FRESH START FOR COC
Smith chosen to lead way
Tricia Smith lost the 2009 Olympic Committee presidential race to a slick campaign run by Marcel Aubut.
On Sunday, Smith shed the “interim” label from her business card and officially took over as president of an organization still reeling from sexual harassment allegations against the man who defeated her the last time around.
On Sunday, Smith ran against Peter Lawless, a high-performance coach and lawyer from Victoria, and Smith emerged victorious in a vote by the 74 COC session members — including sport leaders, athletes and coaches — in Montreal.
Smith is a member of the Order of Canada. A practising lawyer in Vancouver, she won silver in rowing at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games with teammate Elizabeth Craig.
Her mission at the COC: to clean up the mess surrounding Aubut’s departure and reboot the organization with 255 days to prepare for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.
“I feel enormously privileged and grateful that our sport community has entrusted me today with the leadership of the COC,” the fourtime Olympian said in a statement. “It’s an honour I accept with pride and gratitude at a time when the eyes of the country are upon us.”
On a day when the eyes of the country were trained on the COC, the organization declined interview requests for the new leader.
But Anne Merklinger, chief executive officer of Own the Podium, couldn’t contain her excitement when reached Sunday in Los Angeles.
“This is a terrific day for sport in Canada,” Merklinger said. “Trish is a multiple Olympian, an Olympic medallist. She is highly regarded internationally and a senior executive on the International Rowing Federation. She’s served on the Own the Podium board previously and will bring such rounded experience to her role.
“She’s very grounded in ethical decision making, so she is just the kind of leader the COC needs right now given the tough circumstances.”
Smith referenced those tough circumstances in her news release.
“I will be a champion for creating a safe and inclusive environment for our employees and all those involved in the Olympic movement in this country,” she said. “I will be a tireless advocate for unity, inclusiveness and collaboration with our many partners.
Aubut resigned on Oct. 3 amid allegations of sexual harassment. Initially, a COC co-worker complained about Aubut’s alleged behaviour, which sparked several other women to come forward with their own stories of harassment.
Once Aubut resigned, the coworker withdrew her formal complaint, but a third-party investigation continues into the other allegations.
SILVER FOR DUTTON
Speedskater William Dutton entered the 2015-16 long track campaign with a grand total of zero World Cup Medals on his resume. So far this season, the Humboldt, Sask. native has reached the podium four times in four races — his latest medal a silver Sunday in the 500 metres at the Utah Oval.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Dutton said from Salt Lake City. “Today was an important race for me. I made sure I brought my best focus that I could possibly bring.”
Dutton is not content with merely being on the podium — the 25-year-old wants, eventually, to beat world record holder Pavel Kulizhnikov, of Russia.
It didn’t happen on Sunday. Kulizhnikov won gold in 34.13 seconds. Dutton seized silver in 34.34. Laurent Dubreuil, of Levis Que. captured bronze in 36.36 for his first podium of the season.
“I did everything right,” Dutton said. “I was close. I just needed a little more energy in the last race.”
Ivanie Blondin, of Ottawa, won her third World Cup medal of the season on Sunday with a silver in the women’s mass start.
HARVEY HITS PODIUM
Cross country skier Alex Harvey, of Saint Ferreol les Neiges, Que., served notice of intentions for this World Cup season by hitting the podium Sunday in the final tuneup race.
Harvey won silver in the 15-kilometre skate-ski race in Gallivare, Sweden and found himself sandwiched between two Russians on the podium.
“I went maybe a little too hard today, but I’m happy,” Harvey said. “It is one thing to have good feelings in training, but until you get the results in a race it is hard to tell where you are at. It was a good weekend to get the routine dialed in.”
Devon Kershaw, of Sudbury, Ont., finished fourth.
Ivan Babikov, of Canmore, Alta., came in eighth. Emily Nishikawa, of Whitehorse, placed ninth in the women’s race.