Ottawa, June 19, 2001 - The National Archives of Canada opens a new exhibition on Thursday June 21 that showcases some of Canada’s best-known and successful athletes. The documents range from 1867 — when a New Brunswick rowing team won the world championship in Paris — to more recent times with Sylvie Fréchette and the controversy surrounding the synchronized swimming gold medal at the 1992 Olympics. The photographs, art work, audio-visual material and textual records reveal information about a wide range of successful athletes, from skiers to golfers, curlers, baseball players and archers.

The exhibition’s official opening will be hosted by Ian E. Wilson, National Archivist, and special guests Carolyn Waldo, double gold medal winner in synchronized swimming, and the Honourable Don Boudria, President of The Games of la Francophonie. The opening event takes place Thursday June 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the main lobby at 395 Wellington Street.

This exhibition, which runs until January 2002, coincides with the IV Games of La Francophonie, which will be held in July, and with the 25^th anniversary of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. It is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at 395 Wellington Street.

Canada has a long tradition of excellence in a wide variety of sports. The collections of the National Archives constitute a rich source of information in specialized areas such as athletics, and contain documents which include photographs, paintings, texts, maps, films, audio recording, and government records. These records are open and accessible to the public.