Alberta Alpine warmly congratulates Minister Gary Lunn who was named Minister of State for Sport today.
Minister Lunn has shown considerable interest in alpine ski racing, attending the Sierra Wireless Whistler Cup in 2007 and 2008. This interest is not surprising as the Minister competed in the 1960's in alpine ski racing as a member of the North Star Racers of Kimberly, BC.
"We welcome the focus of a Federal Minister responsible for sport, especially as we focus on the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games of Vancouver, said Alberta Alpine President Ken Read.”I have had the opportunity to speak with Minister Lunn during the Whistler Cup and his enthusiasm for sport and interest in ensuring we build a strong sport system is crucial. His attendance at an international event like the Whistler Cup as a guest of BC Alpine and the Whistler Mountain Ski Club recognizes the importance of alpine skiing to our high-performance programs, tourism and the volunteer sector. Even more important, he supports the developmental level of sport, which is vitally important not to forget with all the attention on 2010. Our future talent is currently with ski club and provincial ski teams and we cannot forget how crucial it is to build this level of sport to ensure our success in 2010 is sustainable."
