September 28/99 6:04 am - Olympic Selection Criteria, Champions of Cycling Gala

Posted by Editoress on 09/28/99
 

More On Olympic Selections

Steve Lund, one of the coaches at the PacificSport National Cycling Centre, passed along the following information regarding Olympic selection criteria for mountain biking.

Regardless of how many spots Canada earns as a country, athletes must meet COA (Canadian Olympic Association) criteria in order to make the Olympic Team. The selection reads: "Between July 4, 1998 and August 6, 2000 athletes achieving the following results twice will be eligible for selection to the Olympic Team.

Men - Top 16 at World Cup events and 1998+1999 World Championships
Women - Top 10 at World Cup events and 1998+1999 World Championships

or

Athletes achieving the following placings or better at the 2000 World Championships will be eligible for selection to the Olympic Team.

Men - Top 16
Women - Top 15

That's the basic criteria, there are a few attached schedules, etc and, of course, there is another set of criteria for road and track. Athletes who are at the level to be selected to the Olympic team will have received this criteria with their Carding Package. Any others should contact the CCA.

Editor‚s Note: This means that the following athletes are now eligible, by our calculations:

Women - Alison Sydor, Chrissy Redden, Lesley Tomlinson
Men - Seamus McGrath, Chris Sheppard

Andreas Hestler is next closest, with one qualifying result still needed.


PacificSport National Cycling Centre Champions of Cycling Gala returns to Victoria to celebrate the astounding achievements of Canada‚s mountain, road and track cyclists∑
Alison Sydor, Eric Wholberg, Tanya Dubnicoff, Brian Walton and a host of other cyclists come together for two weeks of training and the annual tradition of putting on the glitz∑.

September 27, 1999

Victoria, BC - All roads to Sydney Australia, the destination of choice for Canada‚s cyclists aspiring to represent their country at the 2000 Olympic Summer Games, start in Victoria this December.

Cyclists from all three disciplines ˆ road, mountain and track ˆ will attend the PacificSport National Cycling Centre annual training camp from November 29 to December 12. But the chance to exchange lycra for glam comes with the third annual Champions of Cycling Gala to be held in the ballroom of the Ocean Point Resort.

"The cyclists work hard all year, testing themselves in races around the globe," says PacificSport National Cycling Centre Head Coach Yury Kashirin. "This is an opportunity for them all to come together to train and build a sense of unity in the Canadian team, whether they race on the road, track or mountain terrain. And the Champions of Cycling Gala gives them a chance to honour their peers and accept the gratitude of Canada‚s cycling community."

The Gala, to be held Thursday, December 2, 1999, will once again feature an awesome silent auction, awards ceremony and dinner. The event, a fundraiser for the PacificSport National Cycling Centre programs, has become the premier evening for cycling in Canada and has sold out for the past two years.

Tickets, $60 per person, will be available through the PacificSport Group offices on Elk Lake Drive. For more information, call (250) 744-3583.

Contact: Joanna Fox, PacificSport Media Officer (250) 595-1955, cell 882-5426, email farfox@mailhost.wlc.com