April 19^th, 2010

OTTAWA– A record number of 109 divers from 18 nations are confirmed for this year’s Canada Cup FINA Grand Prix, including 30 Olympians from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The event, which will be broadcasted live on CBC and Radio Canada (SRC) over the course of the weekend, is set for April 29^th through to May 2^nd at the Olympic Park Sports Centre in Montreal.The 18-member Canadian team for the event will be presented on Wednesday, April 28^th, at a press conference.  It includes two-time Olympic silver medalist Alexandre Despatie, three-time Olympic medalist Émilie Heymans and their teammates, Olympians Meaghan Benfeito, Roseline Filion, Jennifer Abel, Riley McCormick and Reuben Ross.Besides Canada, powerhouse nations to watch for include China, Australia, Cuba, Germany, Russia, Great-Britain and the United States. Canadian stars will challenge for medals against Olympic gold medalist Matthew Mitcham (10 m individual) of Austrialia, Olympic silver medalists Melissa Wu and Briony Cole (10m synchro) of Australia, as well as the Chinese pair of Lin Yue and by Huo Liang, who won gold in men’s 10m synchro at the last Olympics and at the last World Championships..“The 2010 Canada Cup will treat all spectators to a spectacular display of world class diving coupled with extremely fierce competition’’ said Mitch Geller, Diving Plongeon Canada’s chief technical officer. In addition to getting a first glimpse at the potential podium line-up for 2012, spectators will have the opportunity to witness a fast-paced and dramatic competition that features only six divers in the final rounds.” 

Impressive global ratings
The population of China will be able to watch the Canada Cup on live television thanks to important agreements that were signed recently with two Chinese television stations, Beijing TV and Gudong TV. Both networks expect ratings to exceed 25 million viewers throughout China. The event will also be broadcast in France, Russia, Mexico, Hong Kong, Australia, and the United Arab Emirites. In total, international television ratings are expected to top 35 million viewers for this year’s event.

Competitive and highly entertaining
Not only will the 2010 Canada Cup feature exciting, world-level competition, it will also offer some special activities for spectators including autograph sessions with national team members following the competition on Saturday and Sunday, and entertaining circus acts being performed in between diving events.

Tickets still available
Tickets can be purchased at the door, online, with the diving clubs in Quebec or they can be obtained by calling Diving Plongeon Canada at 1-877-348-3226 x 2101.Tickets for the four finals on Saturday and Sunday are $15 each day.  A weekend pass can also be purchased for $25.  Admission is free for the preliminaries and semi-finals on Thursday and Friday while there is free admission throughout the entire weekend for children 12 and under. The schedule and entry lists are available on-line at http://canadacup.diving.ca/

About Diving Plongeon Canada
Diving Plongeon Canada (DPC) was established in 1967 as a not-for-profit organization to promote the growth and awareness of the sport in this country. As a member of FINA, the world’s governing body of aquatic sports, DPC contributes to the development of globally accepted standards of excellence in diving and supports the rules and regulations of international competition. Representing nine provincial diving associations, 67 local diving clubs and close to 4,000 high performance athletes, DPC shares a national commitment to advance the art and sport of diving and to position Canada as the number one diving nation of the world.  For information, visit www.diving.ca.