Date/Time: July 6, 2016, 10 a.m.
Location/Map: Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, 2555 Wesbrook Mall, University of British Columbia Map
Parking: Thunderbird Parkade, 6085 Thunderbird Boulevard Map
Event details: UBC President Designate Professor Santa Ono will host a sendoff tomorrow morning for our athletes, coaches and support staff headed to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games. UBC’s Rio 2016 contingent is the largest of any Canadian university.
Twenty-nine current and former UBC student athletes are part of Team Canada’s roster while another 17 members of the UBC community will be in Brazil as coaches, management, support staff, and medical and paramedical personnel for Team Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee. Together, those 17 individuals have more than 175 years of Olympic and Paralympic experience.
Ono will be joined by Olympic swimmer Martha McCabe, UBC Interim President and Vice Chancellor David Farrar, Canadian Olympic Committee president and UBC alum Tricia Smith, Vice President of Students Louise Cowin and Senior Athletics Director Gilles Lepine.
Interviews:
- UBC President Designate Prof. Santa Ono (only available until 10:30 a.m.)
- VP Students, Louise Cowin
- Student athletes
UBC participants attending the event:
Byron Green (Athlete) – Wheelchair Rugby
Travis Murao (Athlete) – Wheelchair Rugby
Yuri Kisil (Athlete) – Swimming
Martha McCabe (Athlete) – Swimming
Emily Overholt (Athlete) – Swimming
Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson (Athlete) – Swimming
Markus Thormeyer (Athlete) – Swimming
David Carter (Athlete) – Men’s Field Hockey
Taylor Curran (Athlete) – Men’s Field Hockey
Gordon Johnston (Athlete) – Men’s Field Hockey
Ben Martin (Athlete) – Men’s Field Hockey
Mark Pearson (Athlete) – Men’s Field Hockey
Keegan Pereira (Athlete) – Men’s Field Hockey
Matt Sarmento (Athlete) – Men’s Field Hockey
Scott Tupper (Athlete) – Men’s Field Hockey
Tom Johnson (Coach/Support Staff) – Swimming
Steve Price (Coach/Support Staff) – Swimming
Andrea Wooles (Coach/Support Staff) – Cycling
Navin Presad (Core Medical) – Canadian Olympic Committee
Tricia Smith – President, Canadian Olympic Committee
UBC participants unable to attend the event:
Hillary Janssens (Athlete) – Rowing
Max Lattimer (Athlete) – Rowing
Lauren Wilkinson (Athlete) – Rowing
*Maria Bernard (Athlete) – Track and Field
*Lucas Bruchet (Athlete) – Track and Field
Evan Dunfee (Athlete) – Track and Field
*Elizabeth Gleadle (Athlete) – Track and Field
Inaki Gomez (Athlete) – Track and Field
*Mike Mason (Athlete) – Track and Field
Ben Thorne (Athlete) – Track and Field
Jamie Broder (Athlete) – Women’s Beach Volleyball
Blair Bann (Athlete) – Men’s Volleyball
Jeff Sauve (Coach/Support Staff) – Men’s Field Hockey
Nikola Girke (Athlete) – Sailing
Luke Ramsey (Athlete) – Sailing
Janice Hanan (Coach/Support Staff) – Swimming
Eugene Liang (Coach/Support Staff) – Swimming
Ron Mattison (Coach/Support Staff) – Swimming
Adam Parfitt (Coach/Support Staff) – Rowing
Andy VanNeutegem (Coach/Support Staff) – Wheelchair Rugby
Gerry Dragonmir (Coach/Support Staff) – Athletics
Paddy McCluskey (Coach/Support Staff) – Athletics
Trent Stellingwerff (Coach/Support Staff) – Athletics
Bob McCormick (Medical Director) – Canadian Olympic Committee
Dory Boyer (Core Medical) – Canadian Olympic Committee
Don McKenzie (Coach/Support Staff) – Canoe/Kayak
*Met Olympic qualification, but team selection is pending.
UBC Olympic and Paralympic history
- UBC athletes have participated in the Olympics since the 1928 Games in Amsterdam (Harry Warren, track and field)
- UBC won its first medal in 1932 in Los Angeles (Ned Pratt, bronze in doubles rowing)
- UBC Olympians have won 66 medals: 19 gold, 22 silver and 25 bronze
- UBC Paralympians have won 56 medals: 24 gold, 13 silver and 18 bronze
- UBC’s most decorated Olympian is Kathleen Heddle with three gold and one bronze in rowing
- UBC’s most decorated Paralympian is Walter Wu, whose 16 medals in swimming include eight gold
Rowing has the highest all-time UBC representation of all sports; 73 UBC athletes have brought home 45 medals in rowing.
