Canadian Olympic Committee’s Chris Rudge Joins UBC to Advance Olympic Studies

The CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) is joining the University of British Columbia to advance knowledge of high performance sports and the Olympics.

Chris Rudge, who will continue to lead Canada’s Olympic program, will become an adjunct professor in UBC’s School of Human Kinetics, an interdisciplinary school in the Faculty of Education dedicated to research and teaching about human movement, physical activity and health.

Rudge will be introduced to the UBC community today at a campus celebration for the more than 40 UBC students, alumni, faculty and staff who participated in the 2008 Games. At the event, Rudge will speak on Canada’s performance at the Beijing Games and the road ahead to 2010.

“With the 2010 Winter Games approaching, many UBC students want a deeper understanding of the Olympic Movement and its impacts,” says Bob Sparks, Director, UBC School of Human Kinetics. “Chris brings a wealth of first-hand Olympic and Paralympic experience to our classrooms.”

Rudge, a member of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games’ (VANOC) Board of Directors, brings to UBC extensive knowledge of international, national and provincial sports policies and their effects. He has led numerous sports delegations internationally, including COC missions to the Rio Pan Am Games and the Torino and Beijing Olympic Games.

At UBC, Rudge will present guest lectures in two undergraduate courses: Sport, Peace and Conflict and The Modern Olympics: Power, Politics and Performance. He will also encourage debate and dialogue on Olympic and Paralympic topics through a series of presentations to the UBC community and the public.

Rudge, 63, joins a number of UBC faculty members engaging with the 2010 Winter Games at a high level, including UBC sports physicians Dr. Jack Taunton and Dr. Bob McCormack, who have been named Chief Medical Officer for the Games and Canada’s Olympic Team, respectively. Dr. Chris Zed, Associate Dean of Dentistry, is co-directing dental care for athletes at the Games.

“I am excited to join a university so deep in Olympic expertise and with such a rich Olympic history,” says Rudge, noting that UBC’s 240 Olympic and Paralympic participants have won 113 medals, including 42 gold.

Rudge has a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health from the University of Toronto and a teaching certificate from Queen’s University. Prior to joining the COC in 2003, he was a senior executive at Quebecor World Inc.

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