Today, RBC announced an investment of $230,000 CAD to support the Next Generation programming needs of each National Sport Organization (NSO) involved in its nation-wide talent identification and athlete funding program, RBC Training Ground.
RBC provides financial boost to support future Olympians during pandemic
Recent RBC ‘Future Olympian’ News
Each year, thousands of athletes are tested at RBC Training Ground events across the country and the top 30 athletes, as identified by the program’s sport partners as having the highest Olympic potential, are supported and funded to pursue further training. These RBC ‘Future Olympians’ continue to train with their respective sport in hopes of earning a spot on Team Canada.
Since 2016, RBC has funded over 100 ‘Future Olympians’ and these athletes have gone on to have incredible accomplishments on the national and international stage, with some even looking to secure a berth on Canada’s Olympic team as soon as the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Learn more about some of our RBC ‘Future Olympians’:
Abby Dent on the ‘fast track’ to Olympic dream
Decision to attend RBC Training Ground paying off for Lucy Hempstead
Kingston athlete trading in hockey skates for speed skating blades
Squamish teen receives RBC Future Olympian funding
First-ever National Final
New in 2019, the RBC Training Ground National Final!
On September 14, 2019, Catherine Lizotte (Knowlton, Quebec) and Ian Holmquist (Peterborough, Ontario) were named champions of the first-ever RBC Training Ground National Final.
The top performers, who competed among 100 young athletes in speed, power, endurance, and strength tests, won much more than a champion title – they earned funding from RBC to train in their sport, and are one step closer to pursuing an Olympic dream.
For the remaining athletes, the dream is not yet over – up to 30 will receive funding and a roster spot with an RBC Training Ground partner National Sports Organization (NSO) in 2019.
RBC Training Ground Top 100 Athletes
These top 100 athletes will compete for funding and a spot on one of eight partner NSO teams at the 2019 RBC Training Ground National Final on September 14th.
| First | Last | City of Residence |
|---|---|---|
| Abbie | Morrison | Moncton |
| Abdulmuiz | Abdullahi | Calgary |
| Abigail | Dent | Longbow Lake |
| Adam | Turgeon | Red Deer |
| Addison | Chong | Ottawa |
| Ailsa | Litchfield | Guelph |
| Alexandre | Duchaine | Lac-Beauport |
| Alexis | Cronk | Toronto |
| Alison | Desmarais | Vanderhoof |
| Amaia | Ervin-Arambarri | Calgary |
| Anna | Jasinsky | Canmore |
| Armand | Pienaar | Stouffville |
| Beatriz | Herrera | Edmonton |
| Brayden | Posyluzny | Lethbridge |
| Brielle | Zacharias | Delta |
| Bronwyn | Dormaar | Millet |
| Callum | Williams | Burlington |
| Cassandra | Vellinga | Oakville |
| Catherine | Lizotte | Knowlton |
| Catherine | Chénier-Gagnon | Montreal |
| Claire | Ellison | Halifax |
| Corey | Bellemore | Tecumseh |
| Dante | Isadore | Wagmatook |
| Dawson | Fatoric | Ottawa |
| Eden | Kilgour | Oro Medonte |
| Ella | O’Regan | Victoria |
| Ella | Stemler | Cowichan Bay |
| Émile | Nadeau | Prévost |
| Emma | Langstrom | Edmonton |
| Eric | Vander Eyk | Listowel |
| Eric | Knight | St. John’s |
| Ethan | McClymont | Winnipeg |
| Evan | Kimm | Langley |
| Evan | Bezemer | Mississauga |
| Evan | Knight | St. John’s |
| Fiona | Elliott | Sarnia |
| Gavin | Thomas | Calgary |
| Greg | Hetterley | Regina |
| Hannah | Elliott | Sarnia |
| Hannah | Blair | Waterloo |
| Ian | Jones | Whitby |
| Ian | Holmquist | Peterborough |
| Isa-Frédérique | Laurin | Longueuil |
| Isabella | Goudros | Toronto |
| Jakob | Kryworuchko | Vancouver |
| Jamie | Pritchard | Clinton |
| Jean-Benoit | Lemay | Ottawa |
| Jennifer | Gaeckle | Edmonton |
| Jesse | Grant | Calgary |
| Jillian | Catton | Brampton |
| Jordy | Cruff Fredlenz Ceant | Repentigny |
| Josh | Chiarot | Hamilton |
| Josh | Looker | St Albert |
| Josip | Brusic | Calgary |
| Julia | Lilley-Osende | Dartmouth |
| Justine | Exner | Calgary |
| Keenan | Simpson | Montréal |
| Kevin | Okkerse | Calgary |
| Kya | Gordon | Whitby |
| Lara | Jorgensen | Aurora |
| Laurent | Lavigne | Trois-Rivières |
| Loïc | Savard | Québec |
| Lucienne | Romeo | Abbotsford |
| Lucy | Hempstead | Ottawa |
| Lutch | Jarmannau Alcéna | Repentigny |
| Madison | Dempster | Rockwood (Milton) |
| Marlee | MacIntosh | Halifax |
| Maryse | Vincent | Wendake |
| Mason | Sartain | Bonnyville |
| Maxwell | Kerr | Abbotsford |
| Maxwell | Wildman | Simcoe |
| Megan | Andrews | Calgary |
| Mégane | Guénette | Saint-Jérome |
| Michael | Caryk | Winnipeg |
| Miha | Fontaine | Lac Beauport |
| Mikaela | Mendoza | Milton |
| Mira | Calder | Victoria |
| Misty | Blackmore | Cranbrook |
| Nicholas | Skabeikis | Victoria |
| Nicolas | Martineau | Mirabel |
| Obasegun | Adeleke | Calgary |
| Payton | Tonnos | Grimsby |
| Reese | Lange | Winnipeg |
| Rob | Grzesiuk | Mississauga |
| Robyn | Ham | White City |
| Ryan | MacDonald | Waterloo |
| Ryan | Gibson | Kingston |
| Sarah | Nagy | Aurora |
| Savana | Pinsent | White Lake |
| Sébastien | Tremblay | Cumberland |
| Shannon | Myles | Trois-Rivières |
| Skye | Pellerin | Ottawa |
| Sloan | MacKenzie | Windsor Junction |
| Sophie | Gower | Delta |
| Sydney | Michalyshen | Winnipeg |
| Teigen | Pascual | Squamish |
| Tia | Thevenin | Ajax |
| Tjammie | Ko | Richmond |
| Tyler | Challis | Pefferlaw |
| Vincent | Ménard | Whitehorse |
30 Young Athletes Named RBC Future Olympians
RBC, in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Foundation (COF), Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and CBC Sports, today introduced 30 young Canadian athletes identified at RBC Training Ground events in 2019.
RBC Training Ground is an innovative program designed to test and link athletes – no matter what the sport background – with a sport that could excel them onto the Olympic podium.
In 2019, 1900 athletes attended free RBC Training Ground events across the country. At these events they were tested for speed, strength, endurance and power in front of Canadian Olympic committee officials and representatives from our partner National Sport Federations.
One hundred of these athletes were then invited to compete at the RBC Training Ground National Final in Calgary in September. The following thirty athletes excelled in the testing and at the final, and will now receive ongoing ‘Future Olympian’ funding and support from RBC in order to pursue their Olympic dreams:
Nominated By
First
Last
City of Residence
Qualifier Location
Athletics
Tia
Thevenin
Ajax
Toronto
Athletics
Isabella
Toronto
Toronto
Athletics
Jillian
Catton
Brampton
Toronto
Canoe Kayak Slalom
Keenan
Simpson
Montréal
Montérégie
Canoe Kayak Slalom
Jean-Benoit
Lemay
Ottawa
Toronto
Canoe Kayak Sprint
Sarah
Nagy
Aurora
Toronto
Canoe Kayak Sprint
Laurent
Lavigne
Trois-Rivières
Québec City
Canoe Kayak Sprint
Evan
Bezemer
Mississauga
Waterloo
Cycling
Teigen
Pascual
Squamish
Langley
Cycling
Lucy
Hempstead
Ottawa
Ottawa
Cycling
Madison
Dempster
Rockwood (Milton)
Toronto
Cycling
Ryan
MacDonald
Waterloo
Waterloo
Cycling
Skye
Pellerin
Ottawa
Ottawa
Freestyle
Isa-Frédérique
Laurin
Longueuil
Montérégie
Freestyle
Mégane
Guénette
Saint-Jérome
St-Jérôme
Freestyle
Miha
Fontaine
Lac Beauport
Québec City
Rowing
Catherine
Lizotte
Knowlton
Sherbrooke
Rowing
Ian
Holmquist
Peterborough
Toronto
Rowing
Abigail
Dent
Longbow Lake
Winnipeg #1
Rowing
Alexis
Cronk
Toronto
Toronto
Rowing
Claire
Ellison
Halifax
Halifax
Rowing
Rob
Grzesiuk
Mississauga
Toronto
Rugby
Lucie
Romeo
Abbotsford
Langley
Rugby
Misty
Blackmore
Cranbrook
Langley
Rugby
Lara
Jorgensen
Aurora
Waterloo
Rugby
Eden
Kilgour
Oro Medonte
St. Catharines
Rugby
Tjammie
Ko
Richmond
Richmond
Speed Skating
Alison
Desmarais
Vanderhoof
Victoria
Speed Skating
Ryan
Gibson
Kingston
Ottawa
Speed Skating
Emma
Langstrom
Edmonton
Edmonton
First-ever RBC Training Ground National Final
Cross-country, year-long search for new Olympic talent culminates with 100 prospects gathering in Calgary to compete for funding and the chance to chase Olympic dream.
From RBC Training Ground to the Lima 2019 Pan Am Games
Among the 477 Canadian athletes heading to the Lima 2019 Pan Am Games, seven are RBC Training Ground ‘Future Olympians.