National Bank awards $ 84,000 in bursaries to 25 deserving student-athletes during the 20th edition of its Bursary Program in collaboration with the Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence

Montreal, 11 April 2012 –

Mr. Louis Vachon, President and Chief Executive Officer of National Bank and Ms. Lise-Anne Amyot, Senior Manager, Brand Image revealed the names of the 25 student-athletes who received $84,000 in financial support under the 20th edition of the National Bank Bursary Program.

“The 2012 edition is particularly important for us since it highlights the 20 years of existence of the National Bank Bursary Program,” declared Mr. Vachon. “It is a great source of pride for National Bank to have contributed to the development of young athletes for so long,” he added.

The Foundation’s President, Claude Chagnon, is very pleased and wanted to thank National Bank for its unfailing support for twenty years as well as for its loyalty and generosity toward the Foundation: “National Bank understood a long time ago the importance of supporting, not only student-athletes who shine on the international scene, but more importantly, lesser known athletes who do not yet have access to the funding they need. Since 1993, National bank has been setting an example in the private sector with its support of Quebecstudent-athlete,” explained Mr. Chagnon.

One of the objectives of the National Bank Bursary Program, established in 1993, is to support highly promising but unknown young athletes who do not yet have access to the funding needed to help them progress on the international scene. Eight student-athletes aged 14 to 18 will receive a $2,000 Hopeful bursary, six athletes aged 15 to 21 will receive a $4,000 Elite bursary and eleven others, aged 20 to 29, will receive a $4,000 Excellence bursary.

Among them are six student-athletes who are qualified for this summer’s London Olympic Games : Philippe Beaudry in fencing (saber), Marie-Pier Boudreau-Gagnon in syncrhonized swimming, Roseline Filion in diving, Barbara Jardin in swimming, Sébastien Michaud in taekwondo and David Tremblay in Olympic wrestling as well as two Olympic medallists from the Vancouver   Games, double Silver medalist in short track speed skatingMarianne St-Gelais and Gold medalist in the pursuit in long track speed skating, Mathieu Giroux.

2012 National Bank Bursary Program recipients
Eight bursaries of $2,000 (Hopeful), six bursaries of $4,000 (Elite) and eleven bursaries of $4,000 (Excellence).

About National Bank of Canada
National Bank of Canada is an integrated group that provides comprehensive financial services to consumers, small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations in its core market, while offering specialized services to its clients elsewhere in the world. National Bank offers a full array of banking services, including retail, corporate and investment banking. It is an active player on international capital markets and, through its subsidiaries, is involved in securities brokerage, insurance and wealth management as well as mutual fund and retirement plan management. As at January 31, 2012, National Bank has over CDN$175 billion in assets in accordance with IFRS and, together with its subsidiaries, employs 19,785 people. The Bank’s securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NA). For more information, visit the Bank’s website at www.nbc.ca. To access National Bank of Canada’s financial literacy portal, visit www.clearfacts.ca.

About the Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence
The mission of the Foundation is to financially support and encourage student-athletes in their pursuit of excellence and to promote athletes as role models in Quebec society. Over the past five years, the Foundation has awarded more than 3.4 million dollars in bursaries to student-athletes in the past five years and will distribute a minimum of $925,000 in 2012. Please visit our new website at www.faeq.com and like our new Facebook page: FAEQ – Fondation de l’athlète d’excellence du Québec.

Information (the telephone number provided below is for the exclusive use of journalists and other media representatives):