Chilliwack leader in sport named to Canadian Olympic Committee board
CHILLIWACK — A distinguished Chilliwack leader in sport administration and Indigenous sport development who has dedicated her career to fostering positive change through sports has been named to the board of directors for the Canadian Olympic Committee.
According to a news release, Lara Mussell Savage has joined the board of the COC, a national, private non-profit committed to high-performance sports excellence. The COC is the largest private supporter of high-performance sport in Canada whose mission is to lead the achievement of the Canadian Olympic Team’s podium success and to advance the Olympic values in Canada.
Mussell Savage was raised in both Chilliwack and in the urban setting of Vancouver. She has Sqwá First Nation (Stó:lō/Pelolxw) ancestry and was a dedicated athlete for a number of years. In 2005, Lara was awarded Canada’s National Tom Longboat Award for Female Indigenous Athlete of the Year and has competed in four World Championships in the sport of ultimate, winning 2 gold and 2 bronze medals. Academically, she graduated as a Wesbrook Scholar from UBC with BKin in Sport Management and completed her MBA at Simon Fraser University.
Her career has featured prominent management roles with the Air Canada PGA Toiur Championship, BC Sports Hall of Fame & Museum, and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). Lara was one of five experts invited to join the BC 2030 Feasibility Team with the Four Host First Nations to explore an Indigenous-led bid to host the 2030 Winter Games.
