OTTAWA, October 21, 2014
On behalf of our Government, I would like to offer my most heartfelt congratulations to Stephanie Dixon, who was today named Canada’s Assistant Chef de Mission for the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games.
A native of Brampton, Ontario, Ms. Dixon is an accomplished athlete who competed at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Paralympic Games and won a total of seven gold, ten silver and two bronze medals. Born without a right leg and hip, she began to swim at the age of two. At the age of 13, she began swimming competitively against athletes without disabilities, and, at the age of 14, she joined Canada’s national Paralympic team. At the 2007 Parapan American Games, she won six gold medals and one silver.
As Assistant Chef de Mission, Ms. Dixon will be a spokesperson for the Canadian Parapan American Team and will support the leadership provided by Chef de Mission Elisabeth Walker‑Young, a fellow Paralympic swimmer. She will act as a mentor, a leader and an inspiration to the athletes.
The Government of Canada recognizes that our para-athletes are an enormous source of pride and inspiration for all Canadians and serve as excellent role models for our young people and for people with disabilities. We have maintained a record level of funding for the Canadian sport system—including our support for the Canadian Paralympic Committee, national sport organizations and Own the Podium—so that we can ensure our athletes reach the podium at every possible opportunity.
The Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games will take place from August 7 to 15, 2015, in Toronto and across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The Government of Canada is contributing up to $500 million for sport infrastructure projects, legacy initiatives, a federal cultural strategy, Canadian team preparation, and essential federal services to support the staging of the Games.
The Games will be part of the Year of Sport in Canada, a pan-Canadian initiative in 2015 to celebrate the role of sport in our country and to encourage Canadians to get involved and participate in sport and reap its benefits.
Robert Lynch
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Bal Gosal, P.C., M.P.
Minister of State (Sport)
819-934-1122
robert.lynch@sports.gc.ca
