CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Sept. 18, 2017) - Today, Petro-Canada, a Suncor business, announced the 2017 Fuelling Athletes and Coaching Excellence (FACE™) Program grant recipients. Every year, Petro-Canada selects fifty-five promising athletes from across Canada. These athletes and their coaches are awarded a $10,000 FACE grant to help them along their journey, with $5,000 going directly to the athlete and $5,000 to their coach. FACE grants are often used for training, equipment, coach education, and travel expenses for competitions.
Developed by Petro-Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), and facilitated by their National Sport partners, the FACE Program supports up and coming athletes who are striving to represent Canada at the Olympic or Paralympic Games, but are not able to qualify for government funding. Since 1988, Petro-Canada has supported more than 2,900 Canadian athletes and their coaches by providing more than $10,000,000 in financial support.
"It is my privilege to welcome the Class of 2017 to the Petro-Canada FACE program," says Deborah Gullaher, vice president, Sales and Marketing, Suncor. "Each year I am reminded of the hard work and dedication of both the athletes and their coaches that are chosen. I am honoured that Petro-Canada is able to play a small part in their journey."
The 2017 FACE grant recipients are:
| Athlete | Coach | Sport discipline |
| Alannah Yip | Andrew Wilson | Sport Climbing |
| Andrew Genge | Dave Balne | Para snowboard |
| Annie Leblanc | José Sant | Athletics |
| Ben Hagkull | Simon Cass | Wheelchair Basketball |
| Blake Broszus | Aleksei Murugin | Fencing |
| Brian Yang | Efendi Wijaya | Badminton |
| Brooke Voigt | Elliot Catton | Snowboard |
| Camille Saxton | Adriana Bento | Beach Volleyball |
| Carmen Whelan | Iana Nadtotchii | Gymnastics - Rhythmic |
| Carson Paul | Lisa Boog | Diving |
| Casey Scheidegger | Carolyn Darbyshire | Curling |
| Conrad Orzel | Eva Najarro | Figure Skating |
| Curtis Caron | John MacPherson | Para table tennis |
| Devaney Collier | Jenny Trew | Cycling - Track |
| Elizabeth Longley | Florin Marinache | Shooting |
| Evan Marineau | Jeremy Cooper | Freestyle Skiing |
| Félix Dolci | Adrian Balan | Gymnastics - Artistic |
| Fillah Karim | Vasilij Zbogar | Sailing |
| Greg Stewart | Kim Cousins | Para athletics |
| Hayden Edwards | Joan McDonald | Archery |
| Jade Dufour | Victor Zilberman | Wrestling - Freestyle |
| Jake Weidemann | Crispin Parkinson | Speed Skating |
| Jeff McKeen | Kyle Kennedy | Bobsleigh |
| Joel Ewert | Adam Frost | Wheelchair Rugby |
| Joey Desjardins | Guillaume Plourde | Para cycling road |
| Jon Dunkerley | James Cook | Para triathlon |
| Keenan Simpson | Anthony Colin | Canoe/Kayak - Slalom |
| Leo Grandbois | Sandrine Charron | Biathlon |
| Lexson Mathieu | François Duguay | Boxing |
| Mackenzie Padington | Brad Dingey | Swimming |
| Marco Schumann | Alan McIlveen | Short Track Skating |
| Mathea Dempfle-Olin | Christian Moutinho | Surfing |
| Mathieu St-Pierre | Hélène Gervais | Para canoe |
| Maura McLean | Jennifer Koptie (Shaver) | Synchronized Swimming |
| Maxym-Olivier Rivest | Denis Beaudoin | Karate |
| Maya Antoine | Emma Humphries | Football (Soccer) |
| Maya Ladhani | Emma Humphries | Football (Soccer) |
| Mégane Bélanger | Brendan Arnold | Cycling - BMX |
| Melissa Bratic | Hasan Bratic | Karate |
| Mikayla Martin | Sead Causevic | Ski Cross |
| Natalie Eilers | Gregor Linsig | Ski Jumping |
| Natalie Wilkie | Abbi May | Para Nordic skiing |
| Phell Joseph Mancoa | Robin MacDowell | Rugby - Sevens |
| Philippe Vachon | Charles Labrie | Para swimming |
| Sarah Gillies | Mark Newton | Para alpine skiing |
| Shady El Nahas | Ken Fukushima | Judo |
| Shelby Newkirk | Eric Kramer | Para swimming |
| Sierra Smith | Peter Rybarik | Alpine Skiing |
| Terence Yeung | Pradeeban Peter-Paul | Table Tennis |
| Thomson Harris | Geoff Matthews | Hockey (Field) |
| Trinity Ellis | Matt McMurray | Luge |
| Ty Godfrey | Alain Parent | Cross Country Skiing |
| Véronique Déry | Muncef Ouardi | Speed Skating |
| Zachary Lavin | Steve Arsenault | Para ice hockey |
| Zane Clarke | Jon Pike | Canoe/Kayak - Sprint |
FACE Summit 2017
In addition to providing financial support, FACE athletes were invited to an annual summit, co-hosted by Petro-Canada and CBC/Radio-Canada. During the FACE Summit, athletes were able to connect with and learn from Olympians and Paralympians, as well as subject matter experts in the areas of media training, public speaking, and personal-brand development. The FACE Summit was held September 15-17, 2017.
Suncor Energy is Canada's leading integrated energy company. Suncor's operations include oil sands development and upgrading, offshore oil and gas production, petroleum refining, and product marketing under the Petro-Canada brand. A member of Dow Jones Sustainability indexes, FTSE4Good and CDP, Suncor is working to responsibly develop petroleum resources while also growing a renewable energy portfolio. Suncor is listed on the UN Global Compact 100 stock index and the Corporate Knights' Global 100. Suncor's common shares (symbol: SU) are listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges.
Petro-Canada, a Suncor business, operates almost 1,500 retail stations and 280 Petro-Pass wholesale locations nationwide. Petro-Canada's retail loyalty program, Petro-Points™, provides Canadians with the opportunity to earn and redeem rewards. Petro-Canada is proud to be a National Partner of the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees, supporting Canadian athletes, coaches and their families for more than 25 years. For more information, visit petro-canada.ca.
For more information about Suncor, visit our web site at suncor.com, follow us on Twitter @SuncorEnergy or together.suncor.com
Contact Information:
403-296-4000
media@suncor.com