April 5, 2017
The City of Toronto held its second annual Toronto Sport Hall of Honour induction ceremony this evening at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, with Andre De Grasse, Rosie MacLennan and Bobby Baun among the new inductees. Mayor John Tory congratulated the inductees for their achievements and contributions to sport excellence in Toronto.
"This recognition program is an opportunity for us to celebrate past and present athletes, coaches, builders and partners who have contributed to Toronto's communities through sport," said Mayor Tory. "Their success and achievements inspire Torontonians of all ages to play, participate and get active in our city."
"All Hall of Honour inductees demonstrate what is possible to achieve in sports," said Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 10 York Centre), Chair of the Community Development and Recreation Committee. "Their accomplishments affirm the importance of Toronto recreation services as entry points to sports for everyone."
The event incorporated the TO Canada with Love campaign to celebrate 150 years of sport in Toronto. The Toronto Sport Hall of Honour is a legacy initiative of the City of Toronto's Host City Showcase Program from the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.
The following are this year's Toronto Sport Hall of Honour inductees in each of 10 categories:
• Athletes of the Year: Andre De Grasse and Rosie MacLennan • Para-Athletes of the Year: Adam Lancia and Victoria Nolan • Special Olympics Athlete of the Year: Nerissa Pooran • Team of the Year: University of Toronto Varsity Blues Women’s Volleyball • Coach of the Year: Kristine Drakich • Builder: Chris Rudge • Corporate Builder: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
• Sport Legends: Bobby Baun, Ellen Burka and Bobbie Rosenfeld
• Spirit of Sport: Archie Allison
• City of Sport Lifetime Achievement: Jerry Tonello
Nominations for next year's Toronto Sport Hall of Honour are open until June 30.
Nomination forms as well as inductee photos and bios are available at http://toronto.ca/tshh.
This news release is also available on the City's website: http://ow.ly/2uXf30aBPm8
Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. In 2017, Toronto will honour Canada's 150th birthday with "TO Canada with Love," a year-long program of celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TorontoComms and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto.
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Media contact: Matthew Cutler, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, 416-560-8726, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.