Spokesperson and ambassadors

Jacqueline Simoneau participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics in artistic swimming. She also qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games. She is the first Canadian to win 4 consecutive gold medals for Canada at the Pan American Games! Very resilient, she has won close to 100 medals for Canada on the world stage despite being diagnosed with celiac disease at age 9. Jacqueline Simoneau is a 2X (soon to be 3X) Olympian and world champion in artistic swimming. She is passionate about representing her country and promoting sport, and is honored to serve as spokesperson for the Montréal 2024 Games.

In addition to her studies and training, Simoneau also gives back to the community by working closely with the Make A Wish Foundation, Celiac Quebec and Fast and Female!

“I care about creating a positive impact through skateboarding.”

Born in Montreal, Jessy Jean-Bart discovered his passion for skateboarding at a very young age. As a teenager, he perfected his craft, eventually gaining international recognition from renowned magazines such as; Thrasher, Sugar and Low Card among others. Jessy currently works with more than ten sponsors such as Vans and Deathwish skateboards and represents them around the world.
In his spare time, you can find him conducting demonstrations and skate classes in collaboration with his foundation, or participating in sports-study clinics in international schools. As part of the collective «Vivace, un mode de vie sans tabac» he promotes a smoke-free lifestyle at events throughout Quebec and around the world. Living both vegan and sober, Jessy walks it as he speaks.

Sandra started playing water polo at the age of 7, a sport she has been playing for over 35 years. During her career, Sandra has won the Canadian championship 21 times with her CAMO team from Montreal. She has been named the best player in the country three times, in addition to being a member of the All-Star Team, which brings together the top seven players in Canada, five times. The best memory of her sporting career is his participation in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney in Australia, when the women’s water polo was admitted to the Olympic program for the first time in history ! A gold medal at the Pan-American Games in 1999 and a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2001 and the World Cup in 2002 are also among his career highlights.

William Dandjinou has been a member of the Canadian Short Track Team since 2019.

Five-time medallist at the 2019 Canada Winter Games, he also represented Canada at the 2019 and 2020 World Junior Championships, ranking three times among the top 20 in individual distances.

He just won the gold medal in Rotterdam, thus obtaining the title of world champion in the 1000m!

Laura Côté Collin is 22 years old and hails from Sherbrooke. Volleyball runs in her family; her parents have been involved in the sport their entire lives and met through it. Currently, she is completing her bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management at UQAM. Additionally, she played for three years with the UQAM Citadins team in the Usport university league. Alongside this, she has been playing beach volleyball for 6 years. In 2022, she won the Canada Games, and this past fall, she participated in her first international competition. Thus, this summer marks the beginning of her professional beach volleyball career, dedicating herself to it full-time while continuing her studies. Indeed, next fall, she will commence a master’s degree through distance learning. Laura is passionate about giving back to her sport and the volleyball community. She has been coaching for 6 years and gives lectures in schools and day camps to inspire the next generation of athletes.

Hernst Laroche, a Montreal native and proud representative of the Parc-Extension and Montréal-Nord neighbourhoods, began his journey at the William Hingston Gymnasium, where his older brother inspired him to join the basketball world in his 4th birthday. Later playing at Lucien-Pagé High School, Hernst has amassed remarkable successes, winning several trophies and being recognized as the best player three times. His exploits led him to represent Quebec at the U17 Canadian Championship.
After a successful stint with the Cheetahs at Vanier College, Hernst’s university adventure at New Mexico State University was a success, winning the championship twice and participating in the prestigious March Madness tournament. Her excellence was recently honoured by her induction into the university’s Hall of Fame. After a successful professional career in Europe, South America and Africa, Hernst made his return in 2022 to become the captain of the Montreal Alliance team in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, making history as the first scorer of the franchise. Currently an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team at Université Laval, Hernst is also pursuing his studies with determination, pursuing an MBA at Université Laval.

Audrey started artistic swimming at the age of five at Montreal Synchro. Since she was 16, Audrey has been a member of the National Senior Artistic Swimming Team and represents Canada around the world in solo, duo and team.
She recently qualified Canada for the Paris Olympic Games as a duo and team.
Audrey is honoured to be an ambassador for artistic swimming at the Montreal Games. She wants to make her sport better known and exchange with her community!

Ashraf Tadili is an Olympic athlete and has held the Quebec record in the 800m since 2003. He was a member of the Canadian team for 10 years (1999 to 2009), including 3 World Championships (Paris – Helsinki – Osaka) and 2 Olympic Games (Athens – Beijing). He was Pan-American Champion in 2003 and vice-champion in the 800m at the Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2006, as well as 3 times Canadian Champion. Ashraf is currently coaching at the Vainqueur Plus club, having coached several QC champion athletes. In addition, he is a Jouez Gagnant speaker to inspire the youth of tomorrow.

Dorothy Yeats is a Canadian wrestler with an impressive track record. Yeats dominated the wrestling scene from her debut in 2008 until her retirement in 2017, distinguishing herself as a 9-time Canadian National Champion. Her career is marked by important victories, including a gold medal at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and a silver medal at the 2012 Senior World Championships. She also won the Junior World Championship in 2012 and again in 2013.

A fierce competitor, Yeats continued her winning streak with gold at the 2014 World University Championships, gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and gold at the 2015 Pan-American Games. Her excellence in the sport culminated in her representation of Canada at the 2016 Olympic Games, cementing her status as a formidable force in the wrestling world. Dorothy Yeats’ dedication, skill and numerous awards make her a true Canadian wrestling icon, inspiring aspiring athletes with her remarkable achievements on the mat.

Cody Lacroix is a Canadian freestyle scooter pioneer. He has over 15 years’ experience in the industry as a top rider, industry professional and broadcaster. He has been instrumental in the growth of the sport from the grassroots to the international level. He coached the very first Canadian athlete to compete at the World Championships.
Mr. Lacroix is currently co-owner of Canada’s leading Versus Pro Shop retailer and the only rider-owned brand, Trynyty. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the national governing body for freestyle scootering in Canada (RSC-Scootering).

Heidi Chon has been playing badminton for almost 10 years at the provincial and national levels. She has been on the Quebec team for several years now. She participated in the Quebec Games in 2019 and the Canada Games in 2023. She served as an ambassador for the Bad au Féminin event in 2024 in Sept-Îles. Additionally, the Montreal Games were the first competition she won.

Ywan Cohonner is an Ultimate Frisbee athlete with an inspiring background. In high school, he joined his first Ultimate Frisbee team, where he excelled. Ywan has many qualifications to his credit: World U20 vice-champion with Team Canada in 2018, Canadian Cup champion with Royal de Montréal in 2021, Canadian vice-champion in 2021, and many other appearances on the Canadian team in various categories. He also coaches several teams and the Montreal junior program, of which he was a member at the start of his career. His goal as a coach is to give back to the community and inspire young people. He continues to perfect his skills with a view to competing in other championships

Lee Leclerc was born with cerebral palsy. I played soccer when he was young for several years. He has also done martial arts and has always been active in sports!
He started para-athletics in 2016, and was a national and provincial medallist.
He represented Canada at the WPA (World Para athletics) at the world championship in Dubai in 2019.
This year, he started coaching and wants to help young people to play sports.
He is still preparing competitions, including the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris!

Norah Bou, 12, has only been climbing for 3 years, but her performances on the FQME (Fédération Québécoise de la Montage et de l’Escalade) competitive circuit have put her on the map in her first year of competition.

His remarkable rise to prominence was underlined by impressive performances in all climbing disciplines: speed, route and difficulty. In 2023, in her first year on the competitive circuit, she distinguished herself by finishing in first place in each of these disciplines, in addition to winning the highest podium of the Canadian regional bouldering championship in her category. Alongside her climbing successes, Norah has also made a name for herself in the world of Ninja. In 2023, she became Quebec champion in this discipline and placed seventh at the UNAA World Championships. In 2024, Norah continued her triumphant streak with a series of consecutive podium finishes. In particular, she set a new provincial record on the 10-metre speed wall. Despite her young age and relatively short career, Norah embodies determination and passion. Her ambition is clear: to one day represent Canada at the World Climbing Championships and join the elite of the new generation of climbers. For her, every victory is an extra incentive to aim even higher, because she knows that the best is yet to come.

Kenny Ly, aged 17, started playing table tennis at the age of 11, following in the footsteps of his older brother Edward Ly who qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in singles and team for Canada. Kenny has made enormous progress recently thanks to his federation and his team at his own club LYTTA (Académie de Tennis de Table Ly). Over the past six months, he has had the chance to travel to several countries in Europe and Asia to take part in international tournaments and training camps. He has experienced a totally different caliber of table tennis outside Quebec. He recently took part in the Jeux du Québec d’hiver 2024 in Sherbrooke. Throughout the tournament, he managed to defeat all his opponents in three sets to nil in singles and teams. Without losing a set, Kenny went on to win the gold medal in U17 men’s singles and the gold medal in mixed team. He was also named flag bearer for the Lac St-Louis delegation at the closing ceremony. Kenny was a member of the Quebec team from 2019 to 2024, as well as a member of the U13, U15 and U19 national teams. Kenny is currently ranked 5th in Canada in the U19 category.

Erica Velev is a young Montreal athlete. She started climbing at the age of 8.
In 2019, she took 2nd place at the European Junior Championships and placed 14th at the World Junior Championships in all three disciplines combined. When looking at each discipline individually, Erica finished 18th at the North American Cup and 5th at the national championships in bouldering in 2022. She finished 9th at the 2019 World Junior Championships in speed climbing. In 2023, Velev won 1st place at the North American competition in September and took part in the Pan-American Games in Santiago, finishing 6th. She also has several World Cup participations to her credit.

Mr. Damblant, a 93-year-old living legend of Judo, represents the wisdom and excellence of Judo worldwide. With his impressive rank of 9th Dan, he is not only the founder of Judo Québec and the Hakudokan Club in 1958, but also the trainer of over 100 Black Belts. His influence extends far beyond Quebec’s borders, having held the position of Director of Judo Organization at the 1976 Montreal and 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. His presence as a Judo ambassador at the Montreal Games is an honor and a source of inspiration for all followers of this noble martial art.

Coralie Godbout is a 22-year-old athlete who has been practicing judo since the age of 5. Her perseverance, resilience and hard work have enabled her to win 9 Canadian Championship titles in the Cadet, Junior and Senior categories. Since the age of 15, she has proudly represented Canada on the international stage at numerous judo competitions, winning numerous medals in the process. A passionate judoka, she likes to pass on her passion to those around her, whether at her club or with other young judokas. Having participated in the Jeux du Québec, Canada Games, Commonwealth Games, Jeux de la Francophonie and Pan-American Games, she is proud to bring her experience to young Montrealers by becoming an Ambassador for the Jeux de Montréal.

Pascal Guzzo, a taekwondo competitor since the age of 12, is Canadian vice-champion in 2024, a multiple international medalist and a member of Team Québec. It’s important for him to remind people that the athlete’s journey is not always an easy one, but an inspiring one. In our media-driven world, he encourages people to be authentic for the betterment of our society. Despite a journey with many injuries and obstacles, applicable in all aspects of our lives, Pascal reminds us that it’s important to stay aligned with our “why”, to create memories and appreciate the victories as much as the defeats.

“It’s a way of life. As a competitor and entrepreneur [Green Horizon] in the advertising world trying to reach the top, this sport has taught me a lot and helped me a lot. It taught me that life will try to break you and that reaching your biggest goals isn’t always the easiest. Let me tell you a secret; readjusting and trying again and again and again is the beauty of our life path. Stay disciplined and consistent in everything you do and one day, you’ll reach your biggest goals.”

In closing, Pascal wants to energize competitors. In everything he does, he uses the expression FSA [“Full Steam Ahead”], so “go go go everyone and good luck to all the competitors!

A coach at Questo RG since 2017, Tia Ghabbour is dedicated to guiding provincial-level gymnasts in RGG and RGI. Having started gymnastics at the age of 4 in Egypt, her athletic journey continued at Questo from 2012, progressing to the national level before concluding her gymnastics career in 2017. Her commitment as a coach goes beyond mere athletic performance; her primary objective is to contribute to their development as individuals. At the same time, Tia is pursuing her studies in Civil Engineering at McGill University, where she is due to graduate next year. Outside the world of gymnastics, she has also been exploring her passion for competitive dance for 3 years.