One year ago Team BC athletes were gearing up for the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George.  Four of those athletes will now wear the maple leaf as they compete for Team Canada at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

Tekarra Banser of Kelowna has had an impressive rise in her sport of biathlon.  She competed at the 2014 BC Winter Games and then a year later in won gold for Team BC at the 2015 Canada Winter Games.  Another year later and another Games will take her to Norway, a powerhouse of biathlon.

Tyler Tardi of Surrey attended the 2012 and 2014 BC Winter Games followed by skipping Team BC to a bronze medal finish at the 2015 Canada Winter Games.  For the Youth Olympics he is paired with his Team BC teammate Sterling Middleton of Fort St. John to compete in mixed curling.

On the final day of competition at the 2015 Canada Winter Games, Evan Bichon of Prince George brought home gold for Team BC in front of a hometown crowd.  He will now take his snowboarding talent to Norway.


PRESS RELEASE from the Canadian Olympic Committee
Monday, February 1, 2016 — TORONTO — On Monday, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced the team of 54 athletes that will represent Canada at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, from February 12 to 21. Benjamin Churchill will lead Team Canada into the Opening Ceremony as the flagbearer.

The 17-year-old Calgary native is one of Canada’s most promising biathletes. He won the men’s 15km individual event and led Team Alberta to silver in the men’s 3 x 7.5km relay at the 2015 Canada Games in Prince George, B.C. Competing since 2010, Churchill has won six career medals at the Canadian Championships.

The Olympic city of Lillehammer will host 1100 of the world’s best young winter athletes from 71 nations. These promising athletes aged 15 to 18 will compete in 70 medal events using some of the venues from the 1994 Olympic Winter Games. Two daily update shows and the event of the day will be streamed on CBCSports.ca

In addition to competition, the athletes will take part in a wide range of cultural and educational activities to help them develop the skills needed to be successful in their careers as adults. The team will be led by Chef de Mission Isabelle Charest, a three-time Olympian and Olympic medallist in short track speed skating. Charest made her Olympic debut at Lillehammer 1994 where she won silver in the 3000m relay. Fellow Olympian, Eric Mitchell, a ski jumper who competed at Vancouver 2010, joins the team as their Young Ambassador.

The full athlete contingent which will represent Canada at the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games includes:

First Name	Last Name	Gender	Sport	Hometown
Justin	Alkier	Male	Alpine Skiing	Barrie, ON
Ryan	Moffat	Male	Alpine Skiing	Kelowna, BC
Ali	Nullmeyer	Female	Alpine Skiing	Toronto, ON
Amelia	Smart	Female	Alpine Skiing	Invermere, BC
Tekarra	Banser	Female	Biathlon	Kelowna, BC
Benjamin	Churchill	Male	Biathlon	Calgary, AB
Gillian	Gowling	Female	Biathlon	Calgary, AB
Leo	Grandbois	Male	Biathlon	Lennoxville, QC
Katherine	Hogan	Female	Bobsleigh	Calgary, AB
Martha	Niziolek	Female	Bobsleigh	Kingston, ON
Parker	Reid	Male	Bobsleigh	West Vancouver, BC
Taylor	Rooke	Female	Bobsleigh	Calgary, AB
Levi	Nadlersmith	Male	Cross-Country Skiing	Boissevain, MB
Annika	Richardson	Female	Cross-Country Skiing	Vancouver, BC
Karlee	Burgess	Female	Curling	Brooksfield, NS
Mary	Fay	Female	Curling	Chester, NS
Sterling	Middleton	Male	Curling	Fort St. John, BC
Tyler	Tardi	Male	Curling	Surrey, BC
Justine	Brasseur	Female	Figure Skating	LaSalle, QC
Zachary	Lagha	Male	Figure Skating	Saint-Hubert, QC
Marjorie	Lajoie	Female	Figure Skating	Longueuil, QC
Mathieu	Ostiguy	Male	Figure Skating	Granby, QC
Roman	Sadovsky	Male	Figure Skating	Toronto, ON
Zoe	Chore	Female	Freestyle Skiing	Kimberley, BC
Reece	Howden	Male	Freestyle Skiing	Chilliwack, BC
Evan	Marineau	Male	Freestyle Skiing	Calgary, BC
Mackenzie	Wilson	Female	Freestyle Skiing	Whistler, BC
Luka	Burzan	Male	Ice Hockey	Surrey, BC
Dennis	Busby	Male	Ice Hockey	Shanty Bay, ON
Declan	Chisholm	Male	Ice Hockey	Bowmanville, ON
Aidan	Dudas	Male	Ice Hockey	Parry Sound, ON
Carson	Focht	Male	Ice Hockey	Regina, SK
Gabriel	Fortier	Male	Ice Hockey	Lachine, QC
Alexis	Gravel	Male	Ice Hockey	Mississauga, ON
Benoît-Olivier	Groulx	Male	Ice Hockey	Gatineau, QC
Anderson	MacDonald	Male	Ice Hockey	Quispamsis, NB
Jared	McIsaac	Male	Ice Hockey	Truro, NS
Allan	McShane	Male	Ice Hockey	Collingwood, ON
Ryan	Merkley	Male	Ice Hockey	Mississauga, ON
Tristen	Nielsen	Male	Ice Hockey	Fort St. John, BC
Connor	Roberts	Male	Ice Hockey	Owen Sound, ON
Olivier	Rodrigue	Male	Ice Hockey	Canton Tremblay, QC
Ty	Smith	Male	Ice Hockey	Lloydminster, AB
Jett	Woo	Male	Ice Hockey	Winnipeg, MB
Brooke	Apshkrum	Female	Luge	Calgary, AB
Matthew	Riddle	Male	Luge	Vancouver, BC
Adam	Shippit	Male	Luge	Pemberton, BC
Reid	Watts	Male	Luge	Whistler, BC
Zachary	Lipinski	Male	Skeleton	Leduc, AB
Laura	Vargas	Female	Skeleton	Calgary, AB
Evan	Bichon	Male	Snowboard	Prince George, BC
Kira	Lengkeek	Female	Snowboard	Airdrie, AB
Baily	McDonald	Female	Snowboard	Barrie, ON
Audrey	Shieh	Female	Snowboard	Collingwood, ON

 

QUOTES

    “It is such an honour to be Team Canada’s Chef de Mission for the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games. Lillehammer was the setting of the beginning of my Olympic journey, and the 1994 Games shaped the rest of my life. I know the Youth Olympic Games can do the same for the young athletes who will take part. It will be a major milestone in their careers and I’m thrilled to be a part of it and use my experience to help them reach their potential. I’m thrilled to work with the ones who will inspire future generations of athletes.”

    Isabelle Charest, Lillehammer 2016 Chef de Mission, Three-Time Olympian, Three-Time Olympic Medallist, Short Track Speed Skating

    “The Youth Olympic Games is a great event because it will help participants grow into not only great athletes but also well-rounded young adults. It has a strong educational component delivered through workshops and cultural exchanges. These teenagers will develop skills and knowledge that will help them become champions on and off the field of play, in their future careers and throughout their lives. They will have the opportunity to learn these vital skills from sport legends, empowering them to be true leaders in their communities when they return home to Canada. I wish I’d had the opportunity to compete, learn and share in an event like this, I know it would have helped to prepare me for the big Olympic stage at Vancouver 2010.”

    Eric Mitchell, Lillehammer 2016 Young Ambassador, Vancouver 2010 Olympian, Ski Jumping

    “Representing Canada at the Youth Olympic Games has been a dream come true, and to go as flagbearer will make this experience even more special. Canada's winter sport legacy has been crafted by generations of determined, persistent, and courageous athletes, and it is my sincere hope to honour that history during these Games. Hoisting the maple leaf, a unifying symbol for Canada, is something I will do with pride.”

    Benjamin Churchill, Lillehammer 2016 Flag Bearer, Biathlon

    “Biathlon is a sport that has largely flown under the radar in Canada over the last two decades, but as Biathlon Canada has continued to invest in our athletes, we’ve seen increased success internationally, and are now witnessing the next generation successfully developing through the system. Ben is proof of this. His much-deserved selection to lead Team Canada into the Youth Olympic Games reinforces our program is headed in the right direction. He is an exceptional young Canadian both on and off the ski trails.”

    Eric de Nys, High Performance Director, Biathlon Canada