Equine Canada (EC) congratulates Tricia Smith on being voted in as president of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) on Nov. 22, 2015.
Smith, an Olympian, accomplished lawyer and businesswoman, stepped in as interim president of the COC after former president, Marcel Aubut, resigned in October 2015. She was officially named president after a positive vote by 74 Session members of the COC on Nov. 11, and will complete the remainder of the presidential term, ending in April 2017.
A four-time Olympian in rowing, Smith has been involved in the COC for almost 30 years, having served in senior and executive positions, including rowing representative to the Athlete’s Council and Chef de Mission for the 2007 Pan American Games. Smith has also served two terms as vice-president after being elected in 2009.
Smith’s dedication to Canadian sport has also played a significant role in her professional life, having handled sport arbitration for over 20 years. She graduated from law school in 1985, and was one of the first pro bono lawyers recruited by the Centre for Sport and the Law. She is currently involved with the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada and is a partner and Deputy Managing Director at Barnescraig & Associates.
In 2008, the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Society named Smith one of the “Most Influential Women in Sport.” She has also been awarded the Order of Canada, the Order of British Columbia, and is an inductee of both the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
“On behalf of Equine Canada, I congratulate Tricia Smith on her successful election as Canadian Olympic Committee president,” said EC president Al Patterson. “Tricia is a true leader in sport, business and law, and will be a great asset not only to the COC, but to all sport in Canada, including equestrian. EC looks forward to working collaboratively with Smith and the COC to provide world-class support to Canadian equestrian athletes on the road to the podium.”
For more information on the COC, please visit www.olympic.ca.
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