A panel on sports philanthropy in the official program of the 2026 UCI Road World Championships
Montreal, September 15, 2026 – The Aléo Foundation brought together voices from the sporting, philanthropic, and private sectors during the panel Funding dreams, supporting journeys, which she initiated. This conversation, which took place at the Centre des mémoires montréalaises as part of the Kaléidoscope series presented by UQAM, focused on the financial realities experienced by athletes and the conditions necessary for their development, and was followed by a very concrete gesture: the awarding of three bursaries to young female cyclists from Quebec, Mathilde Huot, Élodie Malois and Sandrine Veilleux.
Hosted by Sandra Sassine, Aléo fellow in 2003 and 2009, the panel brought together Simone Boilard, professional cyclist and Aléo scholar from 2018 to 2025, Patricia Demers, Executive Director of the Aléo Foundation and a scholarship recipient in 1992 and 1994, as well as Pierre Czyzowicz, co-chair of Trek, a financial services firm, and an accomplished paracyclist. Together, the panelists discussed the real cost of an athletic journey, access to various sources of support, and the role that the public, private, and philanthropic sectors can play in creating conditions that allow more athletes to continue their development.
In a context where the underfunding of sports raises numerous concerns, the Aléo Foundation chooses to resolutely adopt a solution-oriented approach. For over 40 years, it has helped bring investments into the sports ecosystem from Private, complementary to public investments and programs. Today, the Aléo Foundation is injecting more $2 million annually in the Quebec sports system for 650 youth and believes it is possible to do more.
Moreover, the issue goes beyond just high-level sport: Sporting excellence inspires and nourishes a more active society, while an active population creates a broader breeding ground for tomorrow's elite athletes. These two dimensions reinforce each other and together contribute to Quebec's collective vitality.
Scholarship award to three cyclists
Reflection then gave way to action as the Aléo Foundation awarded three bursaries to young cyclists who are already distinguishing themselves on the Quebec, Canadian, and international stages.
For Mathilde Huot, Élodie Malois, and Sandrine Veilleux, the ceremony also marks their entry into or the continuation of their journey within a community that will support them well beyond their sports season. All individuals who have received a scholarship from the Aléo Foundation have lifetime access to its support services, designed to support them in their athletic, academic, professional, and personal development.
Patricia Demers, Executive Director of the Aléo Foundation, Sandrine Veilleux, Joseph Limare, General Manager of Montreal 2026, Élodie Marois, and Pierre Czyzowicz, Co-President of TREK, financial services firm. (photo Thomas Clerget, Aléo Foundation)
«As a leader in sports philanthropy in Quebec, it is important for the Aléo Foundation to highlight the concrete effects of our actions. Investing in sports and in our student-athletes is a tangible way to build a better future for our society. These individuals become leaders in their communities, inspirations to thousands of people, and role models to follow. Thus, a bursary is not just an investment in one person, but x 1,000 or x 10,000 Quebecers who will be inspired. We want to shoulder the wheel to break the cycle of underfunding in sports, and to achieve this, we need allies to follow in our footsteps.»
– Patricia Demers, Managing Director of the Aléo Foundation
Aléo scholarship recipients for the 2026 UCI Road World Championships
Mathilde Huot – road cycling
1Re Aléo Foundation scholarship
21 years old – Montreal
4000 $
Scored a 2e seat and a 4e spot in the under-23 time trial and road race at the Canadian Championships in Beauce in June 2026.
Studying medicine at Laval University.
Throughout my youth and adolescence, my main sport was alpine skiing, and I was introduced to mountain biking as off-season training, to work on our cardio, power, and technical skills. It was only during the COVID-19 pandemic that I started road cycling. Later, I began racing, and I automatically loved it. In 2024, I made the choice to stop alpine skiing and dedicate myself fully to cycling,«
Élodie Malois – Road and Track Cycling
2e Aléo Foundation scholarship
18 years old – Saint-Basile-le-Grand
4000 $
Élodie won 14 Canadian road and track championship titles in just two years!
Stood out with a 6e place in the 1km time trial at the Junior Track World Championships on August 22, 2026, in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.
Canadian junior time trial and critérium champion in June 2026, at the Canadian Road Championships in Saint-Georges-de-Beauce.
Studying Natural Sciences at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit.
Dreams of the Olympic Games like her father and coach, John Malois, a 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympian in track cycling.
Sandrine Veilleux – road and track cycling
1Re Aléo Foundation scholarship
16 years old – Boucherville
2000 $
Signed a 4e make way for the team pursuit at the Junior Track World Championships in August 2026 in Belgium.
Finished 3e in the general classification and «best young rider» classification of the Tour de l'Abitibi, in July 2026.
Studying Natural Sciences at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit.
Sandrine wants to keep up her momentum and aims for the Canadian summit on both the track and the road.
About the Aléo Foundation
The Aléo Foundation's mission is to maximize the full potential of as many outstanding student-athletes as possible from all backgrounds, in order to generate significant and lasting impact. Created in 1985, it has awarded over $25 million in scholarships to more than 5,000 student-athletes from across Quebec. In addition to these scholarships, there is an essential component of services provided for life to all recipients during and after their athletic and academic careers. To support these mentoring services, the Aléo Research Chairis now a vector for scientific results available to the entire sports community here.
The fundraising campaign Impact for Generations Its goal is to raise six million dollars in three years to move closer to our great vision: that student-athletes of excellence enrich society through their current and future leadership, both through their exceptional contributions and the inspiring examples they embody.
To support Impact for Generations
For more information: fondationaleo.ca
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For your information:
Annie Dubé
Director of Communications and Marketing
Aléo Foundation
438 884-6626
