MONTRÉAL – With the 2006 Olympics in Torino officially over, Roots welcomes home the Canadian Olympic speed skaters and congratulates them on their outstanding performance at the Winter Games.  As the official outfitter and sponsor of the Canadian speed skating team, Roots is proud of the team's incredible achievements and looks forward to its continued partnership with Speed Skating Canada (SSC). To show our appreciation for the team, Roots is hosting a special reception today at its flagship store in Montreal to pay tribute to Canada's national speed skating team, which won a total of 12 out of Canada’s 24 medals at the Torino Games.

The Roots involvement with SSC, one of Canada's premier amateur athletic organizations, is part of Roots’ on-going support of amateur athletes. In 2003, Roots signed a multi-year agreement with SSC that runs until 2010, which involves providing sponsorship funds and merchandise to support SSC's programs and athlete training. Roots designed an official licensed line of Speed Skating Canada apparel for the athletes as well as the Roots Speed Skating Canada collection available for sale to the general public.

The Roots official Speed Skating Canada collection incorporates great style and traditional fabrics and craftsmanship. Made in Canada, the collection includes jackets, T-shirts and accessories, and is available at all Roots company stores.  A portion of the proceeds of the sale of any officially licensed Roots Speed Skating Canada merchandise goes directly to SSC.

While extending congratulations to the entire team on its performance, Roots would like to especially salute the following speed skaters on their success: Cindy Klassen for her unprecedented five Olympic medals (gold in 1500m, silver in 1000m and Pursuit, bronze in 3000m, and bronze in 5000m); Clara Hughes for her gold in 5000m; Kristina Groves for her silver in 1500m; François-Louis Tremblay for his silver in 500m; Anouk Leblanc-Boucher for her bronze in 500m; the Women's Relay team for their silver in 3000m (Anouk Leblanc-Boucher, Tania Vicent, Kalyna Roberge, Amanda Overland, Alanna Kraus); the Men’s Relay team for their silver in 5000m (Eric Bedard, Jonathan Guilmette, Mathieu Turcotte, François-Louis Tremblay, Charles Hamelin); the Women's Pursuit Squad for their silver (Kristina Groves, Clara Hughes, Christine Nesbitt, Shannon Rempel, Cindy Klassen); and the Men's Pursuit Squad for their silver (Arne Dankers, Steven Elm, Justin Warsylewicz, Denny Morrison, Jason Parker).

"We were so impressed by Canada's athletic achievements at the Olympics in Torino, especially the speed skaters," says Roots Co-founder Michael Budman. "True to past performance, the speed skating team really showed what they're made of and why they so often come out on top when competing against the best in the world. Roots is thrilled to support and to be associated with such excellent athletes and fine individuals both on and off the ice."

For further information, contact:
Alexandra Chaniotis
Public Relations & Event Coordinator/Québec
514-845-7995, Cell: 514-814-6425
E-mail : achaniotis@roots.com

Robert Sarner,
Director of Communication and Public Affairs
416-781-3574 ext 4280
E-mail : rsarner@roots.com

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