James Worrall, (June 23, 1914 – October 9, 2011) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

lawyer, Olympic

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete, and sports administrator. Born in

Bury, Lancashire Bury ( ) is a market town on the River Irwell in Greater Manchester, England. Metropolitan Borough of Bury is administered from the town, which had an estimated population of 78,723 in 2015. The town is within the Historic counties of Englan ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Worrall emigrated to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

in 1922. He received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

in 1935, then received his law degree from

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the ''Osgoode Hall La ...

in Toronto, Ontario, going on to practice law in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. A track and field athlete, Worrall was the Canadian team flag bearer at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

opening ceremonies in Berlin, Germany, competing in both

hurdling Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

events. In the 110 metre hurdles event as well as in the 400 metre hurdles competition he was eliminated in the first round. Previously, at the

1934 British Empire Games The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events wer ...

held in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, he won the silver medal in the 120 yards hurdles contest. In the quarter mile hurdles event (440 yards) he finished fourth. Following his competitive retirement, he moved into sports administration within the Olympic movement. From 1964 to 1968, Worrall was the president of the

Canadian Olympic Committee The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC; french: Comité olympique canadien) is a private, non-profit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization ...

and he rose to be a member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

– a position he held from 1967 to 1989. In 1989, he was made an Honorary Member of the International Olympic Committee. Worrall was a member of the Board of Directors of the organizing committees for the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

and the

1988 Winter Olympics The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (french: XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Calgary 1988 ( bla, Mohkínsstsisi 1988; sto, Wîchîspa Oyade 1988 or ; cr, Otôskwanihk 1998/; srs, Guts� ...

. In 1976, Worrall was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. In 1987, he was inducted into

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canad ...

. In 1991, he was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame. In 1998, he was inducted to the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame. Canadian Red Ensign 1921-1957 (with disc)

Canadian Red Ensign 1921-1957 (with disc)

In July 2009 Worrall was noted as Canada's second oldest living Olympian,Orangeville Council Meeting July 13, 2009
/ref> and he became the oldest upon the death of

Marjory Saunders Marjory Saunders (March 10, 1913 – November 26, 2010) was a Canadian archer who competed in the Olympic games in 1972 in Munich. She was born in Sussex, England and died in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. She competed in the 1972 Summer Olymp ...

in November 2010.

References

External links

*
Death of IOC Honorary Member James Worrall
'' website of the IOC, 10 October 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Worrall, James 1914 births 2011 deaths Canadian male hurdlers Olympic track and field athletes of Canada Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1934 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics McGill University alumni Officers of the Order of Canada Anglophone Quebec people Athletes from Montreal Sportspeople from Bury, Greater Manchester British emigrants to Canada Recipients of the Olympic Order International Olympic Committee members Osgoode Hall Law School alumni Lawyers in Ontario Presidents of the Canadian Olympic Committee