Alpine Canada Alpin today named Ken Read the organization's new president and equipped the former alpine skiing great with a strong mandate to again lead Canada to international greatness.
“Ken Read is a winner, an established leader, and a Canadian ski racing legend with proven business acumen,” said board chairman Renaud Beauchesne. “Our action today demonstrates firm intent to win World Cups, to deliver Olympic success, and to rekindle the passionate enthusiasm for ski racing Canadians have enjoyed in the past.”
Read, a member of the legendary, highly successful Crazy Canuck men's team in the 1970s, was selected to the country's top skiing position after an extensive national and international search.
“Canadians deserve international and Olympic success, and our athletes deserve the financial, coaching, and support resources necessary to become the best in the world,” said Mr. Read, a bilingual, 46-year-old Calgarian who at age 20 became the youngest ever athlete to win a World Cup.
“The foundation for greatness exists within our national team athletes, the passionate dedication shown every winter weekend by thousands of young racers competing from coast to coast, and the financial commitment of corporate sponsors,” added Mr. Read. “Alpine Canada Alpin must build on the existing foundation and excel in all that we do, so our athletes have the resources to focus on winning.”
Mr. Read, winner of five downhills, 14 World Cup medals, and a two-time Olympian, earned a university economics degree and built a successful national event management company since retiring from ski racing. His charity work has raised more than $2.8 million.
He has been a member of the Canadian Olympic Association since 1981 and has served in several capacities, including as Chef de Mission for the 1992 Olympic Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain.
A two-time winner as Canada's male athlete of the year, a member of the Order of Canada and an inductee to the Canada Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Ski Museum, this past April he was honoured with the Bruce Kidd Award for his lifetime commitment to athlete leadership. Read is also a member of the International Ski Federation (FIS) Alpine Executive Board, the governing committee for the sport of alpine ski racing.
“We wanted a president with a passion for ski racing, a commitment to athletic excellence and we've got that in Ken Read,” said Beauchesne. “Today, the resurgence of Canadian ski racing was propelled forward.”
Read has lived in Calgary since 1968, where he resides with his wife Lynda, also an alumnus of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, and their three sons Erik, Kevyn and Jeffrey, who also have become keen skiers. “It's been almost 20 years since I retired from this team and I'm excited to be back working with such a young and talented group of racers,” said Read.
Alpine Canada Alpin is the governing body for ski racing in Canada. ACA manages the Canadian Alpine Ski Team and helps fuel a number of race programs, including the Pontiac GMC Cup Series, the Nor-Am Cup series, FIS races in Canada and the FIS World Cup which features the best alpine racers in the world.
Ken Read
Biography
Canadian Alpine Ski Team
10-year member of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team (1973 to 1983)
KEN READ TO LEAD ACA
