VICTORIA— Olympian Andrew Yorke has been selected by his peer group to help shape the future of the Triathlon Canada Nation as a new member of the national sport body’s Board of Directors.
The 2016 Olympian officially began serving his first four-year term following the organization’s Annual General Meeting on the weekend.
Yorke officially retired from triathlon after representing Canada at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio, the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in addition to multiple World Championship, World Triathlon Series and World Cup events.
“I’m very excited to be joining Triathlon Canada’s Board of Directors. I understand from personal experience competing on Canada’s national and Olympic Teams that we have lacked a strong connection between athletes and the Board at Triathlon Canada,” said Yorke.
“My ultimate goal is to help close the gap between the athlete community and leadership to create a more cohesive partnership that takes into account the challenges athletes face in an effort to properly support them in their pursuit of world class performances.”
Skillled in coaching, athletics, event management, and public speaking, the 32-year-old Caledon, Ontario resident has also been a community leader over the last four years as a member of the Ontario Provincial Police.
Yorke will take over from his Olympic teammate, Quebec City’s Sarah-Anne Brault, who was the lead athlete voice on the Board for the last four years.
“Sarah-Anne did an incredible job of ensuring the Athlete Director has a say, and I look forward to building on that moving forward,” said Yorke. “My focus will start and end with the athletes. High-performance sport is challenging enough so my goal is to help create an environment that enables athletes to deliver optimal performances. I’ve experienced the ups and downs of this organization and I believe strong leadership, and stability, will be essential if we truly want to achieve our performance goals in 2024.”
To be considered for the Athlete Director position, candidates must have been on the high-performance National Team for Triathlon Canada, retired from active competition in any ITU elite triathlon or Para-triathlon for a 12-month period, not be an active ICC card holder, and be available to meet the responsibilities of the position including attending five Board meetings per year along with the Annual General Meeting,
Athlete Director Yorke joins a group of four other professionals who were elected to serve on Triathlon Canada’s Board of Directors at the oragnization’s Annual General Meeting on Saturday.
Shawn Rempel (Saskatchewan) was re-elected for another three-year term. The Triathlon Canada Nation also welcomed Ontario’s John Yip who will serve his first three-year term, as well as Dominique Gregoire (Alberta) who was elected for a two-year term and Joy Weismiller (British Columbia) who will serve a one-year term on the Board.
The first official meeting for the new-look Board of Directors led by President Peter McCrory will take place, October 15, 2021.
Triathlon Canada is the governing body of the sport in the country. Triathlon Canada’s more than 22,000 members include athletes, coaches and officials from the grassroots to elite levels. With the support of its valued corporate partners – 94 FORWARD, 2XU Canada, Training Peaks, Subaru Canada – along with the City of Victoria, Government of Canada, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, and Own the Podium, Triathlon Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic and World Champions in all race disciplines. For more information on Triathlon Canada, please visit us at www.triathloncanada.com.