Canadians celebrate Olympic achievements

9 | 6 | 2014

Last week the Canadian Olympic Committee held a three day 'Celebration of Excellence' commemorating and honouring Canada's most distinguished Olympic athletes and coaches over the last year and celebrating their tremendous success within the Olympic Movement.

The 'Celebration of Excellence' is held in a different Canadian city after every Summer and Winter Games. This year, the celebrations began in Ottawa and moved west along the Ottawa & Edmonton corridor and ended in Calgary.

The event saw the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes that participated in Sochi visit the Houses of Commons and Parliament, followed by visits to schools and hospitals where they spoke about their Olympic experiences and championed the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.

The celebration concluded with an Olympic Parade in Calgary, at the end of which a number of Olympians were inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. The 2012 Hall of Fame Gala in Toronto raised more than CAD $3 million and the proceeds raised from the 2014 Gala will again be donated to the Canadian Olympic Foundation as well as a legacy coaching programme in Calgary that supports the next generation of Olympians.