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Storytelling Series:
Celebrating Olympic and Paralympic Sport Heroes

In honour of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is celebrating the contributions of inspiring Olympic and Paralympic sport icons to Canada's rich sporting history, with a special focus on equity and equality in sport.

From July to September, Canadians will have free access to impactful opportunities to connect with iconic sport role models and explore their stories through a livestream discussion, educational resources, and compelling digital storytelling.

Equity and Equality in Sport

Olympic Games: Gender Parity

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are the first-ever Olympic Games to represent full gender parity.

There are an equal number of athlete quotas distributed by the International Olympic Committee, representing a significant landmark in Olympic history.

Read more

Paralympic Games: Equal Pay

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games also represent an important milestone for Canadian Paralympic athletes.

For the first time, Canadian Paralympians will be financially rewarded for winning medals, equal to their Olympic counterparts.

Read more

Panel Discussion

Hosted by CBC’s Devin Heroux

Watch Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame's panel discussion, hosted by CBC’s Devin Heroux, featuring inspiring Canadian Olympic & Paralympic sport heroes. Highlighting the vital themes of equity and equality in sport, this event celebrates the significant contributions these athletes have made to Canada’s rich sporting history.

What to Expect:

Iconic Line-Up: Connect with renowned sports icons
Inspiring Insights: Listen to these legends share their experiences and discuss the importance of equity and equality in sports

stephanie dixon

3-time Paralympian

Jeff Adams

6-time Paralympian

Daniel Igali

2-time Olympian

Diane Jones Konihowski

3-time Olympian

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Digital Storytelling

Explore the captivating stories of Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Famers on Canada's Sports Hall of Fame's social media channels or in the course section below!

Featuring exclusive interviews, inspiring narratives, and historic images these profiles dive further into the stories of iconic Hall of Famers.

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What's included?

Short Videos
Live Panel Discussion
Lesson Plans
Digital Storytelling

Grades

4-12, Post-Secondary

Subjects

Social Studies, Health & Life Skills, Physical & Health Education

Outcomes

Overcoming challenges, fair play, and active living role models; identity and sense of belonging; healthy life choices

Inspiring wins for sport + life.

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Stephanie Dixon

Bio

Panel Discussion

Stephanie Dixon (she/them) is one of Canada’s most decorated Paralympians, earning a total of 19 medals from three Paralympic Games.

Though she has broken countless records in competitions, her outstanding achievements extend far beyond the pool. Stephanie remained involved in the Paralympic movement in Canada as a keynote speaker, blogger, broadcaster, and mentor.

She has served as an Ambassador for the Rio 2007 Parapan American Games, where she raised awareness around the need for equal sporting opportunities for all athletes. Part of the broadcast team for the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Games, the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games, named Team Canada’s Assistant Chef de Mission for the Toronto 2015 Parapan Am Games, and serving as the Chef de Mission for Team Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, Stephanie has remained engaged in the world of sport, actively contributing to the ongoing development of Canada's athletic landscape.

Stephanie recently earned a MSc in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education at the University of Toronto. She currently works as a researcher, facilitator, and activist within collaborative projects that imagine and create spaces where more of us can feel welcome, valued, and included in meaningful ways.

Jeff Adams

Bio

Panel Discussion

Jeff Adams is a six-time Paralympian and a six-time World Champion wheelchair racer. His outstanding competitive achievements, which include 13 Paralympic Medals, have inspired his equally dynamic brand of activism.

Serving as a spokesperson, journalist and media commentator, Jeff has often leveraged his athletic achievements to advocate for accessibility and lend support to organizations that promote equality for people with disabilities. Unafraid to put himself in the public eye for a good cause, at one point he climbed all 1,776 steps of the CN Tower in a specially designed wheelchair to raise funds for accessibility awareness.

Jeff has helped integrate the Canadian Paralympic program into Athletics Canada and has also found success in the world of business, where his experience as an elite wheelchair racer has helped him found two wheelchair engineering and manufacturing companies. Jeff is currently working as a lawyer, called to the Ontario bar.

Jeff’s determination and passion for realizing life’s possibilities have helped transform the way people across Canada and around the world recognize the excellence and innovation in adaptive sports and the achievements of athletes with disabilities.

Diane Jones Konihowski

Bio

Panel Discussion

Diane Jones Konihowski has left a lasting mark on Canadian sport for over 45 years as an athlete, coach, volunteer, administrator and journalist.

As a three-time Olympian and #1 in the world at the time in the pentathlon, Diane represented Canada at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, in Montreal at the 1976 Olympic Games, and she was named to the 1980 Olympic Team, but Canada joined a western boycott of those Games. Diane won Gold Medals at the 1975 and 1979 Pan American Games, and the 1978 Commonwealth Games.

Following her successful athletic career, and wanting to give back to sport, Diane stayed involved by volunteering on a number of national Boards. From 1986 to 2010, she was Director of the  Coaching Association of Canada, Canadian Centre for Drug Free Sport, KidSport Canada, and the Canadian Olympic Committee. She was Chef de Mission for Canada at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

An advocate for equality and drug free sport Diane believes Canadian athletes are winning more Olympic medals because sport is becoming a more level playing field. She presently is a Director with the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

Daniel Igali

Bio

Panel Discussion

Baraladei Daniel Igali is an Olympic champion, and a self-proclaimed development advocate.

Growing up in a large family of 21 in rural Nigeria, Daniel Igali faced daily struggles and was focused on getting through each day, making it difficult to envision a future that included competing in the Olympic Games. Learning how to wrestle while playing with his brothers and sisters, he later joined a wrestling team in northern Nigeria and became African champion in 1993 and 1994.

In 1994, while wrestling for Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Daniel chose to claim refugee status from his war-torn country and remain in Canada.

He continued to wrestle, with his breakthrough coming with his Gold Medal win at the World Championships in 1999, the first time a Canadian had done so. Establishing himself as a favourite heading into the 2000 Olympic Games, Daniel went on to win an Olympic Gold Medal after his flawless performance, winning every match including the Gold Medal showdown.

He has since returned to his country of birth, serving as President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, and the Minister of Sports Development in the state of Bayelsa, giving back to the sport community that had such a profound impact on his life. Daniel is now also an executive board member of the international federation, United World Wrestling, where he continues to contribute to the growth and development of wrestling on a global scale.

Devin Heroux

Bio

Panel Discussion

Originally from Saskatoon, Devin Heroux was first captivated by the Olympic Winter Games while watching the Saskatchewan curling team led by Sandra Schmirler win gold at Nagano 1998. Now based in Toronto, Devin is a cross-platform reporter for CBC Sports and News covering the Olympics, Paralympics and beyond. He’s also host of That Curling Show and has covered everything from the Toronto Raptors NBA championship to U.S. Open tennis, Grey Cups and many different sporting world championships.

A veteran reporter, this is Devin's fourth consecutive time covering both the Olympic and Paralympic Games for CBC. He will be on the ground in Paris, bringing audiences live updates from the biggest competition stage in the world.

Description

Guiding Questions

Sport

Drag to resize

A Racing Bib from the 2020 Youth Olympic Game in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was worn by a racer in a skiing event.

Courtesy of Order of Sport collection, Canadian Museum of History.

1. What do you see (physical properties)?
2. Consider analyzing materials (i.e., is it wood, stone, plastic, etc.?)

3. What is special or distinctive about the artefact?
4. Are there any inscriptions (i.e., are there any markings that are printed, stamped, engraved)?
5. What symbolism do you see?
6. How is the object oriented? (i.e., Does it have a presumed front, back, bottom, or top?)
7. What features do you think it might share with similar objects?
8. Does the object prompt some kind of action or performance?
9. What is this artefact?
10. What stories or information do you think it tells?

Rowing

Rowing is the propelling of a boat using a fixed oar as a lever. In modern sports, rowers race against each other as individuals or in crews of two, four or eight.

Description

Guiding Questions

Sport

Drag to resize

A volunteer vest given to Dr. Kirby for her work at the 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games.

Courtesy of Order of Sport collection, Canadian Museum of History.

1. What do you see (physical properties)?
2. Consider analyzing materials (i.e., is it wood, stone, plastic, etc.?)

Rowing

Rowing is the propelling of a boat using a fixed oar as a lever. In modern sports, rowers race against each other as individuals or in crews of two, four or eight.

Description

Guiding Questions

Sport

Drag to resize

A volunteer ID card given to Dr. Kirby as a way to identify as a volunteer for the event. On the card, it lists her specific volunteer responsibilities.

Courtesy of Order of Sport collection, Canadian Museum of History.

1. What do you see (physical properties)?
2. Consider analyzing materials (i.e., is it wood, stone, plastic, etc.?)

Rowing

Rowing is the propelling of a boat using a fixed oar as a lever. In modern sports, rowers race against each other as individuals or in crews of two, four or eight.

Storytelling Series: Celebrating Olympic and Paralympic Sport Heroes

Equity and Equality in Sport

Olympic Games: Gender Parity

Paralympic Games: Equal Pay

Panel Discussion

Digital Storytelling

What's included?

Grades

Subjects

Outcomes

Featured links

Connect with us

Stephanie Dixon

Jeff Adams

Diane Jones Konihowski

Daniel Igali

Devin Heroux

Storytelling Series:
Celebrating Olympic and Paralympic Sport Heroes