborate to enhance performance, is an integral component of any high-performance sport program.

These experts are physicians, physiotherapists, coaches, sport scientists, nutritionists, sport psychologists, biomechanists and others, many of whom come from the four Canadian Sport Institutes (CSIs) and three Centres that make up the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sports Institute (COPSI) Network.

To say that ISTs are nimble we mean they evolve, adapt, and deal; to say they are quick we mean they troubleshoot and solve.

Take Freestyle Canada (FC), the National Sport Organization (NSO) for the four freestyle ski disciplines of moguls, aerials, halfpipe and slopestyle. In today’s warming climate, chasing snow has become a driving force in the program. By necessity, therefore, FC is decentralized, meaning the entire team is scattered across the country and the challenge is optimizing on-snow training and competition around the globe. How do they make it work?

To help manage the program’s complexity, FC relies on the expertise and support of three COPSI Network members: Pacific, Calgary and Québec.

Adrian King, Director of Sport Science and Medicine and IST Lead at FC, says that because the team is decentralized they have created an IST across the country that is an extremely experienced, high level group of therapists, doctors and sport scientists.

King says that accessing experts through the CSIs helps from a quality control standpoint, too. “The CSI helps us bring in IST members that we know are vetted, quality people and practitioners.”  These are the ones who evolve, adapt and deal – the nimble part.

Todd Allison, High Performance Director, Moguls and Aerials at FC, says the partnership with the COPSI Network also allows FC to seek expert guidance on short notice, use facility space for training and logistics, book lab space for testing and analysis, and have athletes access Game Plan services – Canada’s athlete wellness program that strives to support national team athletes in living balanced and holistic lives.

“These things are over and above what we get from the IST,” explains Allison. “CSIs can basically service us wherever we are. They help troubleshoot for all issues that arise — if we have a problem, they can solve it.” That’s the quick part.

Let’s highlight a real-world example of quick and nimble.  A phone call comes in to Andrew Kates, Strength and Conditioning Coach at CSI Pacific and a key part of FC’s IST. “It looks like we might not have a good warm-up facility at the Olympics in Beijing.” He is unfazed: “Yeah, so?”

Dealing with the unexpected is routine for Kates and the entire FC team, IST and athletes included. “We find fast, unique solutions for training all the time” explains Kates. “Sometimes we warm up in cafeterias and hallways.”

Kates is also nimble. His primary role is crafting and implementing off-snow training programs. The key skill he has fostered is carving out specialized knowledge from the halfpipe to understand and meet the demands of the sport.  “There is no textbook for how to build a halfpipe athlete,” Kates explains. “I draw on knowledge I have from more traditional sports and use that experience to see how new things will apply to this niche sport.”

For Kates, that means constantly adapting and refining his training programs, and innovating by building his own data and monitoring solutions to track every single jump.

But the next step highlights the real power of the IST, and is one of its hallmark traits – sharing information and knowledge across disciplines within the IST to help make better decisions and plans to enhance athlete performance. Because FC is decentralized, Kates can tap into the expertise of other experts in the COPSI Network.

“This collaboration is essential to providing an optimal performance environment”, says Lu Bonnett, High Performance Advisor at Institut national du sport (INS) Québec. FC relies on INS Québec to meet needs and standards in data collection, and facilitates sharing knowledge with the IST that directly benefits athletes.

It’s not always seamless and communication can be a challenge, but it’s a way for experts to rub heads together and collaborate, which advances the sport to higher levels of performance.  Build knowledge, share, improve, repeat.

So, there you have it: IST takeaway #1. WECAN be nimble and quick – COPSI Network experts create specialized knowledge, share that knowledge with each other and thrive in a complex, decentralized sport.

—

About the COPSI Network

The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network (COPSI Network) provides world-leading training environments to elite athletes and coaches across Canada. The team of experts delivers sport science and medicine, coaching, research and innovation, education and Game Plan services to power podium performances and help Canada win more medals. The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network includes four Canadian Sport Institutes (Pacific, Calgary, Ontario and Québec) and three Canadian Sport Centres (Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Atlantic).

 

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Media Contacts:

Annie Gagnon, Director, Marketing & Communications

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

c: 613.262.9644

e: [email protected]

 

Noah Wheelock, General Manager, Operations & Communications

Canadian Sport Institute Pacific

c: 250.220.2534

e: [email protected]

 

Jean Gosselin, Director, Communications & Marketing

Institut national du sport du Québec

c: 514.757.9092

e: [email protected]

 

Laura Albright, Senior Advisor, Communications & Marketing

Canadian Sport Institute Ontario

c: 647.395.7536

e: [email protected]

 

Jaime Lammerding, Communications Coordinator

Canadian Sport Centre Saskatchewan

c: 306 975-0830

e: [email protected]

 

Sarah MacNeil, Communications & Project Lead

Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic

c: 902.595.0485

e: [email protected]

 

Jessie Davis, Marketing & Communications Specialist

Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba

c: 204.891.5441

e: [email protected]

Picture this: a network of satellites zooming through space, in orbit high above Planet Figure Skating. They receive signals from “stars” on the icy surface below. The satellites then process these signals and transmit back key information to the surface, which is used by the stars to optimize and realize their best performance.

Kelly Quipp is one of the satellites. The Lead Exercise Physiologist at Canadian Sport Institute (CSI) Calgary and national Integrated Support Team (IST) Lead at Skate

The stars, of course, are Canada’s best and brightest figure skaters, all vying for Olympic glory, passionately and persistently carving their blades into the ice with precision and artistry.

The cosmic link between the satellites and the stars is relatively new. “This is a sport untouched by sport science,” remarks Mike Slipchuk, High Performance Director at Skate Canada.  “We are bringing in new concepts, ideas and methods with things like strength and conditioning that we haven’t used in the past, different ways of training.”

In a sport that is so much about art, launching the national IST has helped to bring science to the fore.  “It was an opportunity to leverage experts,” confirms Slipchuk. “And how we can make it work in figure skating.”

It has been a slow, but effective development at Skate Canada. Not only is the sport decentralized across the country, every skater is like a planet unto themselves, each with its own coach and, in many cases, IST. “There are different ways to get athletes to their optimal performance, it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach,” explains Slipchuk. “It’s tailored to individual athletes and events.”

Training primarily out of the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) in Toronto and Institut national du sport du Québec in Montréal, all of Skate Canada’s stars rely on a vast and connected network of satellites to maximize every aspect of their preparation.

The key attribute is the constant relaying of signals between local and national IST members, like therapists, nutritionists, physicians, strength and conditioning coaches, and others, who support the team with a wide array of tools, including initiatives like the injury and illness monitoring system implemented by Quipp, where skaters provide weekly health updates.

The strong core of advisors that make up the national IST fill many roles, in some cases as full-fledged IST members with direct impacts on a skater’s training and performance, in others as advisors who provide support more peripherally.  “We’re like central command,” says Quipp. “Athletes and coaches know we’re here to support them, we’re not going to bother them if they have a good thing going.”

Take Paul Poirier and Piper Gilles, Canada’s top ice dance duo: The Olympic-bound bronze medallists from the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships have built up their own bespoke IST, comprised of experts in many fields, some of whom are independent providers and others that are part of the COPSI Network.

The pair worked closely with Quipp starting in September 2019, where she advised on their training, both on and off ice, helping with testing and implementing optimal training sequences. “They learned a lot from that process,” says Quipp.  When the pandemic hit, Gilles and Poirier felt comfortable taking the reins and Quipp now helps primarily with testing, results and relaying any issues to the local team.

A key member of that local IST is Meghan Buttle, Physiotherapist at CSIO and working with Skate Canada and as the IST Lead at Skate Ontario, and a former ice dancer.  Buttle has been the pair’s main therapist since 2016 and sees herself as the ‘eyes on the ground’ for Poirier and Gilles.  “Paul and Piper are the drivers of their own team,” she says. “But I can provide additional insight by monitoring and sharing signals with the Network when necessary.”

Nick Robinson, an independent strength and conditioning coach, has also been working with Gilles and Poirier since 2016.  He says what sets the pair apart is their experience, maturity and focus.  “They work seamlessly together and with their team. They are very capable of relaying important issues and it’s rare that anything gets too bad,” he says.

As one of the many satellites in constant orbit around Planet Figure Skating, those are just the kinds of signals Mike Slipchuk wants to receive.  “We just want to make sure everyone has what they need.”

Once that happens – once all those signals have been received and processed and transmitted back – the lights go dark and the satellites know it’s time to zoom out and let those stars shine.

—

About the COPSI Network

The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network (COPSI Network) provides world-leading training environments to elite athletes and coaches across Canada. The team of experts delivers sport science and medicine, coaching, research and innovation, education and Game Plan services to power podium performances and help Canada win more medals. The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network includes four Canadian Sport Institutes (Pacific, Calgary, Ontario and Québec) and three Canadian Sport Centres (Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Atlantic).

 

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Media Contacts:

Annie Gagnon, Director, Marketing & Communications

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

c: 613.262.9644

e: [email protected]

 

Noah Wheelock, General Manager, Operations & Communications

Canadian Sport Institute Pacific

c: 250.220.2534

e: [email protected]

 

Jean Gosselin, Director, Communications & Marketing

Institut national du sport du Québec

c: 514.757.9092

e: [email protected]

 

Laura Albright, Senior Advisor, Communications & Marketing

Canadian Sport Institute Ontario

c: 647.395.7536

e: [email protected]

 

Jaime Lammerding, Communications Coordinator

Canadian Sport Centre Saskatchewan

c: 306 975-0830

e: [email protected]

 

Sarah MacNeil, Communications & Project Lead

Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic

c: 902.595.0485

e: [email protected]

 

Jessie Davis, Marketing & Communications Specialist

Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba

c: 204.891.5441

e: [email protected]

 

VICTORIA – After four years of intense preparation, Canadian winter athletes are gearing up to take the stage at the upcoming Olympics in Beijing from February 4^th to 20^th. After many past COVID-19 delays and closures, the Olympics are finally back on their normal schedule and a number of B.C. affiliated athletes are ready to take the spotlight in Beijing.

There is a total of 215 athletes officially representing Team Canada from far and wide. Of that total, 74 of those athletes (34% of Team Canada) have a direct connection to British Columbia. There are 68 athletes (32%) who are affiliated with Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (CSI Pacific) that have accessed programs and services and/or training in our facilities during the quadrennial lead up to the Games. A further seven athletes were born and/or raised in British Columbia that spent a portion of their development years training in BC.

“We are very excited to see that the Games are happening as scheduled so we can cheer on Team Canada as they take on the world in Beijing,” said Wendy Pattenden, CEO Canadian Sport Institute Pacific. “These athletes, coaches and national sport organizations have had challenges like never before to get to these Games and their determination, resilience and hard work have been inspiring. It’s fantastic to see Team Canada so well-represented by B.C. affiliated athletes in Beijing.”

“We are extremely fortunate to have an incredible facility partner in Whistler Sport Legacies, as well. Their facility, which houses CSI Pacific’s Whistler campus, is a legacy of the 2010 Vancouver Games and is a world-class facility for Canada’s winter sports athletes in which to train.”

A number of key organizations work collaboratively to help these athletes achieve their goals: Sport Canada’s sustained investment (through the Own the Podium Program), National Sport Organizations, the Province of British Columbia, Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (CSI Pacific), viaSport and its Regional Alliance partners all play an essential role in supporting young athletes and coaches throughout the province.

“We are immensely proud that B.C. athletes will be representing our nation as part of Team Canada. There are seventy-four athletes with deep roots in B.C. who have been training their whole lives to get to this point. We see the incredible challenges and sacrifices throughout the pandemic you have faced and know that qualifying for these games is already an incredible feat,” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “Your success not only speaks to your incredible athleticism, but to your perseverance and strength of character. You are the best of the best. I join British Columbians provincewide who will be cheering you on. We wish you all the best for a safe and successful games as you reach for the stars.”

With the Province’s commitment to improving sport and increasing accessibly throughout the province, B.C. affiliated athletes continue to gain every advantage to compete on the world stage. By creating a safe and competitive environment, athletes have the opportunity to develop in many different sports. The athletes who pursue the performance pathway can access programs and services provided by CSI Pacific and viaSport’s Regional Alliance partners in their regions.

“The Olympic Games are an inspiring symbol of how sport upholds the values of determination, resiliency, integrity and community. Watching so many British Columbians on this stage also shows the strength of our sport ecosystem and the opportunities it provides at all levels of participation. As we cheer on these incredible athletes, coaches, and officials, let’s remember to find our own place in sport in our communities, whether it’s by registering for a sport program, volunteering, or supporting your local club as a fan or a sponsor. To Team Canada and all our B.C. athletes, thank you for the inspiration and good luck!” said Charlene Krepiakevich, CEO, viaSport BC.

 

 

B.C. affiliated athletes won 38% of Canada’s medals at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics and 32% of Canada’s 25 medals were won by B.C. affiliated athletes at the Olympics in Sochi in 2014.

There are many reasons for B.C.’s prominent position on the national sport landscape. These include:

• The Government of British Columbia’s annual investment in sport of approximately $50 million
• viaSport’s lead role in promoting and developing amateur sport and building a stronger, more effective and inclusive sport system for both athletes and coaches through provincial sport organizations and regional delivery partners
• Canadian Sport Institute Pacific’s technical leadership and support of Canada’s high-performance athletes and coaches. Using their mantra of Collaborate. Serve. Innovate. Perform., in combination with world-class training facilities, equipment and innovations, CSI Pacific helps Canada’s elite athletes and coaches maximize their potential
• Collaboration with our National Sport Organization and Provincial Sport Organization partners, who demonstrate leadership and commitment to the Long-Term Athlete Development model, to provide expertise, service and support to B.C. athletes and coaches competing in 24 different Olympic Summer sports (over 70 different disciplines)
• Introduction to multi-sport games experience and the sport excellence system by the BC Games Society who host the BC Winter and BC Summer Games, as well as manage the Team BC program competing at the Canada Games

 

Quick Facts about Team Canada’s B.C. affiliation for Beijing 2022:

• 68 athletes benefitted from CSI Pacific and/or viaSport Regional Alliance partner programs and services in the quadrennial lead up to the Games
• 29 people (20 athletes, 3 alternates, 5 coaches, and 1 official) who gained multi-sport games experience through the BC Games, Team BC, or both
• 3 CSI Pacific sport scientists from two disciplines will be attending the Games in a professional capacity:
  • Craig Hill – Strength & Conditioning & Integrated Support Team Lead (Ski Cross)
  • Andrew Kates – Strength & Conditioning (Freestyle Moguls)
  • Megan Kamachi – Performance Technology (member of Canadian Olympic Committee Mission staff)

CSI Pacific will be keeping you up to date on the progress of all athletes with a B.C. affiliation competing at Beijing. Visit www.csipacific.ca or www.bcmedals.ca for daily results from these athletes, as well as additional information about them, including their hometowns, social media channels, and competition schedules.

The Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing 2022 are also coming up on March 4^th. Once the team has been announced, we will provide an update on the CSI Pacific affiliated athletes going to the Paralympics, as well as those who are B.C. affiliated.

Go Canada!

 

About Canadian Sport Institute Pacific

Offering world-class Olympic and Paralympic training environments in Vancouver, Whistler and Victoria, Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (www.csipacific.ca) is committed to Powering Performance. Inspiring Excellence. Working with national sport organizations and fuelled by our national and provincial partners such as Sport Canada, viaSport, Own the Podium, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee and the Coaches Association of Canada, we are driven by our mantra to Collaborate. Serve. Innovate. Perform.

Our team of sport science, sport medicine, coaching & life services experts provide leading-edge programs and services to athletes and coaches to ensure they have every advantage to win medals for Canada. Learn more: www.csipacific.ca.

 

For more information, contact:

Noah Wheelock
General Manager, Operations & Communications
Canadian Sport Institute Pacific
[email protected]
250.813.3474

The Agony of Injury

Athletes get hurt, a lot — especially in high-risk sports — and the long road back to the field of play can be uncertain, challenging, and soul-crushingly hard.  Knees, brains, shoulders, hips, and yes, hearts, are broken, damaged, strained, pulled, and torn apart. Physics always wins.

But athletes heal, too. They mend those knees, brains, shoulders, hips, and hearts with awe-inspiring resolve. While they cannot get back a lost race, the tiny moment a knee is shredded, or the anguish that is lived in the aftermath of an injury, they can, and always do, look ahead to the challenge of healing.

So what, and who, is there to help them begin again, heal, and return to the sport they love?

 

Return to Health

Recovery and rehabilitation wouldn’t be possible without a coordinated and sustained effort by the athlete and a team of medical experts from the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute (COPSI) Network.  In most cases, the Integrated Support Team (IST) is called upon to fill this most critical role: sport medicine physicians, orthopedic surgeons, physiotherapists, athletic therapists, strength and conditioning coaches, and massage therapists.

The process they follow has a name: ‘Return to Health’, or ‘Return to Performance’, and it’s a relatively new perspective on athlete well-being that has emerged across Canada in a concerted effort to identify standards and strategies to address athlete injuries. It’s about healing the body, but also encompasses mental health and social factors, too — a bio-psycho-social approach.

A national symposium held in Calgary in 2019 brought together experts and practitioners from across the COPSI Network to begin formalizing a national strategy for return to health.

“It’s part of the evolution of sport, where a more holistic approach to athlete health is emerging,” explains Matt Jordan, Director, Sport Science at Canadian Sport Institute Calgary (CSI Calgary).  “You can’t be successful on the international stage if you don’t have strategy around health.”

Jordan says the idea behind return to health is to provide athletes with a centralized hub for their rehabilitation, as well as the resources to stay there as long as is needed.

It is a work in progress and the COPSI Network has been putting pieces into place by relying on its own resources to support injured athletes across the country.  There are several locations in the Network with formalized programs.

 

Knees and Brains

Last year, in the sport of ski cross, the national team sustained seven season-ending injuries.  Most were knee injuries, and many involved surgery.  Amazingly, of the seven athletes, five are back on snow and four recently made the Olympic Team for Beijing.  Craig Hill, IST Lead – Ski Cross at Alpine Canada and Strength and Conditioning Coach at Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (CSI Pacific), in collaboration with Isabel Aldrich-Witt, Return to Performance Lead at CSI Calgary, were instrumental in their recoveries.

Once an athlete is injured, Hill and Aldrich-Witt pool their expertise with other IST members to provide the best care for the athletes.  Once the initial emergency phase of injury management is completed, decisions regarding the course of treatment, like surgery, are made, and a recovery plan is set up.  Then an athlete joins a program inside the COPSI Network and they’ll remain centralized there until rehab is complete.  It can take anywhere from nine months to two years to recover from knee surgery.

“The goal is to get them back better than they were before the injury,” says Aldrich-Witt. She says all the athletes she’s worked with since the program began in 2019 have made it back.

As a specialist in knee injury rehabilitation, Aldrich-Witt brings a unique skillset to her practice, relying on an evidence-based exercise approach, as opposed to manual therapy.  The focus at first is on swelling reduction and range of motion. Then comes strength development, where the athlete must achieve their pre-injury strength and power, determined annually with baseline testing. Dynamic work and return to snow are next.

With over 35 practitioners on the Ski Cross IST, Hill says that communication can be challenging at times. But they meet frequently to share critical details. “The team trusts each other,” he says. “While we don’t always have the same philosophy or agree, I know I can speak up and we can have a professional conversation.” The process is productive because they keep what’s best for the athlete at the forefront.

Seeing the athletes return to competition after a gruelling injury and rehab process is extremely rewarding for IST members like Hill and Aldrich-Witt.  “We don’t celebrate that enough,” says Hill.  “Just getting back is a huge milestone for these athletes.”

In sports where crashes or collisions are frequent, it’s concussions that can be debilitating — and scary. The team at Institut national du sport du Québec (INS Québec) has established the Concussion Interdisciplinary Clinic to provide athletes with the best care possible. The clinic offers a multidisciplinary and integrated approach with a high level of specialization.

Thomas Romeas, Research and Innovation Lead at INS Québec, says that once a concussion is sustained, there is a systematic management and return to health plan put in place. “Our main goal is to protect the athlete and provide them with the best possible recovery, to accelerate return to performance and reduce the risk of a new concussion or injury.”

INS Québec Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Suzanne Leclerc, was instrumental in crafting the COPSI Network guidelines for concussion, a national collaborative effort.  Romeas emphasizes that because concussions are multi-modal in nature, experts from different fields are needed to better understand treatment. “This will only be possible with all our national resources, shared knowledge and expertise,” he says.  “And Canada has everything to lead the way in this area.”

 

Hearts Healed

For Dave Ellis, High Performance Director – Ski Cross at Alpine Canada, the benefits of the Return to Performance program are that it is formalized, centralized and close to home for many ski cross athletes.  Because it operates outside of the Ski Cross program Ellis says he relies heavily on COPSI Network practitioners to ensure that his injured athletes get the care they need, including mental health.

The Return to Performance program is a huge value add to our Ski Cross program,” he says.  “Everything is in-house and there’s a more concentrated and collaborative program around an athlete.”  The same level of care is provided between members of the COPSI Network and it enables athletes to stay close to home during recovery.

The entire sport community is increasingly aware that the approach to athlete well-being is evolving to address all aspects of human health, including broken hearts. For Jordan, Director of Sport Science at CSI Calgary, what the COPSI Network provides is scaleable, regional IST expertise in the return to performance.  “At the end of the day, athletes need to know that if they’re hurt, they’re taken care of.”

—

About the COPSI Network

The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network (COPSI Network) provides world-leading training environments to elite athletes and coaches across Canada. The team of experts delivers sport science and medicine, coaching, research and innovation, education and Game Plan services to power podium performances and help Canada win more medals. The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network includes four Canadian Sport Institutes (Pacific, Calgary, Ontario and Québec) and three Canadian Sport Centres (Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Atlantic).

 

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Media Contacts:

Annie Gagnon, Director, Marketing & Communications

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

c: 613.262.9644

e: [email protected]

 

Noah Wheelock, General Manager, Operations & Communications

Canadian Sport Institute Pacific

c: 250.220.2534

e: [email protected]

 

Jean Gosselin, Director, Communications & Marketing

Institut national du sport du Québec

c: 514.757.9092

e: [email protected]

 

Laura Albright, Senior Advisor, Communications & Marketing

Canadian Sport Institute Ontario

c: 647.395.7536

e: [email protected]

 

Jaime Lammerding, Communications Coordinator

Canadian Sport Centre Saskatchewan

c: 306 975-0830

e: [email protected]

 

Sarah MacNeil, Communications & Project Lead

Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic

c: 902.595.0485

e: [email protected]

 

Jessie Davis, Marketing & Communications Specialist

Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba

c: 204.891.5441

e: [email protected]

 

Victoria, BC – After more than two thrilling weeks, Team Canada has wrapped another successful Winter Olympics in Beijing 2022 with a total of 26 medals. This is a tie with Vancouver 2010 for the 2nd most medals ever won by Canada at a Winter Games.

Team Canada’s 26 medals also placed them fourth in the overall medal count at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Of those 26 medals, 15 (58%) were won by BC connected and CSI Pacific affiliated athletes.

The Canadian Olympic team featured 215 athletes in total, of those:
• 34% were BC Connected and they won 58% of Team Canada’s medals
• All 34% were also CSI Pacific Affiliated; i.e. they received sport science and sport medicine support from CSI Pacific and/or the PacificSport network

The medal statistics above show that B.C. connected athletes continue to punch above their weight on the world stage, winning an impressive share of medals based on the number of athletes competing.

Along with winning medals, many B.C. connected athletes had significant personal achievements and personal bests during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games. Some examples include:
• Mikaël Kingsbury became the first male freestyle skier to ever win three straight Olympic medals, and he is Canada’s most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic competition;
• Lewis Irving was part of the team that won Bronze in the Mixed Team Aerials event, Canada’s first Olympic medal in an aerials event in 20 years;
• Jack Crawford became the first Canadian to ever reach the podium in an Alpine Combined event at the Olympic Winter Games;
• Christine de Bruin won Canada’s first ever medal in Women’s Monobob; and
• Mark McMorris is the first athlete to win three consecutive Bronze medals in the same Olympic event over three different Winter Games

“Canada’s athletes have always shown the world how tough and resilient they are, but the Beijing Games took it to a whole other level,” said CSI Pacific CEO Wendy Pattenden. “On top of the incredible mental strength it took these athletes to make it to Beijing through the pandemic, they also showed phenomenal physical and mental strength to overcome injuries and illness and thrive on the world’s biggest stage. Our team of sport science and sport medicine practitioners at CSI Pacific are privileged to work with these athletes and our National Sport Organization partners over this past quadrennial and at these Winter Olympics.”

B.C. affiliated athletes and coaches rely heavily on programs and donations from all levels of government including Own the Podium and Sport Canada in combination with the leadership and commitment of viaSport, National Sport Organizations and Provincial Sport Organizations throughout the province.

“On behalf of viaSport, congratulations to the B.C. athletes, coaches and staff on a momentous Games! Hearing stories of the immense preparation that goes into each of these Olympic performances is incredible. viaSport is proud to support a B.C. amateur sport system that not only helps these champions shine, but grows opportunities for everyone who is inspired by them to join in and participate. These Olympics have shown that when people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds have the chance to participate in sport, amazing things can happen. I hope these performances inspire more British Columbians to seek out those opportunities and be part of the sport community right here at home.”

With the strict restrictions to keep the athlete and coaches safe and healthy during the Olympic Games, CSI Pacific sent three staff members to Beijing 2022 to support Team Canada athletes in certain sports.

 

Canadian Sport Institute Pacific Staff Working at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games

 

Staff Member	Discipline	Sport
Craig Hill	Strength & Conditioning and Integrated Support Team Lead	Ski Cross
Andrew Kates	Strength & Conditioning	Freestyle Moguls
Megan Kamachi	Performance Technology	Team Canada Mission Staff

 

 

 

Canadian Sport Institute Pacific Affiliated Athletes Who Won an Olympic Medal at Beijing 2022

(listed by sport, then surname)

 

Athlete	Sport	Medal
Jack Crawford	Alpine Skiing – Combined	Bronze
Justin Kripps, Ryan Sommer, Ben Coakwell, Cam Stones	Bobsleigh – Four-man	Bronze
Christine de Bruin	Bobsleigh – Monobob	Bronze
Lewis Irving	Freestyle Skiing – Aerials (Mixed Team)	Bronze
Rachael Karker	Freestyle Skiing – Halfpipe	Bronze
Cassie Sharpe	Freestyle Skiing – Halfpipe	Silver
Mikaël Kingsbury	Freestyle Skiing – Moguls	Silver
Micah Zandee-Hart	Ice Hockey – Women’s	Gold
Marielle Thompson	Ski Cross	Silver
Mark McMorris	Snowboard – Slopestyle	Bronze
Max Parrot	Snowboard – Slopestyle Snowboard – Big Air	Gold Bronze
Eliot Grondin	Snowboard Cross – Men’s Snowboard Cross – Mixed	Silver Bronze
Meryeta O’Dine	Snowboard Cross – Women’s Snowboard Cross – Mixed	Bronze Bronze

 

—

About Canadian Sport Institute Pacific

Offering world-class Olympic and Paralympic training environments in Vancouver, Whistler and Victoria, Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (www.csipacific.ca) is committed to Powering Performance. Inspiring Excellence. Working with national sport organizations and fuelled by our national and provincial partners such as Sport Canada, viaSport, Own the Podium, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee and the Coaches Association of Canada, we are driven by our mantra to Collaborate. Serve. Innovate. Perform.

Our team of sport science, sport medicine, coaching & life services experts provide leading-edge programs and services to athletes and coaches to ensure they have every advantage to win medals for Canada. Learn more: www.csipacific.ca.

 

For more information, contact:

Noah Wheelock
General Manager, Operations & Communications
Canadian Sport Institute Pacific
[email protected]
250.813.3474

March 2nd, 2022
For Immediate Release

VICTORIA – After multiple years of training and preparation, Canadian para athletes are ready to compete on the world stage at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. This is their chance to compete with the best competitors across the globe and show the world what they’re made of in hopes of bringing home a medal. The Games are scheduled to run from March 4th to the 13th and are in multiple events across five winter sports.

With a total of 49 Paralympians representing Team Canada in Beijing, 37% (18 out of 49) of the athletes have a hometown in B.C. and/or have accessed programs, services and facilities provided by Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (CSI Pacific) in the quadrennial lead up to these Paralympics. An additional athlete on Team Canada lists a city in B.C. as their hometown.

Beijing 2022 Team Canada Paralympic Games Quick Facts:

• 49 athletes will represent Canada at the Paralympics
• 19 of them (39%) have a connection to B.C.
• 8 of the athletes (16%) list a place in B.C. as their hometown or residence
• 18 of the athletes (37%) have benefitted from services provided by CSI Pacific or the PacificSport Regional Alliance here in B.C.
• 8 BC Games and Team BC alumni (5 athletes, 1 coach, and 2 support staff)

Mar 4, 2022. Note: Team Canada’s Paralympic contingent ended up being 48 athletes instead of 49, as Para Alpine skier Frédérique Turgeon was injured pre-competition and has decided to withdraw from the Games, which reduced Team Canada’s numbers from the originally listed 49 athletes.

View full list of B.C. affiliated para athletes in Beijing [PDF]

“CSI Pacific has been thrilled to increase our support for Canada’s Paralympians over the past quadrennial and now we are extremely excited to watch all these athletes compete on the world stage,” said Wendy Pattenden, CEO of Canadian Sport Institute Pacific. “The number of B.C. connected athletes competing at the Paralympics continues to increase, which is a real credit to the athletes’ commitment and the support of their national sport organizations that we have the privilege of working with.”

Canadian para athletes have the opportunity to pursue their Paralympic dreams with the annual support from numerous sport organizations including Sport Canada (through the Own the Podium Program), National Sport Organizations and the Province of British Columbia. Achieving their dreams also wouldn’t be possible without the additional guidance and training from local organizations featuring the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (CSI Pacific), viaSport and its Regional Alliance partners.

“Congratulations to these incredible athletes, coaches, officials and other volunteers heading to Beijing 2022!” said Charlene Krepiakevich, CEO of viaSport. “By showcasing parasport on the world’s largest stage, we will be inspired to explore the infinite possibilities for people of all abilities through sport. Go Canada, go Team BC!”

With a remarkable 39% of B.C. connected athletes making up Team Canada in Beijing, local para athletes continue to excel in a wide array of sports every year with the range of support and accessibility from the Province or British Columbia. Their annual investment of $50 million in sport allows athletes from all ages and abilities to play and achieve their goals in sport. This also permits athletes to avoid financial barriers and continue their training and development through local facilities and programs.

“Beyond the thrill and excitement of great competition, these games represent stories of what it takes to become a world-class athlete,” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “The Paralympics are filled with people who have beaten incredible odds to come out at the top of their respective sports. Many Paralympians have faced tremendous obstacles and by sheer determination, outstanding skill and undeterred drive they have emerged triumphant. Each has broken boundaries, shattered glass ceilings and pushed beyond limits to become one of the best in the world in their sport, all the while displaying the true heart of a champion. On behalf of Premier John Horgan and our entire government, congratulations to Team Canada. We wish you a safe and successful Paralympic Games and we know that all British Columbians join us in wishing all Paralympians the best of luck at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. We are cheering you on as you reach for the stars.”

Reasons for B.C.’s prominent position on the national sport landscape include:

• The Government of British Columbia’s annual investment in sport of approximately $50 million
• viaSport’s lead role in promoting and developing amateur sport and building a stronger, more effective and inclusive sport system for both athletes and coaches through provincial sport organizations and regional delivery partners
• Canadian Sport Institute Pacific’s technical leadership and support of Canada’s high-performance athletes and coaches. Using their mantra of Collaborate. Serve. Innovate. Perform. In combination with world-class training facilities, equipment and innovations, CSI Pacific helps Canada’s elite athletes and coaches maximize their potential
• Collaboration with our National Sport Organization and Provincial Sport Organization partners, who demonstrate leadership and commitment to the Long-Term Athlete Development model, to provide expertise, service and support to B.C. athletes and coaches competing in 24 different Olympic Summer sports (over 70 different disciplines)Introduction to multi-sport games experience and the sport excellence system by BC Games Society who host the BC Summer Games and Winter Games and manage the Team BC program at the Canada Games

With many unprecedented times and the decision to not have spectators at the Paralympic Games due to COVID-19, CSI Pacific will only be sending two staff members to Beijing 2022 to support Team Canada athletes in various sports. They are:

• Christie Gialloreto – Mental Performance Lead, Para Snowboard
• Kayla Dodson – Strength & Conditioning and Integrated Support Team Lead, Para Alpine

CSI Pacific will be keeping you up to date on the progress of all athletes with a B.C. connection competing at Beijing 2022. Visit www.csipacific.ca or www.bcmedals.ca for daily results from these athletes, as well as additional information about them, including their hometowns, social media channels and competition schedules.

Good luck to all athletes competing. Go Canada!

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About Canadian Sport Institute Pacific
Offering world-class Olympic and Paralympic training environments in Vancouver, Whistler and Victoria, Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (www.csipacific.ca) is committed to Powering Performance. Inspiring Excellence. Working with national sport organizations and fueled by our national and provincial partners such as Sport Canada, viaSport, Own the Podium, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee and the Coaches Association of Canada, we are driven by our mantra to Collaborate. Serve. Innovate. Perform.

Our team of sport science, sport medicine, coaching & life services experts provide leading-edge programs and services to athletes and coaches to ensure they have every advantage to win medals for Canada. Learn more: www.csipacific.ca.

 

For more information, contact:

Noah Wheelock
General Manager, Operations & Communications
Canadian Sport Institute Pacific
[email protected]
250.813.3474