Minister Qualtrough Congratulates Aurélie Rivard on Canada's First Gold Medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL--(Marketwired - Sept. 10, 2016) - On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, I congratulate Aurélie Rivard (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec) on winning Canada's first gold medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Competing in the Women's 50m Freestyle S10 Swimming competition, Aurélie won a gold medal for Canada, breaking the world record in the final on her way to the top of the podium.

In her second Paralympic Games, Aurélie is a leader on Canada's swim team in Rio given her wealth of international experience at the Paralympic and World Championship level. We hope her outstanding result tonight will provide Team Canada with a golden lift and spark another exciting run of top performances for Canada in the pool in Rio.

Aurélie is a wonderful ambassador for sport, and I hope her accomplishments will inspire others to participate in sport, regardless of ability, age, or gender.

Canadians can be proud of the support they have provided to Aurélie and her teammates through the Government of Canada, which is the single largest investor in our country's sport system. The government is proud to support the Canadian Paralympic Team through federal programs and policies that assist our athletes in their pursuit of excellence.

I once again congratulate Aurélie and wish the rest of Team Canada all the best as competition continues in Rio until September 18.

Associated Links

Canada.ca/Sport

Swimming Canada

Canadian Paralympic Committee

Stay Connected

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Flickr.