OTTAWA, March 7, 2015 /CNW/ - It was one-year ago that the world gathered in Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. They were memorable Games for Team Canada, who finished ranked third in the medal standings with seven gold medals, two silver and seven bronze.
More Canadians than ever followed the Paralympic Games from Sochi. The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) created a first-of-its-kind Paralympic media consortium (CBC/Radio-Canada, Sportsnet, Yahoo!, AMI and SendtoNews) and led a broadcast strategy that redefined Paralympic sport coverage in Canada. An audience of 8.8 million Canadians tuned-in to the hundreds of hours of coverage available on TV and online.
What Canadians watched was simply spectacular: Brian McKeever of Canmore, Alta., was Canada's individual star at the Games with three gold medals. That included an amazing triumph in the one-kilometre sprint. McKeever tripped over an opponent's pole early in the race, but he and guide Graham Nishikawa (Whitehorse, YK) rallied to overtake Swede Zebastian Modin on the final bend at the finish.
There was also a triple medal performance for para-alpine skier Mac Marcoux of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., the team's youngest member at age 16; a three-peat gold medal performance for Canada in wheelchair curling, led by Opening Ceremony flag bearer Sonja Gaudet of Vernon, B.C.; and the sledge hockey team overcoming a semi-final loss to win the bronze. Sit skier Josh Dueck's gold in the super combined started a five-gold rally for Canada over the last three days of the Games; Dueck was named Closing Ceremony flag bearer.
The Canadian Paralympic Committee will relive those and many other magnificent moments through stories, photos and video starting today until March 16 on its digital platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and paralympic.ca using the hashtag #ReliveSochi.
"The Sochi 2015 Paralympic Games were another great step forward for the Paralympic movement," said Gaétan Tardif, President of the Canadian Paralympic Committee. "More Canadians and people around the world discovered the excitement of Paralympic sport. We are so proud of Team Canada's performances which kept us among the strongest Paralympic nations."
Looking ahead, with 2015 the Year of Sport in Canada, Canada's para-athletes are busier than ever. Many sports have world championships this year, including swimming, athletics, sledge hockey and alpine skiing (currently taking place at Panorama, B.C.). The marquee event is the Parapan American Games set for Toronto August 7 to 15, a qualifying opportunity in every sport for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
About the Canadian Paralympic Committee
The Canadian Paralympic Committee is a non-profit, private organization with 25 member sports organizations dedicated to strengthening the Paralympic Movement. The Canadian Paralympic Committee's vision is to be the world's leading Paralympic nation. Its mission is to lead the development of a sustainable Paralympic sport system in Canada to enable athletes to reach the podium at the Paralympic Games. By supporting Canadian high performance athletes with a disability and promoting their success, the Canadian Paralympic Committee inspires all Canadians with a disability to get involved in sport through programs delivered by its member organizations. For more information, visit www.paralympic.ca
Follow the Canadian Paralympic Committee:
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www.facebook.com/CDNParalympics
www.twitter.com/CDNParalympics
www.youtube.com/CDNParalympics
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SOURCE Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC)
Image with caption: "It was one-year ago that the world gathered in Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. They were memorable Games for Team Canada, who finished ranked third in the medal standings with seven gold medals, two silver and seven bronze. (CNW Group/Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150307_C5535_PHOTO_EN_12925.jpg
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