Catriona Le May Doan and 1948 RCAF Flyers Lead 2008 Inductees into Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame

    Barbara Ann Scott to Receive Olympic Order

    CALGARY, April 12 /CNW/ - Three-time Olympic speed skating medallist
Catriona Le May Doan and the 1948 RCAF Flyers, gold medallists in hockey, head
a list of six inductees who will be enshrined this evening in the Canadian
Olympic Hall of Fame. Hosted by television broadcaster Scott Russell, the 2008
Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Gala Dinner & Induction Ceremony, presented by
General Motors of Canada Limited, is scheduled to take place at the Calgary
Stampede/Roundup Centre in Calgary, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
    Le May Doan and 1992 race walking silver medallist Guillaume Leblanc will
be enshrined in the athlete category. The 1948 RCAF Flyers will be inducted in
the team category while Danièle Sauvageau, who guided the women's hockey team
to its first gold medal at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games, will
be inducted into the coach category. Frank King and Bill Warren, who led
Calgary's successful bid for the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, will enter the
Hall as builders.
    During the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the COC will also present
1948 Olympic gold medallist figure skater Barbara Ann Scott with the Canadian
Olympic Order. The award recognizes individuals who have made the Olympic
Movement their life's work and have served it with distinction.
    In addition, the Canadian Olympic Committee will also pay tribute to RBC
in recognition of their outstanding commitment to the Olympic Movement in
Canada. RBC is the COC's longest standing private sector partner, a
relationship which began 60 years ago with their support of the RCAF Flyers
for the St. Moritz 1948 Olympic Winter Games.
    The Gala Dinner & Induction Ceremony is part of the Canadian Olympic
Committee's 2008 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, which is celebrating the
20-year legacy of the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games.
    The Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame recognizes those who have served the
cause of the Olympic Movement with distinction. The 2008 inductees are:

    Catriona Le May Doan (athlete, Saskatoon, Sask.) is a four-time Olympian
in speed skating, and the first Canadian athlete to defend an individual gold
medal, winning the 500 m event at both the 1998 and 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
She was a bronze medallist as well in 1998 for the 1,000 m event, and carried
the Canadian flag into the Salt Lake City opening ceremony four years later.
Le May Doan, a five-time world champion in the 500 m, was the first woman to
break the 38-second barrier in the event and still holds the Canadian record.
She was Canada's Athlete of the Year on three occasions and in 2005 was
inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and awarded the Order of Canada. Le
May Doan has honourary degrees from the University of Calgary, University of
Regina and the University of Saskatchewan.

    Guillaume Leblanc (athlete, Sept-Iles, Que.) is a three-time Olympian and
silver medallist in the 20 km race walk. Finishing fourth in Los Angeles in
1984 and 10th in Seoul in 1988, Leblanc captured silver in Barcelona in 1992 -
Canada's best-ever race walking result. He also won gold at the Jeux de la
Francophonie in 1989 and at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. In 1990, he also held
the world record in the 30 km walk.

    The RCAF Flyers (team category, men's hockey) were not expected to fare
well at the 1948 Olympic Winter Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Revised
rules on amateur status forced the last-minute creation of this squad,
comprised of 17 Air Force and ex-Air Force players. Yet at only the fifth
Olympic Winter Games ever, the Flyers reeled off six straight victories before
registering a scoreless tie with heavily-favoured Czechoslovakia. In their
final game against the host Swiss team, a win by two or more goals ensured the
team a gold medal. In a hostile environment, the Flyers rode 22-year-old
goaltender Murray Dowey to a 3-0 shutout win. Dowey, who is one of the six
members attending the induction ceremony, finished the tournament with five
shutouts in eight games. The team was inducted into the Canadian Forces Sports
Hall of Fame in 1971 and the rink at the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ont.
is named the "RCAF Flyers Arena." Dowey will be joined by players Roy Forbes,
Andy Gilpin, Ted Hibberd, André Laperrière and Ab Renaud at the ceremony.

    Danièle Sauvageau (coach, Deux-Montagnes, Que.) was head coach and
general manager of the Canadian national women's hockey team when it won gold
at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Sauvageau was assistant coach at the
previous Games in Nagano where the team captured silver. She also guided the
team to two world championship gold medals in 1999 and 2001. She was named
coach of the year in 1999 by the Coaching Association of Canada and by the
Gala Sports Québec in 1995, 2000 and 2002. The Montreal YMCA named her woman
of the year in 2000 and Saint Mary's University bestowed her with an honourary
doctorate in 2002. The 22-year police veteran was the first woman to coach in
the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League when she joined the Montreal Rocket in
1999.

    Frank King (builder, Redcliff, Alta.) helped lead the bid for the Calgary
1988 Olympic Winter Games. He also played a key role in the development of
sport in Western Canada through the restructured Calgary Olympic Development
Association (CODA). As chairman of CODA, King was instrumental in preparing
the bid for the 1988 Olympic Winter Games. King went on to become chairman and
CEO of OCO '88, the Calgary Olympic Organizing Committee. He was also
co-president of "Canada 125," Canada's 125th birthday celebration. King has
received numerous awards and accolades for his work with the Calgary Games and
for his service to the community over his lifetime. Most notably, he received
the highest award presented by the IOC - the Olympic Order in Gold. King is an
Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame,
the 2003 Calgary Sportsman of the Year and recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II
Golden Jubilee Medal and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of
Calgary.

    Bill Warren (builder, Lacomb, Alta.) also helped lead the bid for the
Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games, as well as restructuring the Calgary
Olympic Development Association (CODA). Among his many titles, Warren was a
member of the executive board of OCO '88 (the Calgary Olympic Organizing
Committee), chair of CODA from 1986 to 1988, vice president of Bobsleigh
Canada (1988-94, 2007 to present), chancellor of the University of Calgary
from 2002 to 2006, chef de mission for the Canadian team at the Lillehammer
1994 Olympic Winter Games, and president of the Canadian Olympic Association
from 1994 to 2001. For his dedication to sport and its development across the
country, Warren has been awarded both the Order of Canada and Olympic Order in
2002, and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003. He was named
Calgary Sportsman of the Year in 2001.

    Barbara Ann Scott (Canadian Olympic Order, Ottawa) was Canada's first
gold medal-winning figure skater at the 1948 Olympic Winter Games. Her
athletic career started early, when she won the Canadian national junior title
at the age of 11. Two years later she became the first woman ever to land a
double Lutz in competition. Scott was named the country's top athlete in 1945,
1947 and 1948. She is a member of the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, Canada's
Sports Hall of Fame, the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the Canadian
Figure Skating Hall of Fame. In 1991, she was awarded the Order of Canada and
in 1998 she was named to Canada's Walk of Fame.

    The Canadian Olympic Committee is a national, private, not-for-profit
organization committed to sport excellence. It is responsible for all aspects
of Canada's involvement in the Olympic movement, including Canada's
participation in the Olympic and Pan American Games and a wide variety of
programs that promote the Olympic Movement in Canada through cultural and
educational means. For more information, see the COC website: www.olympic.ca.

For further information: Steve Keogh, Manager, Communications, Canadian
Olympic Committee, Phone: [phone], Cell: [phone], Email:
[e-mail]; Sylvie Bigras, Gestionnaire, Communications Comité
olympique canadien, Cell.: [phone], Courriel: [e-mail]