OTTAWA – Media personality Scott Russell, snowboarder Liam Gill, para-cyclist Nathan Clement, artistic gymnast Ellie Black, trampoline gymnast Rosie MacLennan, hockey player and child abuse prevention advocate Sheldon Kennedy, journalist Morgan Campbell, The Malaviya Foundation, and judo Olympian Christa Deguchi were honoured Monday December 2nd, as AthletesCAN – the association of Canada’s national team athletes – celebrated the 47th Canadian Sport Awards.
Russell was presented with a lifetime achievement award, recognizing his nearly 40 years of work covering Team Canada at CBC Sports. Gill was honoured with the AthletesCAN Social Responsibility Award and Clement took home the Game Plan Champion Award. Black received the True Sport Award, while MacLennan was recognized with the #AthleteVoice Award as Rep of the Year, and Kennedy earned the Bruce Kidd Leadership Award. Campbell won the Randy Starkman Award for Leadership in Sports Journalism Presented by the Toronto Star and The Malaviya Foundation won the inaugural edition of the Athlete Support Award. Finally, Deguchi was awarded this year’s edition of the People’s Choice Award for Most Trending Moment of the Year Presented by Respect Group, a headversity Company.
Gill, MacLennan, and Deguchi were unable to attend in person and accepted their awards virtually.
The celebration of trailblazers, athlete-centred accomplishments and initiatives was hosted by Brittany Maclean of CBC Sports at the Infinity Convention Centre in Ottawa and attended by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, and The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Physical Activity. The awards served as the kickoff to Game Plan Summit and Team Canada Celebration. The event was made possible by the support of Game Plan and Sport Canada.
Biographies of the Winners of the 47th Canadian Sport Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award - Scott Russell
For nearly 40 years, Scott Russell was synonymous with Team Canada and CBC Sports. Scott’s broadcasting career spanned 17 Olympics, including six as host, six Pan Am Games, six Commonwealth Games, two FIFA Men’s World Cups and two FIFA Women’s World Cups. Scott’s enthusiasm for Team Canada athletes doesn’t end with his job. He has served as a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Education Committee, as an honorary board member of the Paralympic Foundation of Canada, on the Advisory Panel for the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, and on the Public Policy Forum on Value-Based Sport.
AthletesCAN Social Responsibility Award - Liam Gill, Snowboard
Liam, a halfpipe snowboarder from the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation runs Liam & Friends, a project that helps alleviate the financial barriers to snowboarding for kids from the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation. In addition to delivering Olympic-level tutorials on snowboard skills, Liam goes out of his way to build close, meaningful connections with every child who participates in the program. These connections help celebrate and grow the participants’ connections to their indigenous culture.
Game Plan Champion Award - Nathan Clement, Para-Cycling
The Game Plan Champion Award celebrates an athlete who has fully embraced Game Plan and significantly benefited from its programs, services and resources. This award highlights an athlete who not only excels in their sport but also takes ownership of their holistic development. Nathan retired from competition as a para-swimmer in 2018 and leveraged Game Plan’s resources to transition into his post-sport career, before returning to competition as a para-cyclist in 2022 and once again taking full advantage of Game Plan to transition back into sport.
True Sport Award - Ellie Black, Artistic Gymnastics
Ellie demonstrated the True Sport values of Respect for Others and Keeping it Fun when she and teammate Shallon Olsen consoled French gymnast Melanie de Jesus dos Santos after she had a tough qualification round and failed to qualify for either the individual or team finals at her home Games. Her show of support for her fellow competitor reminded us how sport is about more than just the results.
#AthleteVoice Award: Rep of the Year - Rosie MacLennan, Trampoline Gymnastics
For the last 8 years, Rosie has been an extraordinary voice for athletes at the highest levels of the Canadian sport system. Her influence and engagement were elevated over the past years as she took on the important position of the COC Athletes’ Commission Chair in times when monumental changes were taking place. Thanks to her humbleness, her devotion and passion for athletes, but also her work ethic and strong rigour she was able to pave the way to a stronger representation of the athletes’ voice at so many levels.
Bruce Kidd Leadership Award - Sheldon Kennedy
Sheldon Kennedy won a Memorial Cup, a World Junior Gold Medal and skated for three teams in his eight-year NHL career. However, he is best known for his courageous decision to charge his Major Junior Hockey League coach with sexual assault for the abuse he suffered over a five-year period while a teenager under his care. Through this disclosure, and the important work that Sheldon continues to do, he has become an inspiration to millions around the world. He has been instrumental in bringing governments, and public and private sector partners together to work collaboratively to influence policy change and improve the way child abuse is handled. He has influenced changes in Canadian law and has taken his message to the International Olympic Committee and the US Senate. Through his child advocacy work with the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence, he offers real hope and healing to those impacted by abuse. Through Respect Group, he empowers people to recognize and prevent abuse, bullying and harassment in sport, school and the workplace.
Randy Starkman Award for Leadership in Sports Journalism Presented by the Toronto Star - Morgan Campbell, CBC
A senior contributor at CBC, Morgan’s work covers race, sport, and the intersection of sports and social issues. He has a talent for telling complex, layered stories, and telling them with nuance, passion, and humour.
Athlete Support Award - The Malaviya Foundation
In 2024, the Malaviya Foundation made a total contribution of $4 million to the Paralympic Foundation of Canada in support of Paralympic Performance Recognition. This donation enabled there to be equal financial recognition for Canadian Paralympic medalists for the first time, beginning with Paris 2024 and continuing for every future Paralympic Games.
Starting with Tokyo 2020 the foundation has also financed a $5,000 grant, known as the Team Canada Podium Awards, per medal earned to every Canadian Olympic and Paralympic medalist. This has led to over $1.5M being given directly to athletes.
They have also made multiple $100,000 donations to the Olympic and Paralympic Next Generation Initiatives to help fund the highest priority needs of the Canadian Olympic Foundation and the Paralympic Foundation of Canada.
People's Choice Award for Most Trending Moment of the Year - Presented by Respect Group, a headversity Company - Christa Deguchi, Judo
After narrowly missing out on qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Christa considered quitting Judo altogether. Choosing instead to stick with the sport, Christa bounced back to win Gold in the women’s 57kg event, becoming Canada’s first-ever Olympic champion in the sport of judo.
About AthletesCAN
AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, is the only fully independent and most inclusive athlete organization in the country and the first organization of its kind in the world. As the voice of over 6,000 current and recently retired Canadian national team athletes, AthletesCAN membership spans 68 sports across the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan/Parapan American, and Commonwealth Games, and those currently funded by Sport Canada competing at Senior World Championships. AthletesCAN ensures an athlete-centered sport system by developing athlete leaders who influence sport policy and, as role models, inspire a strong sport culture, through educational resources, support, training and professional development.
Follow the #AthleteVoice on social @AthletesCAN
For more information, please contact:
Alicia Renaud-Paquin
Manager, Athlete Relations & Marketing
AthletesCAN
613-526-4025 Ext. 224
[email protected]