Media Release

September 14, 2000 --- Manitoba - National Triathlon Centre

Through the joint efforts of Triathlon Manitoba, Triathlon Canada, the National Sport Centre – Manitoba and Sport Manitoba, the sport of Triathlon will become the third sport to establish a National Regional Training Centre in the Province of Manitoba.

As with existing Manitoba based Centres in swimming and volleyball, the Manitoba - National Triathlon Centre will help develop National Team athletes and coaches for participation in major events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games and World Championships.

The National Sport Centre Manitoba will support high performance athletes in the areas of sport psychology, nutrition, strength and conditioning and exercise physiology.

"The National Sport Centre Manitoba emphasizes the holistic development of athletes and coaches. We are excited about this new partnership with the sport of Triathlon and look forward to helping Manitoba's high performance triathletes achieve personal and performance excellence" - Alex Gardiner, General Manager NSCM.

Sport Manitoba through it’s High Performance Coaches Employment Program will provide the resources that will help enable Manitoba provincial team coach Gary Pallett to head up the Centre’s coaching staff and to work closely with Triathlon Canada National Team coach Barry Shepley and Paul Regensberg from the National Triathlon Centre in Victoria, British Columbia in helping develop world class athletes. Triathlon Canada is hoping to develop numerous National Regional Training Centres around the country to help feed the Victoria Centre where Canada's National Team is situated.

“The Triathlon Centre will enable Manitoba’s top triathletes and coaches to excel on the national and international stage,” said Randy Anderson, Sport Manitoba’s High Performance Programs Manager. “Sport Manitoba is pleased that another of our high performance coaches will be given the opportunity to train and develop athletes.”

Mitch Kolbuck, President of Triathlon Manitoba has said, “This is a wonderful addition for the athletes of Manitoba as well as athletes from neighboring provinces. The centre will provide opportunities for advanced levels of training and athlete support that were not available locally in the past. Manitoba athletes will no longer be forced to relocate to other centres if they wish to pursue Triathlon at the elite level.”

The establishment of the Manitoba - National Triathlon Centre comes at a time when Triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports in Canada and the world. The sport makes it Olympic debut on Saturday in Sydney, Australia (Friday, September 15, 6:00 CST) where the Canadian Women have a strong chance at winning medals, and will be the first medals of the games to be awarded.

For more information contact:
Laurel Read (204) 925-5636, Gary Pallett (204) 779-4042

This page was last updated on September 14, 2000