December 7/11 13:16 pm - Ottawa Cyclist Featured on Quest for Gold Lottery Ticket

Posted by Editor on 12/7/11
 

Quest for Gold-funded athletes joined the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) and the Mayor of Ottawa to celebrate the coming launch of the 13th edition of the popular OLG Instant game, Quest for Gold.

Ottawa cyclist, and future Olympian, Brian Trafford is representing the more than 3,000 Quest for Gold amateur athletes in Ontario as his picture is featured on the new Quest for Gold Instant Crossword ticket. The 19 year old joined fellow Ottawa area athletes as the new lottery ticket was unveiled today at an event at OLG Slots at Rideau Carleton Raceway.

“The Quest for Gold funding helped me a lot during this critical first year as a senior rider,” said Trafford. “The funding allowed me to travel to Florida to train in the winter, to train and race at the Forest City Velodrome in London, Ontario, buy my first time-trial bike and cover coaching fees. I would never have been able to pursue my goals without the money from Quest for Gold.”

Since Quest for Gold launched in 2006, $63 million has been generated from its sales to assist approximately 3,000 Ontario athletes.  In the 2010 Commonwealth games held in New Delhi, India 40 of the 69 Ontario athletes on Team Canada received Quest for Gold funding. Of the 21 medals won by Ontario athletes, 14 were won by Quest for Gold funded athletes.

“I am thrilled to be here to support Ontario’s talented and hard working athletes,” said Jim Watson, the Mayor of Ottawa. “As a former Minister of Health Promotion, I am proud to have helped in the creation of Quest for Gold, and even prouder to see how the funds are changing the lives of our future Olympians.”

“High-performance athletes often need financial support to achieve excellence in their sport,” said Deb Matthews, Ontario’s Minister of Health and Long Term Care. “Thanks to Mayor Watson who, as former Minister of Health Promotion, introduced the successful Quest for Gold funding, our athletes have the resources to reach their goals and to inspire all Ontarians to lead healthy, active lives through sport.”

 “The Quest for Gold lottery is an accomplishment we at OLG are proud to share with all Ontarians,” said Greg McKenzie, OLG’s Senior Vice President of Lottery.  “Ontario’s athletes are succeeding as a direct result of better access to training and coaching, made possible with Quest for Gold funding.”

Quest for Gold Instant Crossword (Game #1295) offers the chance to win 20 top prizes of $50,000, with a 65% prize payout and great winning odds of 1 in 3.25.  The $3.00 Quest for Gold Instant Crossword tickets go on sale in the coming weeks at more than 10,000 retail locations across Ontario.