Canada’s Olympic teams will now train in facilities in Toronto and Calgary fitted out with antimicrobial copper on high-touch surfaces to help protect athletes from disease.
The trial project is being driven by an investment of $200,000 by Canadian copper giant Teck Resources in partnership with with the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute. Teck is also the Official Mining, Metals and Minerals Partner for the Canadian Olympic Committee.
Copper will be added to high-touch surfaces and fixtures in training facilities where Canadian Olympic athletes train, including dumbbell handles, exercise equipment and door handles to test how well it fights germs.
Copper is the only solid metal touch surface registered by Health Canada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, proven to eliminate up to 99.9% of bacteria. High-touch surfaces that are coated with copper can dramatically reduce the survival of bacteria and viruses on those surfaces and reduce the chance of transmission.
The installation will take place throughout the 2022 calendar year by which time the feasibility to retrofit copper across other training facilities will be assessed.