Don't miss out on an exclusive opportunity to hear from iconic Olympic sport heroes thanks to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame ! Secure your spot today for our upcoming Storytelling Series: Celebrating Olympic & Paralympic Sport Heroes live panel discussion on September 13th: https://lnkd.in/g_psqBPs - Ne manquez pas cette occasion exclusive d'entendre des héros emblématiques du sport olympique grâce au Temple de la renommée des sports du Canada ! Réservez votre place dès aujourd'hui pour notre prochaine série de récits : Célébration des héros olympiques et paralympiques, une discussion en direct qui aura lieu le 13 septembre : https://lnkd.in/g_psqBPs
As part of our Storytelling Series: Celebrating Olympic & Paralympic Sport Heroes, we bring you the story of Phil Edwards. Phil Edwards was the ‘Man of Bronze,’ blazing a trail on the track in the late 1920s and early ‘30s. He won an incredible five Bronze Medals from three Olympic Games, making him Canada’s most decorated Olympian at the time. Notably, Phil won his fifth Olympic Medal – a figure not reached by another Canadian until 2002 – at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. The 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were effectively a worldwide spectacle of Nazi propaganda. In the face of this openly racist and tyrannical regime, Phil Edwards defiantly showcased his ability. The Canadian Press wrote, “his third-place bronze medal in the 800-metre run and his fifth place in the 1,500-metre race not only added to Canada’s point totals but added Phil to the ranks of black athletes from many countries who shot holes in Hitler’s pure Aryan track army on their home field in Berlin.” Throughout his track career, Phil was also studying medicine at McGill University. After becoming the first black athlete from McGill to compete in the Olympic Games, he graduated in 1936, and received a graduate diploma in medicine in 1945, specializing in tropical diseases. In the 1930s, Dr. Edwards practiced medicine in the Caribbean for a couple of years before he left to serve with the Canadian Army as a captain during the Second World War. He would return to Montreal and practice at the Royal Victoria Hospital, before working with the Red Cross program in Congo in 1960. In 1957, Dr. Edwards and fellow Order of Sport recipient Jim Worrall initiated Canada's first international sports development project. This program, which was geared toward assisting young athletes in the eastern Caribbean, was the forerunner for the Canadian Sports Development Program. Dr. Phil Edwards passed away in 1971, leaving behind a remarkable legacy. Throughout his life, Dr. Phil was a courageous track superstar, Canada’s most decorated Olympian, Canadian Army captain, medical doctor, and sport equality champion. Don't miss out on an exclusive opportunity to hear from iconic Olympic sport heroes! Secure your spot today for our upcoming Storytelling Series: Celebrating Olympic & Paralympic Sport Heroes live panel discussion! Photo: Order of Sport Collection, Canadian Museum of History #storytellingseries #olympicheroes