Celebrating #WHATSTHERE

The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics were 17 days of jam-packed thrills expressed best in the slogan: #WEAREWINTER. The Games were filled with joyous moments, challenges, sportsmanship and national pride as we cheered on our Canadian athletes.

There were plenty of great Olympic moments to be sure. The Dufour-Lapointe sisters took the top two spots in moguls; Alex Bilodeau and the women’s bobsleigh team defended their Olympic titles; the women’s curling and men’s curling team both won gold for the first time at the same Olympics; and as expected, hockey supremacy remained in Canada as both the men’s and women’s team defended their gold medals from Vancouver.

Not only did Canadian athletes bring home 25 medals from these games (10 gold, 10 silver and 5 bronze); they also displayed the true meaning of the Olympic spirit. We witnessed one of our cross country coaches, Justin Wadsworth, come to the aid of a Russian cross country skier with a spare ski allowing the skier to finish the race. There was also Gilmore Junio, who "took one for the team" by giving up his spot to teammate Denny Morris. Morris did not disappoint winning silver. The beauty of the Olympics is to display the human spirit, whether on the playing field or off the playing field, to inspire future generations.

Now that the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics have concluded, it is time to turn the page and start looking forward to the 2014 Sochi Winter Paralympics, which are scheduled to begin on March 7 and end on March 16. Our winter Paralympians are ready to make Canada proud in:

• Alpine skiing 
• Biathlon 
• Para-Nordic skiing 
• Sledge hockey 
• Wheelchair curling 
• Para-Snowboard 

The Canadian Paralympic Committee has launched the #WHATSTHERE campaign to promote the 2014 Paralympic games. For 9 days we look to be thrilled, to be on the edge of our seats, and to witness the Paralympic spirit during Sochi 2014. In the six winter sports hosted during these games, we look forward to our athletes demonstrating to the world why Canada is the best in the world at winter sports by capturing plenty of medals as well as personal and Canadian records.

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