Rowing Canada Aviron & TYLENOL® join forces to get Gold at 2008 Beijing Olympics

The road to Olympic Gold is paved with pain, sacrifice, and perseverance. In order to overcome these obstacles and achieve Olympic success, Canadian athletes require a tremendous amount of resources and support. Rowing Canada Aviron is pleased to announce that TYLENOL® has volunteered its assistance and is now an Official Major National Sponsor of Canada's Rowing Team.

“Our Canadian rowers know first-hand how pain can be a roadblock to success,” says Ian Moss, Executive Director, Rowing Canada Aviron. “Pain can keep athletes from training and competing at their full potential. We are proud to be associated with TYLENOL®, a pain reliever that can help our rowers get back quickly and safely onto their rigorous training schedules.”

The resources TYLENOL® is providing will go toward ensuring the National Rowing Team has access to the best training and coaching programs available. The partnership will also help increase rowing’s exposure to the Canadian public, by featuring members of the Canadian Rowing Team in advertising and promotional materials.

“We are so proud to support the Canadian Rowing Team’s push to the podium this August,” says John Mahoney of McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the makers of TYLENOL®. “The team members have demonstrated superb athleticism and we want to do everything we can to assist them in achieving the national and international recognition they deserve.”

Canada has already qualified five boats for the Beijing Olympics (men's eight, men's lightweight four, women's quad, women's pair, and women's lightweight double) based on results from the 2007 World Championships. And, Canada will be working to qualify even more boats at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Poznan, Poland, on June 15 to 18, 2008. Selection is ongoing, but the final team will be announced in late June.

Rowing Canada Aviron crews have also met the sport's standards for the Paralympic Summer Games (Sept. 6 to 17), which will be held after the Olympics, also in Beijing, China. This is the first time rowing is making an appearance in the Paralympic Games.

About Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA)
RCA is a nonprofit organization recognized by the Government of Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee as the national governing body for the sport of rowing in Canada. RCA represents registered members at all levels, whether they row for recreation, health and fitness or competition.

About McNeil Consumer Healthcare
McNeil Consumer Healthcare markets a broad range of well-known and trusted over-the-counter (OTC) products around the globe. McNeil Consumer Healthcare in Canada, Division of Johnson & Johnson, markets products in the adult and pediatric pain relief, allergy, gastro-intestinal and nicotine-replacement categories under the brand names TYLENOL®, MOTRIN ®, BENYLIN®, BENADRYL®, REACTINE®, PEPCID®, IMODIUM®, ROLAIDS®, NICORETTE® and NICODERM®. Johnson & Johnson is a worldwide partner of the Olympic Movement and the official partner of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympic Games.

For more information contact:

Jackie Skender
Rowing Canada Aviron
Phone: 519.200.1835
Email: comm@rowingcanada.org

Tina Peyregatt
McNeil Consumer Healthcare
Phone: 905-968-2028