Donate Today EN | FR
Hall of Famers

Hall of Famer

JIM WORRALL

Inducted in 1987

Member Details

Date of Birth: June 23, 1914
Place of Birth: Bury, England
Date of Passing: October 9, 2011
Sport: Multisport
Member Category: Builder

Career Highlights

1936

Berlin Olympic Games - Flag bearer

1948, 1952

Assistant Chef de Mission, Olympic Games

1956, 1960

Chef de Mission, Olympic Games

1961 - 1968

President, Canadian Olympic Association

1967

Appointed member of the International Olympic Committee

1970 - 1976

Served on the executive of the organizing committees for the Olympic Games

1974

First Canadian appointed to IOC Executive Board

Hall of Famer JIM WORRALL
Sport

Story

Jim Worrall's participation in sport has taken him from athletic success on Canada's playing fields to the inner circles of influence and power on the International Olympic Committee. Worrall won the Rector's Trophy for all-round athletic performance at his Montreal high school, then went on to star on the intercollegiate track while a student at McGill University. He was a member of Canada's team at the 1934 British Empire Games, where he earned a silver medal in the 120 yard hurdles. At the 1936 Olympic Games, he was selected as flag bearer for the Canadian team. After serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, Worrall returned home to find Canada's track-and-field program in poor shape. In working to correct this situation, he began a lifelong career in sports administration. Throughout the 1950s, Worrall held a number of executive posts within the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada. He served as president of this organization, as well as of the Canadian Sports Advisory Council, the forerunner of the Sports Federation of Canada. He was also a member of the federal government's National Advisory Council on Fitness and Amateur Sport from 1961 to 1966, serving as chairman from 1964 to 1966. Though past his athletic prime, Worrall remained involved in the Olympic Games throughout the coming decades. He returned in 1948 and 1952 as assistant Chef de Mission for the Canada's Olympic teams and served as full-fledged Chef de Mission in 1956 and 1960. He was president of the Canadian Olympic Association from 1961 until 1968 and was appointed Canada's representative to the International Olympic Committee in 1967. In 1974, Worrall was the first Canadian to be elected to the IOC's executive board, a position he held until 1979. In subsequent years, he served on a number of the IOC's committees and commissions. On the home front, Worrall played a major role in bringing the Olympic Games to Canada. After launching these successful bids, he served on the executive of the organizing committees of both the 1976 Montreal and the 1988 Calgary Olympic Games. Outside of sport, Worrall taught physics at Upper Canada College in Toronto and later maintained a private law practice. He also served on a number of corporate boards, volunteer committees, and commissions. For his incredible contributions to Canadian sport, and his commendable career in public service, Worrall was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1976. For his tremendous devotion to the Olympic movement, he received the Olympic Order in 1990 and the Canadian Olympic Order in 1994.