(January 28, 2008)

2008 Canadian Champion Patrick Chan received the TD Canada Trust Chinese Canadian Youth of the Year Award. The 2007 Chinese Canadian Youth Achievement Awards were presented by The Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto Youth Chapter (CCCYC) on January 12, 2008. Patrick was chosen to receive this award based on his exceptional athletic achievements which exemplify him as a positive role model for youth.

“It was wonderful to have Patrick Chan at the 2007 Chinese Canadian Youth Achievement Awards to receive the TD Canada Trust Youth of the Year award,” says Doris Ho, member of the Executive for the CCCYC. “It was also a pleasure to have Ms Petra Burka (former Canadian and World Champion), Mr Laws (coach) and Patrick's parents at the awards as well.”

The purpose of these awards is to recognize talented youth in the Greater Toronto Area who have made outstanding achievements in performance arts, visual arts, athletics as well as leadership and community services over the last year.

Patrick has really impressed the figure skating world in the last few years and is considered a rising star within the sport. Winning Junior Nationals in 2004, he has transitioned well into senior competition. Late in 2007, Chan won his first ISU Grand Prix event, the Trophée Eric Bompard, in Paris. Training with coaches Donald Laws and Ellen Burka out of the Granite Club in Toronto, Patrick was crowned the new Canadian Champion in the men’s event at the 2008 BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships in Vancouver on January 19, 2008.