Government of Canada Supports the Intercontinental Cup of Skeleton

WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Jan. 17, 2011) - The Whistler Sliding Centre will once again host the world's top men and women skeleton sliders thanks to a financial contribution from the Government of Canada, the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of State (Sport), announced today.

From January 17 to 21, 2011, athletes will vie for the Intercontinental Cup of Skeleton in this Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT) event.

"Just under one year ago, we celebrated with Jon Montgomery and shared the emotion of Melissa Hollingsworth in this sport during the 2010 Winter Games. Our Government was proud to support skeleton then, and we are equally proud today to continue to provide opportunities for our athletes to strive for excellence," said Minister of State Lunn. "The Whistler Sliding Centre will once again showcase to the world Canadian innovation and, more importantly, the talent and desire of our athletes."

"The Government of Canada has played a leading role in financially supporting Canadian athletes' pursuit of excellence," said Don Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton. "Hosting major international events at home is critical to athlete development and showcasing our country to the world. We applaud the Government of Canada for helping to bring high-performance skeleton racing back to Whistler for the Intercontinental Cup."

Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) is a non-profit organization and the national governing body for the sports of bobsleigh and skeleton in Canada. Its vision is to lead our entire Canadian community in the pursuit of becoming and remaining the leading bobsleigh and skeleton nation in the world. BCS aims to do this by focusing on four critical areas: programs, process, people, and planning.

The Government of Canada is the single largest contributor to sport in Canada and supports participation and excellence from the playground to the podium. Funding of $50,000 is being provided to Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton through Sport Canada's Hosting Program to help make this event a success.

(This news release is available on the Internet at www.canadianheritage.gc.ca under Newsroom.)