North America’s first Olympic Museum opened in Richmond this month, and Special Olympics BC – Surrey athlete Marc Theriault and the Special Olympics movement are included among the exciting displays.
The Richmond Olympic Experience (ROX) at the Richmond Olympic Oval is the first member of the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Museums Network to be located in North America.
According to therox.ca, the museum is a “highly interactive and dynamic visitor experience [that] features interactive media, hands-on sporting simulations and displays – all of which provide the visitor with the experience of what it’s like to achieve a dream, becoming a hero to millions around the globe.”
Among the ROX’s displays is a tribute to the achievements of SOBC – Surrey athlete Theriault, as well as memorabilia from the Special Olympics Canada 2014 Summer Games held in Vancouver and Richmond, and background on the Special Olympics movement changing lives through the power of sport.
Theriault, an Athlete Inductee into the SOBC Hall of Fame, provided commemorative materials to the museum to help illustrate his story, including his uniforms, skating outfit, skates, and cleats from his appearances at the 1999 Special Olympics World Games in softball, the 2001 World Games in figure skating, and the 2007 World Games in soccer.
The museum’s display salutes Theriault as the first Special Olympics BC athlete to win gold medals at four World Games in three different sports. As a Special Olympics athlete since 1995, Theriault has competed with dedication and excellence in a wide range of sports including figure skating, softball, soccer, bowling, curling, and athletics. He was inducted into the SOBC Hall of Fame in 2008, and he is currently training to compete in his ninth Special Olympics Canada Games as a Team BC 2016 figure skater.
Theriault was invited to be part of the museum’s official opening on November 20 at the Richmond Oval.
“There were 36 Olympic and Paralympic athletes in attendance for the event, including one Olympic athlete who attended the 1948 Games,” Theriault’s mother Karen reported. “Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Organizing Committee CEO John Furlong was the event’s keynote speaker. There were municipal, provincial, and federal ministers in attendance and they all spoke at the event.”
The figure skating displays include artifacts from the likes of Canadian Olympic and world champions Jamie Sale and David Pelletier (pairs) and Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (dance), and Olympic singles medallists Patrick Chan and Joannie Rochette.
The ROX opened to the public on November 28.