Manitoba’s Olympic contingent small but strong More than 330 athletes are representing Canada in the French capital, including seven who call Manitoba home By: Danielle Da Silva Posted: 5:49 PM CDT Friday, Jul. 26, 2024

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This article was published 26/07/2024 (776 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PARIS, France — A small powerhouse of Manitoba talent is promising to strengthen Team Canada’s podium drive as the 2024 Summer Olympics opened with a sublime spectacle along the Seine River in Paris on Friday.

Winnipeg’s Skylar Park was in the thick of the opening ceremony from her spot on the Team Canada boat, waving to an expected audience of roughly 300,000 people, as a flotilla paraded thousands of athletes and delegates on a six-kilometre route from the Jardins des Plantes to the Trocadéro across from the Eiffel Tower, below an overcast, drizzling sky.

“One of the things that I dreamed of as a young girl going to the Olympics is walking for Canada at the opening ceremonies,” said the 25-year-old taekwondo sensation, who missed out on the opening ceremony at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, owing to her competition schedule.

“To have the opportunity to do that this time around is so special,” she said.

More than 330 athletes are representing Canada in the French capital, including seven who call Manitoba their home. The keystone province’s delegation boasts some impressive credentials, with past Olympians Kelsey Wog, 25 (swimming); Shae La Roche, 31 (water polo); Tyler Mislawchuk, 29 (triathlon); and Olympic soccer gold medallist Desiree Scott, 36, featuring on the roster. Setter Luke Herr, 30, and outside hitter Eric Loeppky, 25, will make their Olympic debuts with the men’s volleyball team.

“We are a small team… but we are a strong team and we’ve proven that we’re able to get results,” said Park, who is determined to reach the podium in the 57kg taekwondo tournament after finishing ninth overall in her Tokyo Olympic bid. She’s ranked fourth in the world heading into the Paris tournament, slated for Aug. 8.

Wog, a senior member of the Canadian swim team, is also looking to improve on her Olympic debut from Tokyo, where she qualified for the semifinal in the 200 metre breaststroke, but was disqualified for using a dolphin kick. The veteran swimmer will race in the preliminaries for her signature event on July 31, and plans to call it a career after Paris.

She’s been making the most of the athlete’s village since arriving earlier this week, exploring the sprawling site by bike, shooting outfit-of-the-day videos with her Team Canada kit, and distributing custom Paris 2024 beaded bracelets — courtesy of friend Lily Francis — to other competitors.

“I’m very content, just enjoying each and every moment being here, and giving it my all,” Wog said.

Olympic rookie and Steinbach local Loeppky said his experience with the Games so far — from the electric atmosphere of the athletes’ village to cruising down the Seine as Lady Gaga performs a French cabaret number — has been surreal.

Still, Loeppky, who is known for his wicked spin serve, said he’s sleeping well in Canada House on the standard Olympic-issued cardboard bed, he already has a small collection of pins from trading with other athletes, and he’s ready to compete.

“Everything seems significant to me and pretty special,” he said. “I think it will really feel complete once that first whistle blows. I think then, everything after that will just kind of feel like a bonus.”

For Herr, the second Manitoban making their debut in Paris, stepping on to the court with the national team is a lifelong dream come true. Having his family along for the ride is particularly special after playing professional volleyball overseas for years.

His parents, brother, sister-in-law and girlfriend will all be in the stands to cheer him on, reviving a tradition from days past competing with the University of Manitoba Bisons, when the family home was just 10 minutes away from the court.

“Anytime I get to see them it’s super nice,” said Herr. “It’s exciting that they get to see me play live, and they always love it.”

Over the course of the games, thousands of family, friends and supporters are expected to cheer on athletes from Canada Olympic House, where floor to ceiling banners of Olympians, including Park and Mislawchuk, adorn the walls.

The Canadian Olympic Committee officially cut the ribbon on its “home away from home” in the lower level of the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie on Friday morning, with Chief Wilton Littlechild, a lawyer and commissioner for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, offering a prayer to open the venue.

Speaking to reporters at the COC’s opening press conference, chief executive officer David Shoemaker lamented the events of the past week, which concluded with women’s national soccer team head coach Bev Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander, and video analyst Joseph Lombardi being sent home after Canada was caught using a drone to spy on two New Zealand training sessions earlier this week.

“I’m reminded there are 31 other sports here at these amazing games in Paris 2024, we have a delegation of (315) athletes, nearly 900 people supporting the team, and this is the strongest Olympic team I’ve seen,” Shoemaker said. “I’ve never been more inspired or excited about the medal potential and the sports that we have here.”