The Hardest Working Woman Of 2010 Winter Olympics
Published by Marcus Vanderberg on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 7:34 pm.
By Kiratiana Freelon
Special to Playa Hater
Special to Playa Hater
During the Vancouver Olympic Games, if you have seen a black woman hosting official Olympic events and hanging around IOC members, it was probably Charmaine Crooks. Besides being everywhere, her duties during the Vancouver Olympic Games are significant. Besides being an official host to all dignitaries, she appears on panels, hosts awards shows and officially represents Vancouver 2010 in everything. There is no doubt that she is the hardest working woman of the Games.
So why is she everywhere?
She’s a black female Olympian from the Vancouver, Canada and she was one of the original members of the Vancouver Olympic bid team in 1998. Who wouldn’t want her on their team? Her stats are quite impressive:
She is the only person of color on the executive board of the Canadian Olympic Committee. She’s a five-time Olympian in track and field (a silver medal in 1984 in the 4 by 400 meter relay), and IOC member from 2000 to 2004. She even carried Canada’s flag in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. In 2006 she received the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Women and Sport Trophy for the Americas in recognition of her efforts towards supporting gender equity in high performance sport. She also currently serves as the President of the Canadian Olympics Association.
I recently had a chance to briefly catch up with her and talk to her about blacks in Vancouver and Canada.
On the difference between the U.S. and Canada race relations:
“Canada is a multicultural melting pot. It’s more open, more liberal and you are more likely to see interracial marriages. People live together in Canada.”
“Canada is a multicultural melting pot. It’s more open, more liberal and you are more likely to see interracial marriages. People live together in Canada.”
On blacks in Vancouver:
“There is a Black History Society in British Columbia. The city hosts a Caribbean Days and there are the black achievement awards every year. “
“There is a Black History Society in British Columbia. The city hosts a Caribbean Days and there are the black achievement awards every year. “
On the success of Vancouver 2010:
“This Games has helped Canada to develop the next generation of athletes. Through Legacies Now, kids have more access to sports.”
“This Games has helped Canada to develop the next generation of athletes. Through Legacies Now, kids have more access to sports.”
On her role in sports:
“I’m hope that my success will encourage more black athletes and women to get involved in the governance of sport.”
“I’m hope that my success will encourage more black athletes and women to get involved in the governance of sport.”
On black identity in Canada:
“I’m aware of who I am (a Canadian woman of Caribbean descent) and I’ve never felt umcomfortable in Canada because of that.”
“I’m aware of who I am (a Canadian woman of Caribbean descent) and I’ve never felt umcomfortable in Canada because of that.”
Kiratiana Freelon is a Harvard Graduate who has traveled to more than 25 countries. The Chicago native’s passion for sports, travel and culture led her to work on Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games for three years. She experienced the Olympic Spirit for the first time when she attended the Beijing Olympic Games as a spectator. She is now launching a series of “Black” destination travel guides and hopes to inspire people to “lose” themselves in travel. Her first book will be “Kiratiana’s Travel Guide to Black Paris.” She will also be traveling to several major sporting events this year, including the Vancouver Olympic Games and the South Africa World Cup. She can be reached at Kiratianatravels.comandTwitter.com/kiratiana
