James Worrall, (June 23, 1914 – October 9, 2011) was a Canadian lawyer, Olympic track and field 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, Worrall emigrated to Montreal, Quebec in 1922. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University in 1935, then received his law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Ontario, going on to practice law in Toronto. 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 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, 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 and he rose to be a member of the International Olympic Committee – 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. 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 Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games The ancient Olympic Games (Ὀλυμπιακο� ...

. In 1998, he was inducted to the

McGill University Sports Hall of Fame McGill is a surname of Scottish and Irish origin, from which the names of many places and organizations are derived. It may refer to: People * McGill (surname) (including a list of individuals with the surname) * McGill family (Monrovia), a promin ...

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