Charmaine Crooks
Five-time Olympian and Olympic silver medallist Charmaine Crooks represented Canada in athletics for close to 20 years. As the first Canadian woman to run 800 meters in under two minutes, she has won gold medals at the Pan American, Commonwealth, World Cup, and World Student Games. She also had the honor of being named Flag Bearer at the Opening Ceremonies of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.
Charmaine is one of our country's most heartwarming and entertaining professional speakers, delivering a powerful message of peak performance, passion, and vision. She was a member of the International Olympic Committee (elected 1996 and elected IOC Member 2000-2004), served on the Athens 2004 Olympic Games Working Groups and IOC Culture/Education Commissions(1996-2004), and now serves on the IOC Athletes Commission (1996-present) and Press Commission (2001-present).
As a founding member of the independent IOC Ethics Commission, she contributed to developing the IOC Code of Ethics, and was a member of the IOC 2000 Reform Commission. She is currently on the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee and has been elected to the Canadian Olympic Committee Executive Board.
In March 2006, Crooks was one of five women presented globally with the IOC Women and Sport Trophy in recognition of her efforts towards supporting gender equity in high-performance sport.
Sport: Athletics
Date of birth: August 8, 1962
Place of birth: Mandeville, Jamaica
Residence: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Highlight of major athletic achievements
- Five-time Canadian Olympic team member: 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996
- Olympic silver medallist (4 x 400m), Los Angeles 1984
- Canadian team flag bearer, Olympic Games, Atlanta 1996
- Ranked 10th in the world over 800m 1996
- Silver medallist (800m) in the Commonwealth Games, Victoria 1994
- Bronze medallist (400m) in the World Indoor Championships 1985
- Ranked 5th in the world over 800m and 6th over 400m, 1991
- Ranked 10th over 800m, 1992 and 1996
- Eleven-time Canadian national champion over 400/800m, 1997
- Canadian record holder for 800m (1:58.52) and 4 x 400m relay
- First and only Canadian woman to break two-minute barrier over 800m, 1999
- Currently serving on the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics Organizing Committee; member of the IOC Athletes Commission, 1996, 2000-2004; member of the Canadian Olympic Committee Executive Board; founding member of the independent IOC Ethics Commission; serves on the IOC Athletes Commission (1996-present) and Press Commission (2001-present)
- Television host, sports commentator and producer
- President, Sports and Media Consulting, NGU (Never Give Up) Consultants Inc.
- Creator and producer of No Laughing Matter, a television special and fundraiser for breast cancer research
