INDUSTRY NEWS: Swimming Canada and Bell Canada Launch National Partnership

OTTAWA, Canada. May 4. BELL Canada and Swimming Canada announced today, the launch of a new partnership in support of Canadaï¿½s National Swim Team and more than 400 community swim clubs from coast-to-coast.

"We are delighted with Bell Canada's commitment to assist our sport in reaching its goals for growth and development of Canadian swimming," states Pierre Lafontaine, CEO, SNC. Bell Canada's support will enable us to deliver a variety of programs that will have a direct positive impact on our athletes, coaches and communities, from grassroots to national team levels."

With this partnership, Bell becomes the official telecommunications provider for Swimming Canada and an official sponsor of the National Swim Team. The company is also a title sponsor of the Bell Grand Prix, a new international competition series, as well as a presenting sponsor of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. In addition to these major competitions, Bell and Swimming Canada will work together to create new resource tools for swim clubs and special community events that will help to strengthen the growth and capacity of the club system across the country.

"Bell Canada is so pleased to sponsor Swimming Canada. We are particularly excited about supporting the National Swim Team as well as the 400-plus grassroots swimming clubs in the communities we serve across the country," states Loring Phinney, Vice President of Corporate and Olympic Marketing, Bell Canada. "Our funding will help support the delivery of local clinics and national competitions, these being important developmental tools for athletes to access in their quest for World Championship, Olympic and Paralympic competition."

The Bell Grand Prix is designed to enhance the domestic competitive program and provide Canadian athletes with a strong competitive environment in which they can excel in their performance. A series of three competitions will be held annually across Canada, in Vancouver (June), in Montreal (July) and in Toronto (November). Cash awards for top performances will create incentive for strong performances from Canadian swimmers as they compete with world class international athletes.

The Pan Pacific Swimming Championships which take place from August 16 to 20, 2006 in Victoria, BC, and will bring together over 300 of the world's top swimmers from over 30 countries, including Australia, China, Japan, and the United States. The event will be broadcast to over 200 million viewers worldwide.

"The Bell Grand Prix and the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships will showcase Canada's best swimmers throughout the year," added Pierre Lafontaine, "Bell Canada's support has provided us with an exceptional opportunity to capitalize on the many benefits associated with hosting international events here at home".
About Bell Canada

Bell Canada is Canada's national leader in communications with 28 million customer connections across the country. The company provides consumers with simple solutions to all their communications needs, including telephone services, wireless communications, high-speed Internet, digital television and voice over IP. Bell also offers integrated information and communications technology (ICT) services to businesses and governments, and is the Virtual Chief Information Officer (VCIO) to small and medium businesses (SMBs). Bell is proud to be a Premier National Partner and the exclusive Telecommunications Partner to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Bell is wholly-owned by BCE Inc. For information on Bellï¿½s products and services, please visit www.bell.ca, and for corporate information on BCE, please visit www.bce.ca.
About Swimming Canada

Swimming Canada (SNC) serves as the national governing body of competitive swimming. SNC's vision of Swimming to Win; Winning for Life! reflects the lifelong attributes of the sport. The federation comprises 75,000 members and 400 swim clubs across the country. Canadians are global leaders in high performance swimming and development for both able-bodied swimmers and swimmers with a disability. Swimming is recognized as one of the most celebrated and successful Canadian summer Olympic sports.. For more information on Swimming Canada, its activities and programs, please visit www.swimming.ca.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use