Québec City, Monday, September 29, 2014 – A new page of history will be written this week as Université Laval’s PEPS aquatic centre hosts the 13th FINA Synchronized Swimming World Cup presented by RBC for the first time on Canadian soil. Several of the 17 teams taking part arrived in Québec City last week to familiarize themselves with the competition venue and start training for the big day. From tomorrow, the public will be able to cheer on the world’s best swimmers as they practice, building up to the preliminaries and finals in a tremendous showcase for a demanding and complex discipline.
A unique showcase for Canada
Of the 250 national team members present, 107 athletes will be in action over four days of competition as Duet Technical and Duet Free, Team Technical and Team Free, Free Combination, and the all-new Team Highlight events wow spectators. “It’s a very important event for teams with a view to the 2016 Olympic Games,” says Henry Scheil, Synchro Canada’s new president. “It will be a unique opportunity for Canada to raise its profile on the international stage.” Having made remarkable progress in Duet and Team performances throughout the season, Team Canada has a good chance at multiple podium finishes next weekend. Karine Thomas (Gatineau)—who competed in the 2012 London Olympics—and rookie Jacqueline Simoneau (Montréal) make up a duet that are definitely worth keeping an eye on.
Honorary president Sylvie Fréchette is also looking forward to the Team Highlight event. “It’s very impressive to watch”, explains the double Olympic medallist. “Each programme has at least four acrobatic moves to be performed by all team members. It’s going to be quite the show!” The Team Highlight final is this Sunday, with the World Cup getting underway with the preliminaries on Friday.
Ticket office still open to the public
To see the swimmers in action, there are two ticketing options: the All-Event pass or single day tickets. The $200 All-Event pass is valid from Tuesday, September 30, to Sunday, October 5, including 10% off in the official event store. Single day tickets are available starting at $5 for the Tuesday and Wednesday training sessions at the PEPS aquatic centre, and $45 for the competitions.
About FINA
Founded in 1908, the Fédération Internationale de Natation is the world’s governing aquatic sports organization. The five FINA disciplines—Swimming, Open Water Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, and Synchronized Swimming—are included in the Olympic program, while High Diving debuted at the 2013 FINA World Championships. FINA boasts 204 affiliated national federations around the world. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.
About Synchro Canada
Synchro Canada is an organization that fosters the pursuit of excellence while developing athletes, citizens, and ambassadors of the sport of synchronized swimming at all levels. From its 1924 beginnings in Montréal, synchronized swimming has been actively pursued by more than 70 countries worldwide. Canada proudly ranks among the best of these nations.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is Canada’s largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, investor services, and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We employ approximately 79,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S., and 40 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com. RBC supports a broad range of community initiatives through donations, sponsorships, and employee volunteer activities. In 2013, we contributed more than $104 million to causes worldwide, including donations and community investments of more than $69 million and $35 million in sponsorships. Learn more at www.rbc.com/community-sustainability.
About Gestev
Founded in 1992, Gestev is a dynamic event management company specialized in sports and cultural events. Over the years, Gestev has raised event management standards by adding a party twist to high-calibre competitions, including music shows and live entertainment, while making competitions accessible to all. Snowboard Jamboree, Red Bull Crashed Ice, Transat Québec Saint-Malo, Sprint Québec, and Vélirium are just a few Gestev events. Gestev also manages Baie de Beauport and is a certified responsible event manager (BNQ 9700-253).
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For information:
Stéphane Côté
Synchro Canada
Communications Coordinator
Email: stephane@synchro.ca
Cell.: (418) 420-2125
Website: www.synchro.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/synchrocanada
Twitter: www.twitter.com/synchrocanada