Members of Canada’s Olympic teams stretching from 1972 to 2024 came together to celebrate the life of Frank Garner.
A special gathering was held in memory of Garner at Cheema Aquatic Club in the small Canadian village of Waverley, Nova Scotia on November 24 after he passed away at the age of 80 earlier this month.
It was there where Garner took the club’s motto “Building Canadian Youth” to heart after becoming its first head coach in 1969.
Garner went on to coach the Canadian Olympic team, leading them at Montreal 1976, Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984.
He was Chair of the International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint Committee from 2008 until his retirement in 2021.
During this time, Garner was an International Technical Official at six Olympics and led the proposal for gender equality at the Games as six men’s and six women’s events featured on the programme at Tokyo 2020.
Garner won multiple awards and was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.
The Frank Garner Boat House was also named in his honour at the Cheema Canoe Club.
About 200 people attended the celebration of Garner’s life on November 24 including current and former Canadian paddlers.
Sloan MacKenzie, a member of the Cheema Canoe Club who won Olympic bronze at Paris 2024, was among those present.
The ceremony featured a moving final paddle for Garner where paddlers took to the water in a war canoe.
ICF President Thomas Konietzko was among the speakers at the ceremony as he paid tribute to Garner.
“Frank, who was a special person and dedicated his life to his family, his wife Paula and his three daughters, and his beloved canoeing, leaves more than just a legacy,” said Mr Konietzko.
“He has shaped his beloved sport like no other and shaped the big world of canoeing coming from Halifax and his canoe club here.
“Members of our canoe family around the world are mourning the loss of a good friend, a comrade and an innovative pioneer.
“Whenever someone in our 171 member nations goes out paddling and strives for peak performance, it is also in some way thanks to Frank and his life’s work achievements.”
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