34 athletes supported by RONA to represent Canada in Beijing

BOUCHERVILLE, QUEBEC–(EMWNews – Aug. 7, 2008) – RONA inc. (TSX:RON), the largest Canadian retailer and distributor of hardware, renovation and gardening products, is proudly supporting 34 Canadian athletes nominated to compete at the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games through its “Growing with our athletes” program.

“As national partner of the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Teams and through our “Growing with our athletes” program, we’re proud to be offering our support to athletes representing Canada at the Beijing Games,” said Mark Hindman, RONA’s Vice President, Marketing and Olympic Programs. “We hope all Canadians will join us in cheering for our athletes while they take part in the event of a lifetime.”

Among athletes supported by RONA is Adam Van Koeverden from Oakville, Ontario, who was selected as Canada’s flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony by the Canadian Olympic Committee. For more information on athletes who are members of RONA’s “Growing with our athletes” program and updates on their performance in Beijing, visit athletes.rona.ca.

Through its “Growing with our athletes” program, RONA supports 100 high performance Canadian athletes. They are selected by the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee in consultation with its member National Sport Federations, as strong prospects for upcoming Olympic Games. These athletes receive financial support from RONA to help them offset living, training and competition expenses. Athletes from RONA’s “Growing with our athletes” program are associated to stores from the RONA network and attend a number of community events during the year.

OLYMPIC EVENTS

The following athletes, members of RONA's "Growing with our athletes"
program will be taking part in a number of Olympic events:

ATHLETICS: Aug. 15-24
Tyler Christopher, Edmonton, Alberta

FENCING: Aug. 9-17
Sherraine Schalm, Brooks, Alberta

CYCLING: Aug. 20-21
Samantha Cools, Airdrie, Alberta

DIVING: Aug. 10-13, 15-23
Meaghan Benfeito, Montreal, Quebec
Roseline Filion, Laval, Quebec
Blythe Hartley, Calgary, Alberta
Emilie Heymans, Greenfield Park, Quebec

GYMNASTICS - ARTISTIC: Aug. 9-10, 12-15 and 17-20
Brandon O'Neill, Edmonton, Alberta
Kyle Shewfelt, Calgary, Alberta

TAEKWONDO: Aug. 20-23
Ivett Gonda, Port Moody, B.C.
Karine Sergerie, Sainte-Catherine, Quebec

KAYAK: Aug. 18-23, Slalom Canoe/Kayak Aug. 11-14
Richard Dober, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec
Karen Furneaux, Waverly, New Brunswick
Adam Van Koeverden, Oakville, Ontario
Andrew Willows, Lasalle, Quebec

ROWING: Aug. 9-14 and 16-17.
Malcolm Howard, Victoria, B.C.
Darcy Marquardt, London, Ontario
Jane Rumball, London, Ontario

SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING: Aug. 18-20 and 22-23
Marie-Pier Boudreau-Gagnon, Montreal, Quebec
Marie-Pierre Gagne, Montreal, Quebec
Isabelle Rampling, Montreal, Quebec

SAILING: Aug. 9-21
Chris Cook, Toronto, Ontario

SOCCER: Aug. 9-10, 12-13, 15-16, 18-19 and 22-23
Rhian Wilkinson, Vancouver, B.C.

SWIMMING: Aug. 9-17 and 20-21
Brent Hayden, Vancouver, B.C.
Andrew Hurd, Mississauga, Ontario
Rick Say, Victoria, B.C.

TRAMPOLINE: Aug. 18-19
Karen Cockburn, North York, Ontario
Rosannagh MacLennan, King City, Ontario

WRESTLING: Aug. 12-14, 16, 17 and 19-21
Martine Dugrenier, Laval, Quebec
Carole Huynh, Calgary, Alberta
Tonya Verbeek, Beamsville, Ontario

PARALYMPIC EVENTS

In addition, three athletes members of RONA's "Growing with our athletes"
will be taking part in the Beijing Paralympic Games, from September 6 to
17, in the following disciplines:

BASKETBALL: Chantal Benoit, Ottawa, Ontario
GOALBALL: Nancy Morin, Longueuil, Quebec
SWIMMING: Stephanie Dixon, Brampton, B.C.

About RONA

RONA is the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, home renovation and gardening products. RONA operates a network of over 680 corporate, franchise and affiliate stores of various sizes and formats. With over 27,000 employees working under its family of banners in every region of Canada and more than 15 million square feet of retail space, the RONA store network generates over $6.3 billion in annual retail sales. For more, please visit rona.ca.