Participation medal issued for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics and presented to Paula Andrews, the mayor of the Olympic Village and a member of the Calgary Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (OCO ’88) Board of Directors. Bronze, 64 mm, 133 gm, by Cornelius Martens. The front depicts the Calgary Games emblem and raised French and English text, “Calgary 1988, XV Olympic Winter Games”; the reverse bears a panoramic view of Calgary, the Saddledome Stadium, and the Canadian Rocky Mountains, with the Olympic motto below. Includes its original velvet case.
Accompanied by a detailed letter of provenance from Andrews, which reads: “The Calgary ‘88 Winter Olympics staged the Cross Country and Biathlon events at the Canmore Nordic Centre located just outside the town of Canmore, Alberta. As mayor of Canmore, I was appointed to the Calgary Olympic Development Association Board of Directors (CODA) and later to the Calgary Olympic ‘88 (OCO ‘88) Board of Directors. (From 1983 until after the ‘88 Olympics)
I worked closely with staff on the planning, development and operation of athletes village for the Cross Country and Biathlon athletes. I was appointed, by the OCO ‘88 Board of Directors, to the position of mayor of this athletes village. Providing a home for athletes during the Olympics involves everything from housing, food services, and health care to training facilities, transportation and anything else needed by athletes in their home.
My involvement with the Olympics as a board member and especially as mayor of the athletes village resulted in the most challenging and time consuming volunteer positions I have ever held. However the work I completed for the 88 Winter Olympics was also the most rewarding volunteer experience in my life.
As a thank you for my work I received a few gifts. Some I regifted to other volunteers, or donated to the town and Nordic Centre, and some, such as a set of medals and participation medallions, a torch used in the torch relay and a sculpture of a horse I was given for my work on the OCO ‘88 Board, are in today’s Olympic Auction.”
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