Canadian Olympic Committee to induct late Sarah Burke into the 2012 Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame
The Canadian freeskier Sarah Burke will be getting inducted into the 2012 Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in September, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday, June 12.
“Sarah was one of those extraordinary women who believed that anything was possible,” said Burke's mother Jan Phelan in a statement released by the Canadian Olympic Committee. “I think that her belief not only helped her succeed, but inspired others to be
the best that they could be. I know that Sarah would be happy that all she worked for and sought to achieve is being honoured with her induction into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.”
The legendary winter action sports athlete had made massive contributions to the progression of the sport ever since becoming a professional. Pushing the boundaries and introducing mind-boggling tricks, Burke played a significant role in bringing female
freeskiing under the spotlight.
Her pipe-prowess served to earn her a reputation of being the world’s best female freeskier. With four Winter X games gold medals and a World Championship in the halfpipe to her name, Burke was thought of as nearly invincible when it came to the halfpipe
contests.
The Canadian freeskier superstar was determined to earn freeskiing halfpipe an Olympic status and had been working around the clock to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to add the event to the 2014 Winter Olympics, which is scheduled to
go down at Sochi in Russia.
The commitment and energy with which she advocated the case of halfpipe’s inclusion into the Olympic roster was commendable, earning her even more respect within the action sports community. Even the IOC members acknowledged her dedication to the cause and
accepted that she was indeed making a strong case.
After years of lobbying, Burke was finally able to convince the Olympics governing body to add halfpipe to the roster, an achievement that earned her immense global appreciation.
The Canadian freeskiing superstar was considered a favourite to claim the gold medal at 2014 Winter Olympics, but the speculations came to an abrupt end after a training accident on the Park City Mountain Resort Eagle Superpipe in Park City, Utah, claimed
her life on January 19, 2012.
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