Five olympians selected as Team Canada’s Beijing 2022 athlete mentors

TORONTO (May 13, 2021) – Five Olympians will lend their Olympic experience to support Canadian athletes at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Catriona Le May Doan, Team Canada’s Beijing 2022 Chef de Mission, announced Thursday.

The Athlete Mentor role was created to help support athletes through the unique challenges of performing at the Olympic Games. Based in the Olympic Village, the mentors will provide competing athletes with advice and guidance while fostering an inclusive environment grounded in Team Canada’s values: Excellence, Accountability, Respect, Fun and Bravery.

Team Canada’s Beijing 2022 Athlete Mentors are:

Maxime Dufour-Lapointe (Montreal, Que.) — Freestyle Skiing, Sochi 2014

Jill Officer (Winnipeg, Man.) — Curling, Sochi 2014

Geneviève Saumur (Montreal, Que.) — Swimming, Beijing 2008

Sherraine Schalm (Brooks, Alta.) — Fencing, London 2012 / Beijing 2008 / Athens 2004 / Sydney 2000

Seyi Smith (Ottawa, Ont.) — Athletics/Bobsleigh, London 2012 / PyeongChang 2018

"Athletes have been forced to manage immense challenges leading up to these Olympic Winter Games, from not being able to maintain a normal routine to trying to navigate the unknown," said Team Canada’s Beijing 2022 Chef de Mission Catriona Le May Doan. "Athletes need support now more than ever and I am so grateful that these five Olympians have raised their hands to volunteer and give back to the sport community.

"Each mentor brings a unique set of experiences and skills, but we can all attest to the value of being able to lean on someone when we need it most at Games. As Chef de Mission and Athlete Mentors for Team Canada, we are committed to providing the helping hand and support athletes may require to be at their very best next February."

Leading up to the Games, Athlete Mentors will participate in Olympic Performance meetings such as the Olympic Preparation Seminar. They will also be responsible for developing ideas for the creation of an optimal high-performance environment.

The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games will be held from February 4 to 20, 2022.

With 109 events in seven Olympic winter sports, including seven new events — women’s monobob, freestyle skiing big air (men’s and women’s), and mixed team events in short track speed skating, ski jumping, freestyle skiing aerials and snowboard cross — the Beijing 2022 program will bring about the most gender-balanced Olympic Winter Games to date, with more female athletes (45.44 per cent) and women’s events than at any previous Games.

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