February 15/06 11:42 am - Harnett & Harvey Enter Olympic Hall of Fame

Posted by Editor on 02/15/06
 

Harnett and Harvey to Olympic Hall of Fame
Courtesy COC

On Saturday April 29, 2006 synchronised swimming gold and silver medallist Sylvie Fréchette, cycling silver and double-bronze medallist Curt Harnett, and Pierre Harvey, the first Canadian male athlete to participate in both the Olympic (cycling) and Winter Olympic (cross-country) Games in the same year, will be among this year's inductees into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.

The annual Gala Dinner to honour the inductees will take place on Saturday, April 29, 2006 at Théâtre Capitol in Quebec City. The Hall of Fame Induction Dinner is one of the highlights of the annual COC Congress weekend, to be held April 27-30 at Château Frontenac.

The Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame recognizes those who have served the cause of the Olympic Movement with distinction. The 2006 Canadian Olympic inductees are:

Sylvie Fréchette, a two-time Olympic medallist in synchronized swimming (1992 and 1996) and recipient of numerous awards and honours, she parlayed her Olympic experience into a successful nine-year career with the Cirque du Soleil's "O" show in Las Vegas, Nevada. She currently lives in Montreal and works for the Canadian Olympic Committee as Manager of Athlete Program, primarily responsible for finding new sources of funding for Canadian athletes.

Curt Harnett, a three-time Olympic medallist in cycling, he represented Canada with distinction from 1983 to 1996 in four Olympic Games. In 1995 he set a world 200-metre record that still stands to this day. In 2005, Harnett was inducted into the Canada Sports Hall of Fame. He currently resides in Toronto, Ontario and in addition to being a motivational speaker and mentor, is heavily involved in numerous charities across Canada.

Pierre Harvey, the first Canadian male athlete to participate in both the Olympic (cycling) and Winter Olympic (cross-country skiing) Games in the same year. Between 1981 and 1998, he won three world cup championships including the 1998 World Cup event in Holmenkollen, Norway, where he became the first Canadian in 100 years to win a gold medal in the 50km event. Since then, Harvey has received the Order of Canada and is a member of the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame. He now devotes himself to his family and career while continuing to be involved in sport in Canada.

1920 Winnipeg Falcons, after defeating the heavily favoured University of Toronto team at the Allan Cup, they went on to represent Canada in ice hockey's official Olympic debut in the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium. The Falcons went on to win the gold medal and gave Canada the honour of winning the first ever ice hockey gold awarded at an Olympic Games.

Dr. Doug Clement represented Canada in athletics in two consecutive Olympic Games (1952, Helsinki and 1956, Melbourne). He has also served the cause of the Olympic Movement as a coach, educator, author, doctor, founder and innovator including pioneering sport medicine in Canada. He has been the recipient of many awards and honours throughout his distinguished career which include the Order of Canada and being inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame. He currently lives in Vancouver, BC and continues to orchestrate many of Vancouver and Canada's most important track meets.

Maurice Gagné, recognized by his peers as the father of speed skating in Quebec, he was first an athlete in both speed skating and cycling and represented Canada at two Games of the Empire (1958 and 1962). In 1970, he retired from his career as an athlete in order to devote his energies exclusively to working with speed skating. He has been instrumental in attracting many international speed skating events to Quebec including the 1987 World Championships (short-track) and the 1998 and 1999 Short-Track World Cup. Due in part to Maurice's efforts Quebec athletes have won nearly 20 Olympic medals since 1980.

"The Canadian Olympic Committee is proud to recognize those who serve the cause of the Olympic Movement", said Marc Gélinas, COC Director, Athletes and Community Relations, at a press conference this morning in Quebec City. "The athletes, teams, coaches and builders inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame inspire youth and motivate them to get better", concludes Gélinas.

Tickets for the gala evening are now on sale. A charitable tax receipt will be issued for a portion of the ticket cost. All proceeds from the dinner will contribute to the COC's Excellence Fund, which provides direct funding to athletes and the high-performance sport community to help them pursue their Olympic dreams. Further information about the COC's Annual Congress will be available at www.olympic.ca.