Ottawa Sports activities Corridor of Fame trying to find a brand new house

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When Carol Anne Chénard was chosen because the 2023 inductee for the Ottawa Sport Corridor of Fame, she mentioned it was an actual honour to be chosen and develop into part of the Corridor of Fame household.

Not solely a famend soccer referee who climbed the ranks to participate in a number of FIFA Ladies’s World Cups, but in addition a former short-track speedskater who co-owned a world report within the 3,000 metres, Chénard would eternally be linked to different space sporting greats like Nationwide Hockey League star Steve Yzerman and Olympic silver medal-winning determine skater Elizabeth Manley.

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However when Chénard walked via Ottawa Metropolis Corridor — the longtime house of the Corridor of Fame — simply months after the induction ceremony, she discovered that the plaques and exhibit had been gone.

The Metropolis of Ottawa Archives formally closed the Ottawa Sport Corridor of Fame on Nov. 30, though the shows had began coming down in late October.

“Being concerned in sport, we’re not usually fascinated about a lot of these awards, however, after they come round, it truly is an actual honour,” Chénard mentioned. “That recognition means one thing to individuals who have been acknowledged, their households, their coaches, and individuals who supported them, and I feel that’s essential.”

Chénard mentioned changing into part of the native sports activities scene since childhood has helped develop a “giving again to the neighborhood mentality” and supplied her with a chance to suppose again on her profession as an athlete and a referee.

The Ottawa Sport Corridor of Fame had featured 275 plaques of inductees at Metropolis Corridor since 2013.

Dave Finest, the chair of the Corridor of Fame, mentioned he obtained discover from the Metropolis of Ottawa Archives in September that town deliberate to make modifications to the exhibition house — with new shows having nothing to do with sports activities.

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Now Corridor of Fame board members are discussing future alternate options.

“We’ve been saying it’s all redone, it’s going digital,” Finest mentioned. “The bodily show will go someplace, however we’re unsure but the place.”

Paul Henry, who works as Metropolis of Ottawa archivist, mentioned the employees determined to shut the sports activities exhibition because of “considerably declining viewership.” Workers plan to maintain an Ottawa Sport Corridor of Fame digitized show within the exhibit house to advertise the “wealthy” sports activities historical past within the metropolis, he added.

“This new show will showcase all of the inductees to the Ottawa Sport Corridor of Fame and can open within the spring of 2024,” Henry mentioned.

Finest mentioned town shared its plans with him to have a digital show of the inductees on one “massive” display. Within the meantime, town is storing sports activities artifacts and inductee plaques till spring, Finest added, whereas the Ottawa Sport Corridor of Fame figures out what to do with inductee plaques and to search for different areas.

Chénard mentioned it might be a disgrace if the Ottawa Sport Corridor of Fame closed completely given the significance of acknowledging town’s sporting historical past.

“I feel this is a chance to reinvent the exhibit,” she mentioned. “Like expertise, there are new methods of doing issues and altering how issues are offered to maintain viewers and produce new viewership.”

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