Charmaine Crooks appointed to the Order of Canada Photo by TheAfroNews
Charmaine Crooks has been appointed to the Order of Canada. Crooks is a 5-time Olympian and a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee executive board and was recently inducted into Athletics Canada’s Hall of Fame. As a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) she helped bring the Olympics to Vancouver in 2010 and the Pan Am Games to Toronto and the Niagara region, scheduled for 2015. Crooks was an 11-time Canadian Track and Field Champion and Canada’s Flag Bearer at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
She was born in Jamaica and came to Canada with her family at the age of six. She attended Winona Public School and West Toronto Collegiate. She went to the University of Texas-El Paso on an athletic scholarship, graduating with a degree in psychology. She was a 6-time All American, a 400m winner at the 1983 Pan Am Games and won silver in the 4 x 400 m relay at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
She is a motivational speaker, freelance TV personality and businesswoman. She was the keynote speaker at the 10th Annual Jr. Black Achievement Awards held October 19, 1991. In 2003 she was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame and was named one of the top 50 Women of Power in Canada.
Ms. Crooks was appointed to the Order of Canada “for her contributions as a role model of athletic excellence and engagement, serving at the highest levels of international sport”. The Afro News joins with the community to offer congratulations to Charmaine on her prestigious appointment.
