St. John�s hosts Dribble and Drive to Sydney tour finale
Basketball festival completes cross-Canada journey on Saturday, August 26

The Canada Basketball Dribble and Drive to Sydney Tour will conclude its cross-Canada journey on Saturday, August 26 with the tour finale at the waterfront in St. John�s. The tour, which was created to raise awareness and funds for Canada�s Olympics-bound national basketball teams, tipped off in Vancouver on May 31 and St. John�s is its final destination.

The Dribble and Drive to Sydney Tour is anchored by a 15,000 square-foot basketball festival that includes free activities, contests and events for people of all ages to enjoy. At each tour stop, visitors are encouraged to dribble at least one kilometre along a predetermined route in support of the two national basketball teams. The initial goal to log 7,159 dribbled kilometres, which equals the distance from Vancouver to St. John�s - was surpassed on August 2 in Lennoxville, Quebec. Now this tour is aiming for a total of 12,503 kilometres � the distance from Canada to Sydney, Australia. The people in the St. John�s area are invited to help reach that goal at Dribble and Drive events on Thursday, August 24 at the Newfoundland and Labrador Games, and Friday, August 25 at the Village Mall.

Two basketballs were ceremoniously dipped into the Pacific Ocean to mark the launch of the tour in Vancouver on May 31 and the same basketballs will be dipped in the Atlantic Ocean on August 26. The balls will then be flown back to Vancouver and presented to representatives of the two national teams, as they depart to the Olympics. A cheque for funds raised, also, will be presented, along with a banner signed by well-wishers across the country.

"It has been a great summer for basketball in Canada," said Leslie Dal Cin, executive director, Canada Basketball. "The tour has given us an opportunity to build momentum leading up to the Olympics and it gives Canadians the chance to take an active part in our journey to Sydney."

The Dribble and Drive to Sydney Tour is presented by NBA Canada, Sears Canada, Nike Canada Ltd., and CTV, along with on-site sponsors, Gatorade, Sony, Playstation, Spalding, National Post Online and Canada 3000.

Canada Basketball is a private, not-for-profit corporation that is committed to the growth of the sport in Canada, though the support and promotion of programs that extend the number of opportunities to "play the game". Just as important, Canada Basketball is focused on preparing Canada�s national teams for the Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan American Games, World Junior Championships and World University Games. The aspiration of Canada Basketball is to instill the pride, commitment, passion and respect that Canadians personify into the development of basketball across the country and internationally.

Media contact:

Alison George (416) 364-2030 ext 109, cell (416) 346-1019

On-Site Contact: Steve Deighton, cell (416) 873-0190.

2000 08 22 3:25 p.m.