Triathlon Canada names Phil Dunne as new High Performance Director
New HP director brings Olympic and Paralympic experience to position
Photo by:
Triathlon Canada
Earlier this year it was announced that Patrick Kelly would be returning to Triathlon Canada as its High Performance Director, but he stepped down from the position this summer for personal reasons. Triathlon Canada has now announced his replacement – Phil Dunne. Most recently Dunne has been working with the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario.
“In previous roles within Sport Institutes in Canada and Ireland, as well as with the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and Own the Podium (OTP), Dunne has honed his skills working with and leading multi-disciplinary, integrated support teams across a range of Olympic and Paralympic programs and events,” Triathlon Canada said in a release today.
“Having observed both of Canada’s Triathlon programs – Olympic and Paralympic – from a distance in my previous roles, I am very excited to start working with the high performance team to deliver the resources and support the athletes and coaches need to achieve our goals,” Dunne said. “The community must work together if we want to achieve our collective goals. Together, with the support of our provincial sport organizations and entire staff, the focus will be to support and sustain podium performances throughout the performance pathway – from the grassroots level to our Olympic and Paralympic best – help them reach their full potential in addition to strengthening the pool of athletes and coaches across the country.”
Dunne holds a Bachelor of Science in Sport Science from the University of Wales and completed his Masters in Sport Performance Analysis at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
High performance and executive changes at Tri Can
Last year’s Olympics in Tokyo marked the beginning of some major changes at Triathlon Canada after the resignation of national team coach Jono Hall. High Performance Director Eugene Liang left the organization to take a position at Own the Podium, and CEO Kim Van Bruggen also left the organization.
Related: Prior to resignation, Triathlon Canada head coach Jono Hall cited for abusing coach/athlete relationship, not creating safe coaching environment
In March Joe Morissette was announced as the new CEO of Triathlon Canada. We caught up with the new CEO, who, like Dunne, appears to have the skill set needed to help Triathlon Canada get back on track after a tumultuous few years. You can click on the link below to read more about Morissette.
