The awards, presented following each Paralympic Games, honour the best athletes at each set of Paralympic Games.

Cross-country skier Brian McKeever, of Canmore, AB, was named Best Male Athlete, Alpine skier Lauren Woolstencroft, of Calgary, AB, was recognized as the Best Female Athlete, and Canada’s national ice sledge hockey team won for Best Team Performance.

“We congratulate Brian McKeever, Lauren Woolstencroft and the men’s ice sledge hockey team for being recognized by the International Paralympic Committee for their excellent performances in the highly competitive world of Paralympic sport. They are among the many Paralympic heroes who are inspiring Canadians with a physical disability to become involved in sport,” said CPC President Carla Qualtrough.

McKeever won gold at the Turin 2006 Paralympic Games in the 10km Freestyle and the 5km Freestyle along with a silver in the 20km Classic in cross-country skiing and a bronze in the men’s 7.5km in biathlon. Classified as a B3 visually-impaired athlete, McKeever’s current goal is to compete at both the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“I don’t compete for recognition, but because cross-country is a sport I love. But it’s still really exciting and an honour to be recognized in this way by the International Paralympic Committee,” said McKeever.

Woolstencroft raced to gold in the Giant Slalom and to silver in the Super G at the Turin 2006 Paralympic Games. Born without legs below the knees and her left arm below the elbow, she has been skiing since the age of four. She started ski racing at age 14 when a friend convinced her to join the Alberta Disabled Ski Team. She has been a member of Canada’s Para-Alpine Ski Team since 1998.

“It’s an honour to receive this prestigious award, and particularly exciting to win alongside Canadians Brian McKeever and the men’s sledge hockey team. This is a true testament of Canada’s leadership in Paralympic Sport,” said Woolstencroft.

The Canadian sledge hockey team won gold at the Turin 2006 Paralympic Games, after finishing out of the medals at the Salt Lake City 2002 Paralympic Games. The team is not only the defending Paralympic gold medalist, but also topped the inaugural World Sledge Hockey Challenge, which was held in Kelowna, BC in March.

Todd Nicholson, captain of Canada’s 2006 sledge hockey team, said, “It’s definitely an honour. The gold (in Turin) was for a couple players, like myself, a long time coming. We had a great team on and off the ice in Turin, with the coaching and support staff playing a large role in our success.”

The 2006 Paralympic ice sledge hockey team consisted of Jeremy Booker (Ajax, ON), Bradley Bowden (Mississauga, ON), Billy Bridges (Summerside, PEI), Marc Dorion (Ottawa, ON), Raymond Grassi (Carp, ON), Jean Labonte (Gatineau, QC), Herve Lord (Ottawa, ON), Shawn Matheson (Carp, ON), Graeme Murray (Ottawa, ON), Todd Nicholson (Ottawa, ON), Mark Noot (Winterbourne, ON), Paul Rosen (Toronto, ON), Benoit St-Amand (Montreal, QC), Dany Verner (Mascouche, QC) and Greg Westlake (Oakville, ON).

The two remaining IPC Sport Awards went to Switzerland’s Thomas Pfyl for Best Games Debut and to Germany’s Karl Quade for Exemplary Games Official.

The IPC will also be giving out Paralympic Media and Scientific Awards at IPC Awards Gala, held as part of the 2007 IPC General Assembly in Seoul, Korea on November 24.

The winners were selected by three Awards committees, composed of members of the Paralympic Movement and experts in the relevant areas. All award recipients will be presented with a trophy designed and produced by the Italian company, GDE Bertoni.