Statement by Minister Qualtrough on the Election of Tricia Smith as a Member of the International Olympic Committee

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug. 4, 2016) - On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to Tricia Smith, President of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), on her election today as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Tricia is a member of the Order of Canada, a lawyer and a passionate athlete advocate. Her path to this new position includes four Olympic Games representing Canada in rowing. She earned a silver medal at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. For nearly 30 years, Tricia has served with distinction in various capacities with the COC, the IOC, the International Rowing Federation (FISA), the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada and the International Council of Arbitration for Sport. Tricia's appointment as President of the Canadian Olympic Committee in November 2015 was an obvious next step in her journey in sport.

Tricia's election to the IOC comes at an important time as Olympic Agenda 2020 works to modernize the Olympic movement and uphold its ideals of integrity, inclusion, service and international friendship. Tricia will be a thoughtful voice around that table to ensure the interests of athletes-especially our Canadian athletes-are at the centre of all discussions and decision-making.

I am proud to see Tricia join other Canadian leaders in roles that allow their Canadian values and ideals to influence the direction of international sport in support of athletes around the world. We will continue to encourage opportunities likes this because we believe it will support more transparent and accountable leadership internationally and will also benefit the development of sport in Canada, from playground to podium.

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