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Montreal 1976 torch to return to Kingston in a parade set for Tuesday, August 11
Kingston, August 6, 2026 – The Montreal 1976 torch will make its return to Kingston during a parade to be held on Tuesday, August 11, as part of several activities that will be organized during that week for the 50th anniversary of the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games, and which included the sailing competition in Kingston.
The torch parade will feature seven sports personalities representing not only the sailing competition at the 1976 Games, but also its legacy, and will be led by an 18-drum member group of Queen’s Band.
The torch parade will leave Kingston Yacht Club at 5:45pm on Tuesday, August 11, and is scheduled to end at Confederation Park at around 6:15pm, before the start of the Opening Ceremonies for the Sail Canada Youth Fest and Youth Championship (Club 420) and CORK International, where close to 275 athletes will compete August 12-15. The full route for the torch parade is detailed below.
The seven sports personalities who will walk during the torch parade are:
-James Richardson: The Kingston sailing native who now lives in San Diego will be back in his hometown after he lit the flame at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour at the 1976 Opening Ceremonies. He also took part in the trials to represent Canada at the Montreal 1976 Games;
-Michael De La Roche: He took the 7th position with Larry Woods from Hamilton, ON, in the Tornado class at the Montreal 1976 Games in Kingston, where he now lives;
-Peter Higgins: the sailor from Toronto was an alternate on the Canadian sailing team at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games in the Finn class after finishing in second place at the trials;
-Marsha Gormley: Widow of Bud Gormley, who was the mayor of the Olympic Village for the sailing competition in Kingston during the Montreal 1976 Games, which was based at Queen’s University;
-Julie-Anne Staehli: The athlete born in Goderich, ON, competed in the 5,000m event in track and field at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where she took the 32nd position. She is now the Manager, High Performance Team Operations at Queen’s University Athletics;
-Will Keilty: The young Optimist sailor from Kingston recently recorded the best-ever Canadian performance at the Optimist World Championship with a 7th position overall back in June, after being the first Canadian to win a gold medal at the Optimist North American Championship in May and at the US National Championships in August;
-Rob Woodbury: The former sailor from Brockville, ON, was selected to represent Canada at the 1980 Olympic Games before the boycott. He is now a National Race Officer and will be the Race Officer for the ILCA course at Youth Fest.
The route for the torch parade will go as follows:
-Kingston Yacht Club (departure at 5:45pm)
-Maitland St.
-Right on King St.
-Right on Simcoe St
-Rideau Trail / Waterfront Pathway
-Left on Lower Union St / Navy Memorial Park
-Right on Ontario St.
-Right on Gore St. / Waterfront Pathway / Battery Park
-Left on William St
-Right on Ontario St
-Cross Johnson St
-At Clarence St.: Cross Ontario St
-Cross Clarence St
-Cross Market St
-Left on Market St
-Cross Market Square
-Right on Brock St
-Right on Ontario St
-Cross Market St
-At Clarence St.: Cross Ontario St
-Left on Ontario St
-Confederation Park
In case of inclement weather, the evening's schedule will be adjusted and shared.
Many other activities are planned for the 50th anniversary of the Montreal 1976 Games sailing competitions: Click here for more
These events are organized by Sail Canada and CORK / Sail Kingston, with the support of Tourism Kingston, the City of Kingston, Queen’s University, the Kingston Yacht Club, and the Portsmouth District Community Association.
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