The Globe and Mail reports that former Olympian Eva Dawes has passed away at the age of 96 in London, England.
Ms Dawes won a bronze medal for Canada in the high jump at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles.
She boycotted the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany and tried to attend the counter-Olympic Games in Barcelona that year until the war there forced her away.
The Globe and Mail notes that, “Over the years she corresponded with several writers, including Mr. (Ron)Hotchkiss, expressing her disillusionment with the modern Olympics, which she felt belonged no longer to amateurs striving for personal bests from love of country.”
“When he asked her if she was excited about the prospect of having the Summer Games in London in 2012, she wrote back: ‘I’ve lost interest now. It is all for the money and not for fun as we knew it in 1932.’.”
Her full story is at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/eva-dawes-won-olympic-bronze-for-canada-in-1932/article1178747/.
In the coming days look for the Council of Canadians statement on the 2010 Olympic Games on our website.
