British Columbia is sending 142 athletes with a connection to B.C., making up 45% of Team Canada, to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

These local athletes, who have been living and training in B.C., will take part in 18 sports with the majority competing in athletics, rowing and swimming.

Of the 142 athletes, 68 of them have a hometown in British Columbia and 128 are training in B.C. or receiving support services from either Canadian Sport Institute (CSI) Pacific or PacificSport centres.

The B.C. contingent in Brazil will also include 23 coaches, 12 CSI Pacific sport scientists and 11 medical practitioners with a connection to the province.

Since 2001, the Government of British Columbia has invested more than $1 billion in sport. This support includes funding for B.C.’s provincial sport organizations that are instrumental in providing training and development for athletes and coaches on the high-performance pathway as they progress from provincial competitions to national development programs and national teams.

The Rio 2016 Olympic Summer Games take place Aug. 5-21, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

(flickr.com)

Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia –

“Every two years, the world comes together to celebrate athletes competing in the Olympic Summer and Winter Games. In B.C., we’re fortunate to have some of the best athletes and training facilities in the country to ensure they can compete with the best in the world. Congratulations to our athletes representing Canada this summer and, on behalf of all British Columbians, good luck.”

Peter Fassbender, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development –

“We have many high-performance athletes who live and train in British Columbia and we are extremely proud of those who have been chosen to represent Canada at the upcoming Olympic Games. There is no higher achievement in sport than competing against the best in the world and I know that all British Columbians share my enthusiasm in wishing them all the best in their pursuit of the podium.”

Wendy Pattenden, CEO, Canadian Sport Institute Pacific –

“With a record number of athletes choosing to live and train in British Columbia, we are proud to be standing by our B.C.-based Olympians as they get set for the start of the Rio 2016 Summer Games. We believe the winning combination of a climate conducive to year-round training, terrific facilities and the social legacy of Vancouver 2010 has been clearly elevated by the Government of British Columbia's investment in sport development.”

Quick Facts:

• 314 athletes make up the Canadian Olympic team.
• 142 of these athletes have a B.C. connection.
• 68 of them have their hometown in British Columbia.
• 74 benefit from services provided by Canadian Sport Institute Pacific or a PacificSport centre in the province.
• 37 athletes on the Olympic Team are BC Games and/or Team BC alumni (of those, 24 are BC Games alumni, 13 are Team BC alumni and 10 competed at both).
• In 2012, Canadian athletes won 18 medals at the London Olympic Games: one gold, five silver and 12 bronze.
• 50% of those medals came from athletes with a connection to B.C.

Learn More:

For a complete list of British Columbia-linked athletes on the Canadian Olympic team, visit: http://www.csipacific.ca/

To learn more about the Canadian Olympic team, visit: http://olympic.ca/

To learn more about the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/ministries/community-sport-and-cultural-development