Whistler Olympic Park Appointed National Training Centre

Whistler, BC:  Whistler Sport Legacies, Ski Jumping Canada and Nordic Combined Canada announced today that Whistler Olympic Park in addition to WinSport Canada Olympic Park has been appointed National Training Centre for Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined.

Curtis Lyon, Chairman and High Performance Director of Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Canada, stressed: “We are extremely excited and honored to announce Whistler Olympic Park as an official training center of our National Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined teams.  The ski jump facilities in the Callaghan Valley are among the best in the world and the perfect place for our athletes to hone their skills and challenge the world’s best. We see the venue as integral part of the sport in this country and one of the keys to our success.” This appointment undermines Whistler Olympic Park’s vision of becoming an international centre for sports excellence. Roger Soane, CEO of Whistler Sport Legacies explained: “This is a significant advancement on our journey to become a leader in the growth of sport. We are looking forward to working with Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Canada on the development of young athletes.”

The Olympic ski jumps of 2010 are well known for their stable wind conditions and their modern hill profile which is very similar to the jumps in Sochi. This is why from January 27 until February 1, the National Ski Jumping Team will attend Whistler Olympic Park for their final training camp before heading to Russia for the Olympic Games. Spectators are welcome to cheer on the Olympic athletes like Atsuko Tanaka, Taylor Henrich and Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes (daily sessions Jan 27-Feb 1 at 10am & 1pm, subject to weather conditions; Park admission $10/car load).

Ski Jumping program “Flight 2022” to be launched in March

In conjunction with Whistler Sport Legacies’ longterm mission to grow sport, the ski jumping program “Flight 2022” will be launched in March 2014. Weekend ski jumping camps for children age 8-12 (March 1&2 and 8&9) will introduce kids to the sport on small snow bumps. Furthermore a 20 and 40 meter jump will be built this summer to enable beginner jumpers to get started. Soane explains: “We want to help build athletes for the future. Those small training jumps will provide safe and easy access to an exciting Olympic sport for local kids.”