Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today we are wearing green to celebrate a milestone in northern history that will take place in Whistler, British Columbia, when Brendan Green of Hay River becomes the first Northwest Territories resident to compete in the Olympic Games since 1984 when Sharon and Shirley Firth competed in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
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In about two and a half hours, Brendan and his teammates will compete in the men’s 4 by 7.5 kilometre biathlon relay at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games starting at 12:30 p.m. The race is scheduled to be broadcasted on TSN, and will attract millions of viewers worldwide.
On behalf of the people of the Northwest Territories, I would like to congratulate Brendan on this monumental accomplishment and I would like to recognize the hard work and dedication he has shown to achieve this incredible goal.
Mr. Speaker, high performance athletes often train six to ten hours a day. They must adhere to a rigid schedule of competing and training year round if they hope to be the best in their sport. This type of commitment is expensive, given the travel, equipment and training that’s required for this level of sport.
The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and our partner, the Sport North Federation,
have been strong supporters of Brendan and other NWT elite athletes through the High Performance Athlete Grant Program.
The program, which provides up to $15,000 annually to high performance athletes to help offset training and travel costs, has supported Brendan for the past five years to help him compete at the Winter Olympics this very day.
Mr. Speaker, to quote Brendan Green in a statement he made recently: “The North is full of potential for athletes. Growing up in rural town is not an obstacle for athletes, but an asset. You develop an extended family of community members, coaches and volunteers which support your training and achievements. That kind of support and encouragement is not available to athletes from big cities.”
Mr. Speaker, we are all extremely proud of Brendan and his accomplishments and the many others who strive for excellence to reach their dreams. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Brendan the best of luck today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.
