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En route for Rio!

Published: 3 August 2016

Three athletes are among a 23-member entourage of ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ students and graduates headed to Rio de Janeiro to serve in an official capacity at the Summer Olympic Games, Aug. 5-21.Ìý

The athletes, all from Montreal, include wrestlerÌý, an engineering student, and a pair of fencers – both recent graduates –ÌýÌý(B.Ed'16) andÌýÌý(µþ.°ä´Ç³¾'14)
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Among the 14 officials and coaches heading to Rio are a number of former prominent ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ athletes, including IOC MemberÌýÌý(swimming, BCom'62, BCL'67), IOCÌýdirector of legal affairsÌýÌý(wrestling, BEng'78, LLB'83, BCL'83) and IOC Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission member;ÌýÌý(basketball; B.Mus '75) – all natives of Montreal.
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The Canadian Olympic Committee contingent includes modern pentathlon coachÌýÌý(swimming; BSc '72, DipEd '73) of Pointe Claire, Que., COC director of team servicesÌýÌý(track & field; MA'92) of Montreal, manager of team servicesÌýÌý(volleyball; BCom '01) of LaSalle, Que., and COC board memberÌýÌý(BEng '86), a former astronaut who previously competed on the ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ cross-country running team.

Rounding out the squad of ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ studentsÌýon the mission staff isÌý, currently a doctoral student who will serve as a therapist with the Canadian women's basketball team,ÌýÌý(COC executive director, sport; Executive MBA '10),ÌýÌý(COC project manager, team services; BEd PE '09),ÌýÌý(COC assistant manager, Performance Centre; BEd PE '13),ÌýÌý(COC outfitting exchanges officer; BEd PE '09), director of National Sports Federation leadershipÌý(Executive MBA '08) and athlete performance officerÌýÌý(BEd PE '08) of Laval, Que.
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In addition to those listed above, four ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ alumni are off to Rio with the CBC and SRC, the Canadian TV rights broadcaster, namely CBC presidentÌýÌý(BCL '76, MBA '81), Olympic Games Daytime co-hostÌýÌý(BA '93), rowing and canoe/kayak commentator,Ìýsenior consulting producer (BA '86), Ìý(BSc PE '86) andÌýÌý(MSc '01), who served two years as an assistant coach with the basketball Martlets (1999 to 2001) and will be working at the Rio Games as a hoops analyst for CTV. Finally, , currently enrolled in the ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ-HEC Montreal Executive MBA program, will serve as head of security for CBC/Radio-Canada.

Not included in the count above are a couple of non-graduates with close ties to the University. Governor GeneralÌýÌýwill serve as Canada's official representative to the Games andÌýÌýis a therapist with the Canadian judo team. Johnston served as principal and vice-chancellor at ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ from 1979 to 1994, while Dion is currently employed in the ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ Sportmedicine Clinic.

ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ has a long tradition of involvement with the Olympic Games and the University's Percival Molson Memorial Stadium served as the field hockey tournament venue for the 1976 Montreal Olympics. The athletes heading to Rio de Janeiro are among 125 ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ students or grads that have gone on to Olympic glory over the past century. These ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐians have won a combined total of 31 Olympic medals, nine of them golden, in addition to eight silvers and 14 bronzes.

ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ's first-ever Olympian was the legendaryÌý, who competed in track and field at the 1904 Summer Games in St. Louis. The University has also had two of its athletes serve as flagbearer in the opening ceremonies -- boxerÌýat the 1932 Games in Los Angeles and track starÌýÌýat the 1936 Games in Berlin.

, a renowned ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ gymnast, was the only artist to take part in five Olympics art competitions, winning a bronze medal at the 1932 Games in Los Angeles in "mixed sculpturing - medals and reliefs."
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The most decorated ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ Olympian is the lateÌý, a graduate from the faculty of medicine, who racked up five bronze medals while representing Canada in track & field at the Olympic Games in Amsterdam (1928), Los Angeles (1932) and Berlin (1936). He was the first Canadian male to win medals in three different Olympiads and his achievement stood for 66 years until matched by short-track speed-skaterÌýMarc GagnonÌý(1994, 1998, 2002), who claimed three golds and a pair of bronzes.

Six ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ students have struck gold, five of them at the Winter Olympics.
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Hockey goaltenderÌýearned gold at three Olympiads (2002 in Salt Lake City, 2006 in Turin and 2010 in Vancouver). Two of her ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ teammates --ÌýÌýandÌýÌý-- also were part of the golden squad in 2010, which added to the gold that Labonté won in 2006. Freestyle skierÌýÌýstruck gold in 2006 and silver in 2010 and hockey player won gold in 2014.Ìý

SwimmerÌý, who reached the top of the podium twice at Stockholm in 1912, is the only ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐian to strike gold at the Summer Olympics
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