Nearly three days of frenzied gaming took place over Labor Day weekend as Canada's best gamers converged at La Ronde in Montreal to compete in the 2006 Canadian finals of the World Cyber Games (WCG), the world's largest game competition and digital entertainment culture festival. Thirteen winners from last weekend's competition secured spots on Team Canada and will compete among the world's best gamers at the World Cyber Games Grand Final in Monza, Italy this October.

Following a new format that made it easier to directly qualify for the National Finals, gamers began the journey to Montreal by competing in official WCG qualifying events across Canada from May 5 through August 20 at local gaming centers, at major LAN gaming events or by participating in online competitions. The winners earned invitations to the National Finals at La Ronde from September 1 - 3.

The winning Canadian gamers in each of the single-player games (a total of eight winners), as well as one winning team from this year's only team game, will each receive paid airfare and accommodations in Monza, Italy and the chance to win more than $400,000 USD in prizes at the World Cyber Games Grand Final taking place October 18 – 22, 2006.

Single-Player Champions:

• Ryan Ward; Edmonton, AB; Dead or Alive 4 (Xbox 360)
• Antonio Scalia; Montreal, QC; Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360)
• Matt Wood; Windsor, ON; FIFA Soccer 2006
• Josh Long; London, ON; Dawn of War: Winter Assault
• Nick Perentesis; Huntsville, ON; Starcraft: Broodwar
• Ray Lamoureux; Winnipeg, MB; Starcraft: Broodwar
• Tristan Taschuk; Edmonton, AB; Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne
• Jonathan Garneau; Sherbrooke, QC; Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne

Team Game (5 Players) Champions (Counter-Strike):

• Rob Tyndale; Edmonton, AB; Captain
• Jimmy Lin; Calgary, AB; Player
• Griffin Benger; Toronto, ON; Player
• Pasha Lari; Vancouver, BC; Player
• Matt Stevenson; Vancouver, BC; Player

This year's World Cyber Games 2006 Grand Final will be held in Monza, Italy, at the Autodomo Nazionale Monza, a famed motor racing circuit that is home to the Italian Grand Prix, the Scuderia Ferrari, and previously to the Alfa Romeo team. Up to 700 of the world's best gamers will descend on Monza from October 18 – 22, 2006, to participate in the world's most prestigious e-Sports competition and enjoy a well-rounded cultural festival designed to advance cultural and social harmony. The WCG Committee selected Monza, Italy after the city's bid gained the highest score during the rigorous process, beating out bids from several other candidate cities such as Sydney, Cancun, and Shanghai that also expressed a strong desire to hold the event.

"As a proud sponsor of a truly global event such as the World Cyber Games, Samsung Electronics is demonstrating its support and celebration of the digital lifestyle," said Patty Chung, Corporate Communications Specialist at Samsung Electronics Canada. "Through the WCG, Samsung is providing people around the world who share the same enthusiasm for gaming and digital technology with an opportunity to connect and showcase their skills and achievements."