Please join us in officially welcoming the newest members of the OLY Canada Commission – two elected members, Maxime Dufour-Lapointe OLY (freestyle skiing) and Jennifer Walinga OLY (rowing), and one commission-appointed member, Olympic champion Bruny Surin OLY (athletics).
Surin won gold at Atlanta 1996 as part of Team Canada’s men’s 4x100m relay team. He is currently Team Canada’s Chef de Mission for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He is a philanthropist, motivational speaker, and committed role model for young athletes.
Dufour-Lapointe made her Olympic debut at Sochi 2014 in women’s moguls. She and her sisters Justine and Chloé were just the third trio of sisters to ever compete in the same individual event at the Winter Games. Walinga made her Olympic debut at Seoul 1988 as a member of the women’s coxed four that finished seventh and was a part of the gold medal winning eight and four in 1992, but an injury meant she had to be replaced at the last minute.
Thank you for all Olympians who voted in the recent election and all who put their candidacy forward. It is inspiring to see the OLY community rallying together and engage to spread the spirit of Olympism throughout our country.
QUOTES
“I’m extremely grateful to have been elected to the OLY Canada Commission. Olympic values are very dear to me and I hold them close to my heart. Therefore, it is a very honorable mandate to be able to promote the values of the Olympic movement through this position, while mobilizing the involvement of our great community of Olympians, both active and retired.”
– Maxime Dufour-Lapointe, OLY – Freestyle skiing
“I am so grateful to the OLY network for their support and am committed to advancing the Olympic principles as a sport researcher and advocate. I will bring my experience and training in communication and organizational culture to the OLY commission to help connect and galvanize the OLY network of leaders in sport and look forward to working with this group of inspiring individuals on the commission.”
– Jennifer Walinga, OLY – Rowing
“I am deeply grateful to have been nominated as a member of the OLY Canada Commission. I am honored to have the opportunity to represent Team Canada Olympians and help elevate Olympian status beyond competition, while bringing the Olympic Movement closer to Canadian society.”
– Bruny Surin OLY -Athletics, Team Canada Chef de Mission for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
“Networking with Olympians and fostering ongoing relationships, facilitating opportunities tailored for Olympic athletes, and organizing reunions to commemorate collective achievements are aspects I am deeply passionate about.”
–Mercedes Nicoll OLY – Snowboarding, COC Athlete Commission Member
“Canada has many incredible Olympic athletes spreading the Olympic Movement values of excellence, respect and friendship. The OLY Canada Commission is a great way to empower this group and contribute to a united and engaged Team Canada Olympian community. I am thrilled to welcome Maxime, Jennifer and Bruny to the OLY Canada Commission and look forward to the impact their leadership brings to the Olympian community.”
– Tricia Smith OLY – Rowing, COC President
OLY Commission Members
Current Members
-
-
- Claire Carver-Dias OLY – Artistic Swimming (elected Chair with voting rights)
- David Calder OLY – Rowing (elected Vice-Chair with voting rights)
- Christine Nesbitt OLY – Long Track Speed Skating (elected member with voting rights)
- Maxime Dufour-Lapointe OLY – Freestyle Skiing (elected member with voting rights)
- Jennifer Walinga OLY – Rowing (elected member with voting rights)
- Bruny Surin OLY – Athletics (appointed member with voting rights)
- Mercedes Nicoll OLY – Snowboard (appointed member with voting rights)
- Sandra Sassine OLY – Fencing (appointed member with no voting rights)
-
The OLY Canada Commission
In accordance with the IOC and World Olympian Association governance requirements, the COC OLY Canada Commission represents active and retired Team Canada Olympians by supporting OLY Canada programming and empowering Team Canada’s Olympian community in spreading the spirit of Olympism throughout Canada. In contrast, the COC Athletes’ Commission represents athletes on the COC Board of Directors. The members also present and advocate for Canadian Olympic athletes’ perspectives at the COC.
In 2021, Canada restructured the formal Olympians Canada to become the OLY Canada Commission as the new National Olympians Association of Canada. The commission aims to provide insight from the perspective of distinguished Olympians regarding various COC OLY Legacy programs with the objectives listed below.
-
-
- To provide input to the COC on matters relating to Canadian OLYs;
- To unite and grow the community of Canadian OLYs;
- To promote and support the Olympic movement both in Canada and internationally;
-
The full Terms of Reference can be found here.
RECOGNITION
OLY Canada Commission and the COC would like to recognize the work and time of three past members: “For years, Charmaine Crooks OLY ,Chris Farstad OLY, Olya Ovtchinnikova OLY, have worked tirelessly to build the Canadian Olympians’ network. They have dedicated their ideas and time to these efforts, from the very first reunions to the formalization of the commission in 2019. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these two trailblazers for everything they’ve done to lay the foundation for a successful OLY Canada Commission.”
–Claire Carver-Dias OLY, Chair, OLY Canada Commision
A special thank you to OLY CANADA identity creators – 2008 Olympians Olya Ovtchinnikova OLY (past member of the OLY Canada Commission and former COC Staff) & Marie-Eve Marleau OLY (former COC Staff) If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to the OLY Canada team at oly@olympic.ca.
***
Get involved, inspire change.
