Mayor Jim Watson and Barbara Ann Scott unveil the gallery’s plaque, officially opening the exhibit.
Figure skating champion Barbara Ann Scott cut the ribbon for a City Hall gallery showcasing her life as one of Canada’s most celebrated athletes. The collection of medals, trophies and other memorabilia, she said, has always belonged to Ottawa.
Scott was the sport’s World Champion from 1947 to 1948 and is the only Canadian to win the gold medal for ladies singles figure skating, an award she took home after the 1948 Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Scott’s celebrity soared during her tenure as an international competitor. She was even given the moniker of “Canada’s Sweetheart.” Today, Scott, now 84, returned to her hometown of Ottawa for the exhibit’s opening ceremony and was met by a crowd appreciative of her influence on Canadian sport.
City Hall has reserved a special gallery for items that Scott recently donated to the city, including her Olympic gold medal she passed on in 2011. Visitors can also see her Order of Canada and the key to the city she received from then-mayor Stanley Lewis.
Mayor Jim Watson introduced Scott at the City Hall ceremony and echoed Lewis’s words to Scott upon granting her the high honour – “Today, Ottawa is yours.”
“Ottawa is still yours,” said Watson. “You inspired a nation more than 60 years ago and continue to do so today.”
Scott had been asking Watson to find a home for her life-long collection for some time. “All my life, I felt that the collection belonged to Canada,” she said. “I was privileged and honoured to represent Canada in international competition.”
The pieces at Scott’s “Come Skate with Me” exhibit represent just one third of the total collection. Watson said, in an interview, that the rest of the memorabilia will be featured at the gallery, with pieces rotated in and out periodically. Every year, there will be different items on display at the public gallery.
Now that the ribbon has been cut, the exhibit is open daily, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free.
Scott competed to win Canada international honours but “Ottawa and all these wonderful people made it possible for me to go,” she said, in an interview. “So, it’s Canada’s collection. I never felt it should be anywhere but here.”
“Hopefully, it will make some more athletes want to work hard, and compete, and win for Canada.”
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