Marion Lay

Recognizing a 35-year career as an elite athlete, coach, advocate, volunteer and administrator, Marion Lay, from Vancouver, BC is the first recipient of the Carol Anne Letheren International Sport Leadership Award. The award was presented today during the Canadian Olympic Association (COA) Congress in Edmonton, Alberta.

This award, established by the COA and the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS), honours Letheren's legacy both in Canada and internationally. It acknowledges a Canadian woman who has made an outstanding contribution in the area of international sport leadership and who has had a profound impact on sport and physical activity.

Marion Lay's career in sport includes an Olympic medal and world record as a swimmer. She has coached athletes, worked as a television commentator, established sport policies and is a highly respected keynote speaker. She has also served on numerous volunteer boards across the sports community. Instrumental in founding many organizations to foster gender equity and leadership for women, she helped establish WomenSportInternational in 1998 with members in 30 countries around the world. She is currently the President of Think Sport Ltd., a Vancouver based sport management and consulting firm that specializes in event management, program planning, evaluation and gender equity education. She has received many honours and distinctions throughout her career, most recently the International Olympic Committee's Women & Sport Trophy for the America's in 2001 and the Leadership in Sport Award in March 2002, at the Canadian Sport Awards for her outstanding contribution as a sport leader who exemplifies Spirit of Sport values.

Shawnee Scatliff, Chair of the CAAWS Board of Directors, outlined Lay's contributions for Canadians. "Marion's commitment to improving opportunities for girls and women to participate and lead in sport, and her ability to advocate for change within the sport system, has truly made a difference. Her untiring efforts to share her knowledge, to mentor other women, and to establish women's programs and organizations, is one of the main reasons why Canada is recognized as a world leader in gender equity in sport."

Newly appointed CEO of the Canadian Olympic Association, Jim Thompson, also acknowledged Lay's international reputation. "Marion Lay has acted as an advisor on women and sport to the Olympic Movement for many years. Her work had a direct impact on increasing the opportunities for women throughout the spectrum of Olympic sports. Her leadership capability for the past two years as Chair of the Vancouver 2010 Bid brought international renown, particularly for the innovative LegaciesNow program she developed for the Bid. We are proud to honour her with this award." Lay has recently given up her position as the Chair of the Vancouver 2010 Bid to focus on her role as President of the 2010 Legacies Now Society.

The award is named in honour of the late Carol Anne Letheren, former CEO of the Canadian Olympic Association. Her career in sport was unique, one of unparalleled distinction. She is remembered for her passion for sport and her ardent advocacy for athletes, youth, for women in sport, and for the values of Olympism.

CAAWS wants to get girls and women active in sport and activity. It encourages them to get out of the bleachers, and onto the ice surfaces, off the sidelines and onto the fields and playing courts, and into the pools, locker rooms and boardrooms. A not-for-profitorganization, CAAWS offers a number of services, programs and resources to a variety of clients, including sport and physical activity organizations, teachers, coaches, health professionals and recreation leaders. CAAWS works in close co-operation with government and non-government organizations on activities and initiatives that advocate for positive change for young girls and women in the sport and physical activity communities.

The COA, a private not-for-profit corporation, is the largest private sector funder of high performance sport in Canada. It is responsible for all aspects of Canada's involvement in the Olympic Movement, including Canada's participation in the Olympic and Pan American Games. In addition, the COA manages a wide variety of programs that promote the Olympic Movement in Canada through cultural and educational means. For more information, visit www.coa.ca for the COA website.

Biography - Marion Lay

Ms. Lay, of Vancouver, is the President of the 2010 LegaciesNow Society, and has been involved with the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation since 1998 (chair of the board from 2000-2002 and member of the board from 1998-2000). Marion is a member of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Olympic Association and is on the National Task Force on Sport. She is also the founder and past chair of the board of the PacificSport National Sport Centre - Greater Vancouver, past co-chair of the British Columbia Games Society, a founding member and past chair of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS), and a founding member of WomenSport International.

Ms. Lay was Canada's 100m freestyle swimming champion from 1964-68 and a member of the 4 x 100m freestyle relay team which captured the bronze medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. She finished fourth in 100m freestyle in Mexico and was fifth in the same event at the 1964 Games in Tokyo. At the 1966Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, Marion won a gold medal in the 100m freestyle. In 1967, Marion set a world record in the 110yd freestyle (short course). She retired from international competition in 1968, and became CBC's colour commentator at all major swimming competitions until 1973.

She holds a master's degree in the sociology of sport from California State University at Hayward and is the President of Think Sport Ltd., a Vancouver-based sport management and consulting firm that specializes in event management, program planning, evaluation, and gender equity education. Marion has also received numerous awards for her work in sport:

• 2001 Leadership in Sports Award - Canadian Sport Awards
• 2001 International Olympic Committee's Women and Sport
  Trophy for the Americas
• 1998 Bobbie Steen Award of Excellence for Leadership in the Sport Community
• 1996 Canadian Citizenship Award
• 1995 Bryce Taylor Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Sport
• 1994 CAAWS Herstorical Award
• 1991 Y.W.C.A. Women of Distinction Award for Recreation and Sport