Ottawa Pride celebrations inspire Olympians
OTTAWA – For an athlete, nothing can compare to the feeling of marching with their teammates at the Opening Ceremony of an Olympic Games. Today, Canadian Olympians marched for a different reason at the 2013 Ottawa’s Capital Pride Parade and this is what they had to say:
“What an incredibly powerful day today has been. I am so proud to be marching on behalf of my fellow Olympians. Sport has the power to unite us all, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation.”
– Katie Weatherston, Turin 2006 Olympic gold medallist, Ice Hockey
“The eradication of homophobia in sport is a challenging and ongoing struggle. While I know that there have been huge strides in tolerance and acceptance in Canadian sport, we have so much more to do. I am very proud of this generation of athletes who are standing up and defending equality.”
– Bill Meyer, Los Angeles 1984 Olympian, Water Polo
“Canada is one of those countries that you thank your parents and your lucky stars that you were born in and I think we have a responsibility to demonstrate the importance of acceptance and diversity to the rest of the world, especially if you’re in a position where you can affect change. Canadian Olympians are certainly in that position, and that’s why I’m out here today.”
– Scott Cranham, Munich 1972, Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980 Olympian, Diving
As one of the country’s greatest assets, Canadian Olympians are participating in nation-wide Pride festivals as part of the long list of community involvement. In addition to Ottawa Pride Week, members of the Canadian Olympic Team have already joined in Pride celebrations in Toronto and Vancouver.
