Calgary AB, (March 20, 2023) – Alpine Canada is pleased to announce that Jean-François (JF) Rapatel will join the organization as High-Performance Director, Alpine effective Monday, March 27th, 2023.   Rapatel brings decades of high-performance sport and technical leadership experience to Alpine Canada.

“JF brings 15 years of experience as a High-Performance Director in Alpine and Snowboard, a deep understanding of the Canadian sport system, the ability to work with Provincial and Territorial Sports Organizations (PTSOs) and clubs, and strong relationships with sport and funding partners” said Therese Brisson, President & CEO of Alpine Canada.  “He is an exceptional leader of people and builder of talent, team, and culture with an unmatched record of delivering athletic results on the world stage at World Cups, World Championships, Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.  I am thrilled he will be bringing this experience to Alpine Canada to lead us into this new era of Canadian ski racing that builds on the momentum of our historic performance this past season.” 

This will be Rapatel’s second time at Alpine Canada having served as the High-Performance Director, Para-Alpine from 2005-2010 where he led the team to a historical performance capturing 13 of Canada’s 17 medals at the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Paralympic Winter Games.  He then served as the Alpine Development Director for three years and implemented talent identification programs and the Rising Star training camps where many of the top athletes on the Canadian Alpine Ski Team today were first identified and developed 10 years ago.

Rapatel most recently led Canada Snowboard’s High-Performance program since 2016 achieving best-ever performances at the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.  Among the highlights are 10 Olympic Winter Games medals and three Paralympic medals over the last two Winter Games, as well as establishing Canada as the world’s number one ranked snowboard nation with the most medals won at the Beijing Olympic Winter Games.    

Prior to that Rapatel served as a High-Performance Athlete Development Advisor with the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific from 2013-2016 where he leveraged his analytics and evidence-based decision-making expertise to help several targeted National Sport Organizations build high-performance pathways including Podium Pathways and Gold Medal Profiles to enable Next Gen athlete development and partnerships with PTSOs. 

“It feels like I’m coming home with so many familiar faces in the ski racing community,” said Rapatel. “Ski racing was my first passion.  It took me from a young alpine ski racer to a coach, and now to this incredible opportunity to work with the leadership team and Board to continue building a world-leading ski racing nation.  I am very excited about the strategic direction and working with this very talented group of National Team and Next Gen athletes, staff and coaches. “

“We had a robust selection process to identify the best candidate to elevate our Alpine program and lead us into the future” said Erik Guay, ACA Board of Director, and member of the selection committee.  “One of the things we really loved about JF was his ability to engage the right people, make tough decisions, communicate them well, and deliver results with limited resources.  He is innovative and operates with discipline.   JF’s experience leading complex high-performance programs with multiple disciplines and professional athletes competing on multiple tours will be an incredible asset for Alpine Canada”.  

Rapatel will be responsible for the leadership of the Alpine High-Performance program that is focused on increasing podium performances through building talent, team, and culture.  He will have a broad scope of responsibilities including the leadership, planning, and management of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team; management of relationships with sport funding and performance partners; as well as people development, budgeting, and administration. 

Alpine Canada is committed to its vision for Canada to be a world-leading ski racing nation and its mission of increasing podium performances while inspiring the growth in participation and fans.  The recently completed 2023 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships were the best in Canadian history with Canada winning two gold and two bronze medals.

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For more information or media inquiries please contact:
Mark Halliday, Director Brand & Communications 
mhalliday@alpinecanada.org I 403-777-3204

About Alpine Canada
Alpine Canada is the governing body for alpine, para-alpine, and ski cross racing in Canada, as well as for Canadian ski coaches, providing education, certification, insurance, and compliance with the coaching code of conduct.  With the support of valued corporate partners and donors, along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the Coaching Association of Canada, Alpine Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic, World Championship, and World Cup athletes to stimulate visibility, inspiration, and growth in the ski community.