Tricia Smith has spent her lifetime in Canadian and international sport: four time Olympian; thirteen time member of the Canadian National Rowing Team; respected athlete and team leader; 30-year involvement with the Canadian Olympic Committee, (“COC”); second term Vice President of the COC; member of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne since 2001, Chair of the FISA Women’s Commission, Executive Committee member of FISA since 1997. She is a successful business owner and lawyer and a consummate community contributor, locally and internationally.

CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

EDUCATION AND DEGREES
University of British Columbia – 1985, Bachelor of Laws
University of British Columbia – 1981, Bachelor of Arts, International Relations
University of British Columbia – 2001, Honorary Doctorate of Laws for leadership in sport,  sport and the law and women in sport.

Ms. Smith completed her undergraduate and law degrees while representing Canada on four Olympic and eight World Championship Teams winning seven World Championship medals, a Gold Commonwealth Games Medal and a Silver Olympic Medal.

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
Deputy Manager and Principal with Barnescraig & Associates, 1992 to present, dealing with Liability Claims, Claims Consulting, Risk Management (including Sport and Recreation) and Sport Arbitration

Lawyer with Alexander, Holburn, Beaudin & Lang, Barristers & Solicitors, 1986 to 1992

Ms. Smith is part owner and Deputy Manager of Barnes Craig & Associates, a successful, market leading, Vancouver based firm which provides claims management, consulting and risk management services. Started by a group of lawyers, she has been with Barnes  Craig since its first year. Ms. Smith is active in managing and marketing the company which has doubled in size in the last five years and continues to grow.

LAW AND SPORT
International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) Board Member
Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) Arbitrator

Nominated by the IOC Athletes Commission and since then re-elected three times by the Members of ICAS, Ms. Smith has played a key role in ensuring the athlete and sport perspective is heard at the table. On a board largely made up of eminent international jurists – many of whom have limited sport experience – Ms. Smith’s contribution, along with other key Olympic athletes and IOC members such as Richard Pound, Patrick Baumann. HRH Tunku Imran, Thomas Bach, and President John Coates is critical for international sport. Her long term involvement with ICAS provides valuable connections with the international sport community including the IOC. She was named  Head of the Ad-Hoc Court of Arbitration for Sport at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

AS AN ATHLETE
Four time Olympian
1984 Olympic Silver Medalist
1986 Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist
Seven Time World Championship Medalist

A member of a family of five children in which sport was just a part of their lifestyle, her younger sister Shannon was an Olympic medallist in swimming in 1976. Ms. Smith is probably best known for her success with partner Betty Craig in the pair event.

AS AN ATHLETE LEADER
COC Athletes’ Committee Representative for Rowing
Started First Rowing Canada Athletes’ Committee

Ms. Smith was always the leader in her teams, both on and off the water. After her first year she stroked every crew she raced in. Off the water she was on the first COC Athletes Council and she created the first Athletes Survey, Annual Report and the first Athletes’ Committee for Rowing Canada Aviron in 1978.

AS A TEAM LEADER
Chef de Mission 2007 Pan American Games
Co Mayor Athletes Village Vancouver 2012 Winter Olympic Games

In her first experience leading a Canadian team, many members of the COC saw Ms. Smith demonstrate her abilities and style to lead as Chef de Mission for the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. Members of the team – athletes and support team members as well as members of Mission Staff and the COC staff – were universally impressed with her leadership and preparation. Congruent with her past exploits, Ms. Smith consistently put the team ahead of all else and was always looking for ways to improve the atmosphere. The “devil is in the details” and Ms. Smith made sure that the details were taken care of without any fanfare or attribution to her.

Her volunteer work at the Vancouver 2010 Games provided another avenue to contribute to, and for contact with, the international sport community.

Along with the role of Co- Mayor, she also acted as the liaison between the local legal community and the Adhoc Court of Arbitration for Sport for the Games, and set up a panel of pro bono counsel for use by parties at the games.

AS A LEADER WITH THE COC
Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) Vice President since 2009
COC Team Selection Committee Chair
COC Partner Relations Committee Chair
COC Sport Strategies Committee Member
COC Human Resources Committee Member

Ms. Smith became involved with the COC in 1980 when the first Athletes council was formed. She was the athlete representative for rowing for many years. After her retirement she was elected a Board Member. She is in her second term as the Vice President.

As Vice President, Ms. Smith has played an important role in debating and formulating the current and future course of the COC. She has always taken the big picture approach and makes principle based decisions with sport – the athletes, coaches and the federations- at the forefront of any decision.

AS A MEMBER OF AN INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC BID TEAM
Member Bid Committee Member Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Ms. Smith was a key member of the international team of the Vancouver 2010 Bid Committee, travelling to a number of events to meet IOC members prior to the decision in Prague. Her work internationally also put her in regular contact with decision makers in the Olympic movement. Vancouver won by only three votes.

AS A LEADER IN FISA
International Rowing Federation (FISA) Executive Committee Member
Chair FISA Women’s Commission

Starting in 1993 as the junior member of the FISA Women’s Rowing Commission, Ms. Smith was soon elected Chair, earning a place on the FISA Council. Shortly thereafter she was elected to the six- person FISA Executive Committee and has been re-elected by the FISA Congress three times since, serving on the Executive for more than 15 years.

She has either competed or worked with FISA at every summer Olympic Games since 1976 (with the exception of the 1980 boycott and the 1992 Games after her retirement) She is a key member of the Executive, active in the governance and the world wide development of the sport, marketing and sponsorship issues, authoring the rules of the sport, hearing matters brought before the Committee (including doping issues and appeals at Championships and Olympic Games) and writing decisions.

Ms. Smith is also a leader in sport development. Her Commission has increased the opportunities for women as athletes, coaches, administrators and officials. Programs championed by Ms. Smith see developing countries sending equal numbers of women and men to FISA competitions, including Iran, which sent two scullers to the Olympics in 2008, one male and one female. She co-chaired, with John Boultbee, the recent Working Group on the FISA sport program and women in rowing.

AS A MAJOR PROJECT FUNDRAISER AND ADVOCATE
Friends of Burnaby Lake, Course Revitalization Project

Ms. Smith has been the lead on the successful fundraising initiative for the Burnaby Lake Revitalization Project, raising over 20 million dollars for that project. The effort included rallying a community, as well as extensive lobbying and communication with government, environmental groups, public forums and others. In large part due to her leadership, determination and drive, the money was secured and the dredging of the lake has now been completed.

Burnaby Lake is the only international standard rowing canoe and kayak course in western North America and was the unofficial national team training centre for rowing, canoe and kayak in the 1970s and 1980s. Thomi Keller visited the lake in the 1970s. Dozens of World Championships and Olympic medalists trained at Burnaby. Because of the lakes unique calm water quality it was one of the best places to train and race in North America. It filled in over the years but it now back to a full 2000 meter course and supports a number of users including the Canadian Team Development Centre.

AS THE CONSUMMATE CONTRIBUTOR
Ms. Smith has been a volunteer on numerous other committees and Boards, as a member and a leader. Her work has been ground breaking and is always collaborative. She works for the good of the whole. It is about doing what is right, making it possible for others to excel and to share in all that is great about sport

OTHER NOTABLE AWARDS

Recipient of the Order of Canada- the highest civilian honor in Canada for her achievements in international sport and sport and the law
Recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of British Columbia
Nominee for B.C.’s Athlete of the Quarter Century (1990)- at one time in her career, Ms. Smith had the most world championship and Olympic medals of any Canadian athlete
2008 Named as One of British Columbia’s Top Ten Female Athletes of All Time
Inductee to the BC Sports Hall of Fame (1992) –Ms. Smith’s sister Shannon and mother Patricia are also members
Inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame (1994)
Inductee to the Canadian Olympic Sports Hall of Fame (2000)
Recipient of the 2006 Carol Anne Letheran Award for International Sport Leadership – When Ms. Smith received the prestigious Carole Anne Letheren Award in 2006, Phyllis Berck (past Chair of CAAWS) observed that Ms. Smith “has taken on a leadership role in nearly every organization she has served. She leads by encouraging others in their areas of responsibility, with a quiet persuasive style, yet neverlosing sight of achieving specific objectives.” Chris Rudge (COC CEO) added, “Ms. Smith commands the greatest respect at a national and international level in sport due to her vast experience and knowledge. She is widely respected as a loyal champion for athletes because she always places their needs first.”

Recipient of Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) President’s Award 1990
Recipient of RCA Long Time Service Awards
Recipient of numerous Government of Canada Sport Excellence Awards
Recipient of Premier’s Athletic Awards 1981-1987
Recognized as one of the Most Influential Women in Sport (CAAWS)
Recipient and Inductee “In Her Footsteps” Award, BC Sports Hall of Fame for “Leading the Way” in Women’s Sport (2008)