Five-time Olympic medalist Charles Hamelin, who will be competing in his fifth and last Olympic Winter Games, will be one of the stars of Canada’s delegation of 215 athletes in Beijing.

The 37-year-old short track speed skater from Sainte-Julie is one of 45 Olympic medalists on the team who will be looking for another podium. Hamelin already has three gold medals, one silver and one bronze.

The Canadian Olympic Committee announced its full team on Friday. It is the third largest contingent in the country at the Winter Games.

Of the 215 athletes heading to China, 106 identify as women, the highest number ever in Canada’s history at the Winter Olympics.

Canada will have a total delegation of 246 members in Beijing, including athletes, coaches and support staff.

“These 215 athletes overcame so many obstacles and adversity en route to the Beijing Games,” said COC Chief Sport Officer Eric Myles. Through every fight they have gone through during the pandemic, they have continually shown bravery, resilience and determination.

“Our success at the Games will be measured by the health and safety of Team Canada and the ability of athletes to be able to jump onto the playing field and live their dreams. »

wind of youth

Sixteen-year-old snowboarder Brooke D’Hont will be the youngest athlete to compete for Canada and is one of 117 who will make their Olympic debut. Freestyle skier Émile Nadeau, from Prévost, is the youngest among the men as he just celebrated his 18th birthday on January 13.

Curler Jennifer Jones, who won gold in 2014, is Canada’s oldest athlete at 47.

Ontario will be the best-represented province on Team Canada with 60 athletes, followed closely by Quebec with 57.

The COC also announced on Friday that five members of the delegation were subject to COVID-19 protocols. He did not provide the names of those involved.

The International Olympic Committee has established that an athlete who tests positive for COVID-19 in China will be required to provide two negative PCR test results 24 hours apart before being released from isolation.

The Olympics will take place from February 4 to 20. About 2,900 athletes from 90 National Olympic Committees are expected in the Chinese capital.

There will be 109 events on the program in seven Olympic Winter sports, which will be presented in 13 competition venues spread over three zones: Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou.