A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs 鈥 including hot meals for vulnerable kids 鈥 won't spend any time in jail.
How a 65-year-old Canadian earned a spot on the Paris 2024 Olympic marathon course
Kitdapawn E is one of 20,000 runners from around the world who won a spot in what Paris 2024 Olympic organizers call the 鈥淢arathon Pour Tous," a mass participation marathon that will take place on the marathon course after the women鈥檚 race on Aug. 11.
Organizers set up challenges for runners around the world, encouraging runners to sign up and win a spot, which the Ottawa resident did.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lifetime experience for me, it is an honour,鈥 the sixty-five year old said. 鈥淚 was told we would run through one of the five Olympic rings, and that the Eiffel tower will be all lit up. This is such an honour.鈥
A room in her Ottawa home is devoted to the countless running medals she has earned participating in races around the world. When anyone asks how many marathons she has run, she answers with a broad smile.
鈥淲ell, not many. Sixteen. This will be my 17th.鈥
We caught up with her in Paris, where passers-by encouraged her, congratulated her like an Olympic athlete, and where one French woman, who says she saw her on the Facebook group for the marathon, took her picture and said she is an inspiration.
Kitdapawn E says this time, she will be inspired by the athletes, but also the majestic views she will encounter, including of the Seine.
Ottawa resident Kitdapawn E is one of thousands of runners from around the world who will take part in the 'Marathon Pour Tous,' a mass participation marathon scheduled to take place Aug. 11. (Genevieve Beauchemin/麻豆传媒)
But whether the Seine will remain that backdrop, or become a venue safe enough for Triathlon and open water swim athletes, will depend on sunshine hanging around a city where rain is part of the landscape.
Paris rain stopped falling onto the Olympic host city Sunday, but it caused enough damage to the river Seine for Olympic officials to cancel a practice event.
The question now is whether rainclouds will steer clear long enough for the Seine to be a venue for competition, like so many other landmarks in Paris, of will it be relegated to the role of backdrop, albeit a majestic one.
IOC and World triathlon officials announced they would cancel a swim designed to familiarize athletes with the site, after two days of rain flushed bacteria into the river, including E.Coli. This marks a significant setback, as nearly $2 billion and years of work have been invested in de-contaminating this body of water that was so polluted for so long, it was illegal to swim for a hundred years.
鈥淲e are still very confident that, with the weather forecast for the next 48 hours, the water quality will improve,鈥 Anne Deschamps, a member of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, said.
Officials will continue to test the water, right up until hours before what could be a historic triathlon swim scheduled for Tuesday. Organizers of these games have banked on the Seine and several of the French city鈥檚 landmarks myriad landmarks of the city of lights, to not just be background wonders, but be part of the games.
For instance, Place de la Concorde, at the site where Marie-Antoinette was guillotined, will host the new sport of breakdancing: a new Olympic sport meets a venue that鈥檚 hundreds of years old.
The marathon course will follow the footsteps of a historic march of the French Revolution, the Women鈥檚 March on Versailles, from October 1789.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump expected to name Marco Rubio secretary of state, reports say
Donald Trump selected U.S. Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, sources said on Monday, putting Rubio on track to be the first Latino to serve as America's top diplomat.
Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.
23andMe cuts 40 per cent of its workforce, discontinues all therapy programs
Genetic testing firm 23andMe said on Monday it is reducing about 40 per cent, or 200 employees, from its workforce and discontinuing all its therapies.
'Your body, my choice': Attacks on women surge on social media following U.S. election
Sexist and abusive attacks on women, like 'your body, my choice' and 'get back to the kitchen,' have surged across social media since Trump鈥檚 reelection.
Dr. Ronald Weiss, who performed nearly 60,000 vasectomies on Ottawa men, establishing him as the "Wayne Gretzky" of the procedure, has died.
Megan Fox is expecting a baby with Machine Gun Kelly
Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly are expecting to grow their family. Fox announced her pregnancy in a social media post Monday.
A 36-year-old Montreal man who was out on bail after allegedly uttering death threats against his partner is now accused of murdering her on the South Shore.
A 15-year-old boy from Kitchener, Ont. is facing a long list of criminal charges as the Waterloo Regional Police Service wraps up a lengthy swatting investigation.
Local Spotlight
Should Toronto tear up its bike lanes to improve traffic flow? Critics say it's not so simple
A congestion crisis, a traffic nightmare, or unrelenting gridlock -- whatever you call it, most agree that Toronto has a congestion problem. To alleviate some of the gridlock, the Ontario government has announced it plans to remove bike lanes from three major roadways.
For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.
Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.
A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.
As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.
A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.
A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.
Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.