Canada names 207 athletes for Milano-Cortina Olympics, including 109 rookies

The Canadian Olympic Committee announced a 207-athlete delegation for the Milano-Cortina Winter Games, with 109 competitors making their Olympic debuts. The Games run Feb. 6–22 and the opening ceremony will be broadcast on CBC-TV.

Canada's Olympic Committee has named a 207-athlete delegation for the Milano-Cortina Winter Games. Of those athletes, 109 will be competing at their first Olympics. Jennifer Heil will serve as Canada's chef de mission and emphasized pride and respect in a statement released by the COC. Competition runs Feb. 6–22 across venues in northern Italy. Key details: - 207 athletes were selected for the Canadian team, and 109 are Olympic first-timers. - Forty-seven Canadian athletes are Olympic medallists, and several competitors — including Marie-Philip Poulin, Valerie Maltais and Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes — are preparing for their fifth Games. - The delegation will be supported by 231 national sport organization staff and coaches, plus 181 Canadian Olympic Committee Mission Team members, including 16 Canadian Olympians and three Pan American Games athletes. - The Milano-Cortina Games will feature nearly 3,000 athletes from 93 countries, spread across six Olympic villages covering about 22,000 square kilometres in northern Italy, with 116 events across eight sports and 16 disciplines. - This is the first Olympic Winter Games at which Canadian athletes competing in women's events outnumber those competing in men's events. Summary: The delegation pairs a large contingent of first-time Olympians with a group of returning medallists, reflecting both new talent and experience. The team will compete at the Milano-Cortina Games from Feb. 6–22, and CBC will provide broadcast coverage of the opening ceremony.