Background

The late Carol Anne Letheren’s career in sport was unique, one of unparalleled distinction with respect to her legacy of leadership, influence and impact on sport internationally. 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. She was an acknowledged leader in the many prominent roles she undertook – as athlete, teacher, International technical official, President of the Pan American Gymnastics Association, Chef de Mission for Canada at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, President of the Canadian Olympic Association (COA), CEO and Secretary General for the COA, IOC Member in Canada, and a member of several working Commissions of the IOC. The late Carol Anne Letheren made an enduring and notable contribution to sport.

To honour her memory, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) partnered to recognize and pay tribute to Carol Anne’s legacy through the ‘Carol Anne Letheren International Sport Leadership Award’.

This award recognized Canadian woman who had made an outstanding contribution in the area of international sport leadership and had a profound impact on sport and physical activity. The Carol Anne Letheren International Sport and Leadership Award was granted to Marion Lay in 2002, Slava Corn in 2004 and Tricia Smith in 2006.