A member of the Musgamaqw-Dzawada’enuxw First Nation, Alex Nelson was born in 1946 in Kingcome Inlet, British Columbia.

He maintains his strong cultural foundation with his family. Playing soccer helped him live through seven years in the Alert Bay residential school system and later assisted him in overcoming other obstacles in life. Finding solace in sports as a residential school survivor, he worked tirelessly to improve opportunities for Indigenous athletes in Canada, co-founding the Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Association of British Columbia in 1989 while studying sports administration at the University of Victoria. Serving as President of the North American Indigenous Games and an Elder and Senior Advisor for B.C.’s Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council, Alex pioneered many game-changing initiatives to improve competitive opportunities and training for Indigenous athletes.

He has received numerous honours for his work, most recently the establishment of the Annual Alex Nelson Indigenous Sport Award for Male and Female Athlete of the Year by the Victoria Sports Hall of Fame. Drawing on his experiences to empower generations of young people as a coach and mentor, Alex Nelson has created a legacy of healing and Reconciliation that continues to resonate in Canadian sport today.

Born in Brandon, Manitoba in 1963, Angela Chalmers drew on remarkable reserves of strength and resilience to become one of the best middle distance-runners in the world.

A member of the Birdtail Sioux First Nation, Angela honed her athletic skill growing up in a military family on Vancouver Island, racing brothers and sisters in coastal rainforests while developing mental toughness and a competitive drive that marked her for greatness as a young athlete. In 1990 she made history as the first female athlete to win Gold in both the 1500m and 3000m races at the Commonwealth Games. Angela’s crowning achievement came in 1992 when she became the first Indigenous woman from Canada to win an Olympic medal in any sport, claiming a Bronze Medal in the 3000m race in Barcelona.

Retiring from competition in 1997, Angela remains a passionate advocate for drug-free sport and an empowering role model for women and Indigenous youth in Canada.

Born in Windsor, Ontario in 1923, Fred Thomas was a multi-sport phenomenon who refused to let prejudice limit his potential. Fred was one of many whom overcame racial barriers and inconsistencies in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) when they dropped their colour and orientation restrictions in March 1942. At 18, he enlisted into the RCAF after his high school graduation, in June 1943. Fred received his wings in April 1945 becoming a fighter pilot breaking through many barriers still existing at the time.

 After the War, Fred enrolled at Assumption College, (now University of Windsor), where he became an outstanding varsity athlete in multiple sports, namely basketball, baseball, and football. He defied racial prejudices from opponents firmly entrenched in these sports with sheer determination, and the support of his teammates. In 1948 he broke the colour barrier in Minor League Baseball’s Eastern League, playing right field for the Wilkes-Barre Barons in Pennsylvania. In 1949 Fred became the first Black Canadian to play football for the Toronto Argonauts, before accepting an invitation to play professional in an all-Black basketball league in the United States.

After retiring from professional sports, Fred Thomas continued to inspire generations of young people as a highly regarded high school Math and Physical Education teacher in Toronto. Passing away in 1981 at the age of 57, Fred Thomas left behind a story of quiet determination and ground-breaking achievement.

An accomplished researcher, educator, and activist, Dr. Guylaine Demers has become a driving force for gender equity in sports across Canada and around the world.

Often working as a volunteer, she has served as Chair of the Gender Equity Task Force for the Sports Ministry of Canada, has been a dedicated contributor to the Women in Coaching program with the Coaching Association of Canada for over two decades, and is the founder of the seminal 2015 Conversation Women and Sport Conference. A professor at Laval University, Guylaine also helped to establish Lab PROFEMS in Québec, dedicated to advancing women in sport. Recipient of the International Olympic Committee’s Women and Sport Award for the Americas in 2020, her achievements as a global catalyst for change include a ground-breaking program to develop female coaches and administrators for the Qatar Women’s Sport Committee.

Fuelled by decades of dedicated advocacy and scholarship, she continues to make sports a more equitable, safe and welcoming place for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

One of Canada’s most decorated paralympic swimmers. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1984, Kirby represented Canada at three Paralympic Games between 2000 and 2008, winning seven Gold Medals and six Silver Medals and setting two world record times. One of only seven Canadian women to achieve a double-digit Paralympic medal count, her impact on the Disability Sports movement has been transformative.