Cathy Priestner
Speed Skating Athlete - Inducted 1976
Cathy Priestner, a native of Calgary, and an outstanding speed skater was the Canadian Champion five times. She won a gold medal in the 500m senior ladies at the 1975 World Championships in Sweden. This was the first gold medal for Canada in international competition since 1897. Cathy Priestner won a silver medal in the 1976 Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck.
After Induction
Timeline:
- Ran the Calgary Olympic Oval 1992 & 1998
- provided colour commentary for CBC during Olympic broadcasts 2002 - Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games Organizing Committee; Managing Director of Sport; & Speed Skating venue
2005 - Founding member of Own the Podium, and lead author
2006 - Managing Director of Games Operations for Tofino 2006 Olympic Winter Games
2010 - Vancouver 2010 - Executive Vice President of sport, Paralympic Games and venue management
2008 - 2012 - Special Olympics BC - Board of Directors 2010 - (to Present = 2016) - CEO Allinger Consulting International
2010 - 2014 - Hired by Russia as a consultant to form a committee and plan (similar to Canada's Own the Podium)
2011 -2016 Special Olympics Canada
2014 Summer Games - Vancouver. - Chair
2011 - Named Interim Chief Executive Officer of BC Sport Alliance
2012 - Organizer, 2014 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in Vancouver
2012 - 2013 - Helped form ViaSport (as the BC Sport Agency) and was the chairwoman
2013 - Oct. 2015 Interim CEO of ViaSport and (stepped down as chairwomen in June 2013).
Awards and Honours
1976 - Calgary Booster Club - Athlete of the Year
1994 - Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame
2010 - Received Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. (Oct. 7, 2010).
2018- Stepped down as Speed Skating Canada
