Elizabeth Manley enters Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
OTTAWA, ON: In a press conference today Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2014. Canadian figure skater Elizabeth Manley was included in the class of eight. The other inductees include, Horst Bulau, Sarah Burke, Pierre Harvey, Geraldine Heaney, Gareth Rees, Tim Frick and Kathy Shields.
“The Class of 2014 is truly an inspiring group of Canadian sports heroes,” said Colin MacDonald, Chair of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Board of Governors. “We are proud to be able to share the stories of their achievements so that we can inspire all Canadians to be the best they can be in all aspects of life. Our new Honoured Members and a number of sports heroes from across Canada who have been previously inducted will be at the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame 2014 Induction Celebrations presented by Canadian Tire event in Toronto on October 22 to celebrate as the Class of 2014 are officially inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.”
Manley is a world class figure skater with an exemplary list of accomplishments in her career. Her 50 national and international achievements include being a two-time U.S. Open Figure Skating Champion, three-time Canadian Figure Skating Champion, the 1988 World Figure Skating Silver Medallist, the 1988 Olympic Winter Free Skating Champion, and ultimately the 1988 Olympic Winter Figure Skating Silver Medallist. Elizabeth is credited as being the first Canadian female to successfully land a triple-double combination jump in competition. She also received the Order of Canada in 1988.
With all of Manley’s athletic success, Canadians were not aware that she battled severe depression. Instead of hiding her personal challenge, Manley made her depression public in hopes that it could help others. Her inspiring inner strength in dealing with mental illness, and her tireless efforts in support of mental health, Manley won a gold medal in life and is a role model for all of Canada to be proud of.
Skate Canada congratulates Elizabeth Manley on this well-deserved honour. The inductions will officially take place in Toronto on October 22, 2014 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, the former Maple Leaf Gardens.
About Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame is an international award-winning facility with over 40,000 square feet of inspiring experiences. Located at Canada Olympic Park (COP), site of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame features 12 galleries, more than 50 hands-on interactive experiences and a collection of more than 95,000 artefacts. Our mission is to share the stories of the achievements of our Honoured Members so that we can inspire all Canadians to be the best they can be in all aspects of life;