November 22, 2015 – The Canadian Olympic Committee Board announced today that four-time Olympian, Los Angeles 1984 silver medallist, lawyer and businesswoman, Tricia Smith, will continue as president of the Canadian Olympic Committee after a vote by the Session this morning with 74 members in attendance. The Session is comprised of sport leaders, athletes and coaches.

Smith was already serving as the interim president of the COC, following the resignation of the former president, Marcel Aubut. She will now carry out the remainder of the former president’s term, which ends in April 2017.

Tricia Smith, a lawyer and businesswoman based in Vancouver, has had a successful and multifaceted career in sport. A four-time Olympian in rowing, Smith captured a silver medal at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. She has also won seven world championship medals as well as a gold medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.

In March 2009, Smith was elected as one of two COC vice-presidents.

For nearly 30 years, she has served the COC in various senior and executive capacities. Since she first became involved in the COC’s Athletes’ Council in 1980 as rowing’s representative, Smith has been a member of the Executive, Team Selection, Games, Governance and Compensation Committees. Smith was Canada’s Chef de Mission for the 2007 Pan American Games.

Smith was a key member of the international team of the Vancouver 2010 Bid Committee. She is the Vice President of the International Rowing Federation (FISA) and has been a leader in creating opportunities for women in FISA, in all aspects of the sport, increasing the number of opportunities for women to compete, coach, administrate and officiate in international rowing. She has also played a strong role in FISA’s anti-doping policies as a Member of the Executive Committee.

Smith was nominated by the IOC Athletes’ Commission to the Board of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport. She is now Deputy President of the Ordinary Division and Chair of the Commission for CAS Membership. In Canada, she has been involved in sport arbitration for more than 20 years as one of the initial pro bono lawyers recruited by the Centre for Sport and the Law and currently with the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada. Smith was co-author of the Rules and Bylaws for Adaptive Rowing at the World Championships and Paralympic Games and plays a significant role in authoring FISA rules and regulations. Smith graduated from law school in 1985 and practiced law in Vancouver during and after her rowing career. She is now a partner and Deputy Managing Director at Barnescraig & Associates, a risk management and adjusting firm.

Smith has won multiple awards in her time. She is a recipient of the Order of Canada, the Order of British Columbia and an Honorary Degree from the University of British Columbia. She is also a member of the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and the BC Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006, she received the Carol Anne Letheren Award for International Sport Leadership. In addition to numerous athletic awards, Smith has been recognized by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Society as one of the “Most Influential Women in Sport” and in 2008, she received an “In Her Footsteps” Award from the BC Sports Hall of Fame for leadership in women’s sport.

QUOTE

“I feel enormously privileged and grateful that our sport community has entrusted me today with the leadership of the COC. It’s an honour I accept with pride and gratitude at a time when the eyes of the country are upon us. Based on my platform, this endorsement sends a clear message that our members embrace the values of sport and expect integrity. 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. I will be a tireless advocate for unity, inclusiveness and collaboration with our many partners. We now enter an Olympic year with great excitement and anticipation. We must be at our best. We will do everything in our power to ensure we create an optimal environment for Rio 2016, so our athletes and coaches can be the very best they can be.”

– Tricia Smith, President of the Canadian Olympic Committee