Penny Oleksiak and Andre De Grasse Top 2016 Canada Commonwealth Cup Standings

OTTAWA – Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) today announced the 2016 winners of the Canada Commonwealth Cup, cash prizes awarded annually to Canada’s top 8 Commonwealth athletes and/or teams and their coaches.

Of the 146 men and 158 women participating in the program in 2016, swimmer Oleksiak and sprinter De Grasse topped the field, which included significant representation from the sport of diving, along with other Commonwealth sports. Points accumulated at major 2016 international events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cups and other competitions were tallied throughout the year. Results of the 2016 Canada Commonwealth Cup Top 8 are:

 Men

Women

“We are pleased to highlight the accomplishments of these great Canadian Commonwealth sport athletes and to reward them with funds in support of their ongoing training and competition expenses on the road to the 2018 Commonwealth Games”, said Richard Powers, President of Commonwealth Games Canada. “Congratulations to Penny and Andre for leading the standings in 2016, and to all of our Top 8 athletes for their impressive results over the year.”

All Canadian national senior athletes and teams in good standing with their respective National Sport Federations, from sports included in the upcoming Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia in 2018, are eligible for the Canada Commonwealth Cup.

“It is such a great honour to be the winner of the Commonwealth Cup”, said Penny Oleksiak, of Toronto, ON and leader of the 2016 Canada Commonwealth Cup women’s standings. “There are so many great athletes right now in Canada, that just to be named with them is a privilege. My parents, coaches and teammates are all as big a part of this result as me. Without them many of my performances would not be possible. I’d also like to thank Commonwealth Games Canada and I'm looking forward to more chances to represent Canada, which I hope includes Gold Coast 2018 on the way to Tokyo 2020!"

“The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games were my first international multi-sport games and served as a great springboard for my success at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games and the Rio Olympics this past summer,” added the men’s leader, Andre De Grasse, of Markham, ON. “I am proud to have won this unique award and congratulate all Canada Commonwealth Cup participants for their accomplishments in 2016.”

As the founder and four-time host of the Commonwealth Games, Canada is considered one of the leading Commonwealth sport nations, and CGC is proud to continue in this role with the establishment of the Canada Commonwealth Cup, a prize purse for Canada’s top Commonwealth athletes. Based on Commonwealth sport values the Canada Commonwealth Cup is inclusive of both men and women, able and para-athletes, individual and team sports, and features a prize purse shared equally between men and women. Additional information about the Canada Commonwealth Cup can be found at www.canadacommonwealthcup.ca.

For further information:

Commonwealth Games Canada
Brian MacPherson
Chief Executive Officer
613.244.6868 x226
brian@commonwealthgames.ca

ABOUT COMMONWEALTH GAMES CANADA

Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) is the franchise holder for the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth movement in Canada, and an active, contributing member of the Canadian sport community. The mission of CGC is to strengthen sport within Canada and throughout the Commonwealth by participating in the Commonwealth Games and by using sport as a development tool. CGC builds a better Commonwealth through sport. Visit www.commonwealthgames.ca for information.