Posted on July 26: Olympic leaders meet at McMaster

Canadian Olympic gold-medal swimmer Mark Tewksbury, Norwegian speedskating legend Johann Koss and president of the World Anti-Doping Agency Dick Pound will inspire more than 40 current and future Olympic leaders this week at McMaster.

Athletes, coaches, olympic medalists, students, academics, administrators, officials and health professionals will learn the values of the Olympic Movement during the 17th Olympic Academy of Canada (OAC) workshops from July 27 to Aug. 2.

“The goal of the program is that this group of aspiring and current leaders will be quite connected to promoting the Olympic movement when they return to their community,” says Charlotte MacNaughton, manager of communications for the Canadian Olympic Committee and co-organizer of the event. “We want the delegates to be actively involved in the Olympic movement when they return home.”

The workshops also provide an opportunity for networking. “People who participate in the workshops stay connected for a long time,” she says.

Delegates from across Canada, ranging in age from 20 to 55, will attend the leadership development program designed for Canadians with a strong interest in the Olympic movement. They will discuss Olympic values and strategies for promoting these values across Canada, current issues facing sport and the Olympic movement.

Olympic values, says MacNaughton, are fun, fairness, respect, excellence, leadership, peace and human development. “If more people lived by these values, the world would be a much better place.”

The theme of this year's event is “Olympism and People: Making a Difference.” While not open to the public, the event begins tomorrow with a keynote address by Mark Tewksbury in Celebration Hall. During the week, delegates will engage in presentations, group sessions, workshops, debates and team-building exercises.

Other speakers include Jayna Hefford and Lori Dupuis, women's hockey gold medalists at the Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games, and Sally Rehorick, Chef de Mission for the same games.

“During the first part of the week, speakers will talk about how they have made a difference and then the second part of the week they will talk about how the delegates can make a difference,” says MacNaughton, who was inspired by the Olympic movement in 1992 after attending an OAC session in Saskatoon. “I got so excited by that week that I wanted to be more involved.”

The workshops are held every second year at different locations across Canada. Gene Sutton, Ancaster resident and former McMaster sessional lecturer, will chair this year's educational program.

“The 2002 Olympic Academy of Canada will be bringing together a diverse group of Canadians who share an interest in the Olympic Movement,” says Sutton. “The participants will be studying, learning and debating about the Olympic values and the Olympic Movement, with a goal to become active ambassadors for the Olympic values in their communities.”

Delegates will stay in Hedden Hall.