A self-described sports enthusiast. Two-time Canadian Olympic sprinter. Visionary leader. Influential sports constructor.
Peter Ogilvie, who wanted unknown track and field athletes to realize a dream and compete against the best in the world, died of cancer last week. He was 52 years old.
The Vancouver-born athlete competed in the 200 meters at the 1992 (Barcelona) and 1996 (Atlanta) Olympic Games. Ogilvie won a silver medal in the 4x100m relay at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana and gold in that event three years later at the 1994 Jeux de la Francophonie in Paris.
He also represented Canada at the World Junior Championships, World Championships, Junior Pan American Championships and the Commonwealth Games.
Off the track, Ogilvie was a businessman involved in many aspects of the sport.
He was CEO of Athletics Alberta for over 10 years and organized major events in Edmonton, including the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Selection Trials.
The driving force behind TrackTown Canada, he created the annual TrackTown Basic in Edmonton's Foote area, one of the first meetings of what is now known as the Nationwide Monitor and Area Tour.
For the 2015 TrackTown Basic, Ogilvie turned heads when he landed American sprint star Allyson Felix, who had won 16 medals, including 12 gold, at three Summer Olympics and five World Championships. outdoor world.
Brian Torrance, executive director of Ever Energetic Faculties in Alberta, described Ogilvie as a kind and caring person in an article published Tuesday evening on X.
Edmonton meets as part of the Continental Tour
“Peter has made a great contribution to sport and tourism in [Edmonton]. He remained incredibly positive in his battle with cancer,” Torrance wrote of Ogilvie, a member of the City of Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame.
Thanks in part to Ogilvie's efforts, Canadian athletes have the opportunity to compete at home as they strive to qualify for major international events.
The Edmonton Athletics Invitational is one of the few Canadian competitions included in the continental world athletics tour.
Ogilvie also helped organize the first Amalgamated Canadian Track and Field Championships, which combined youth, senior and para-athletics sports into one event.
Beyond athletics, Ogilvie served as interim CEO of Tennis Alberta in 2018.
“Peter is a dedicated and proven sports leader who strives to find solutions to develop, promote and improve sports programming,” Tennis Alberta President Daniel Skepple said at the time.
Kris Mychasiw, a Canadian sports marketing and sponsorship consultant, also took to social media on Tuesday and recalled his discussions with Ogilvie.
“The best conversations weren’t the ones we had in front of a crowd,” Mychasiw said, “but the ones we shared afterward.”
Ogilvie, who lived in North Vancouver, British Columbia, leaves behind his wife Cathy and son Noah.
“Internet fanatic. Web ninja. Social media trailblazer. Devoted thinker. Friend of animals everywhere.”