David Dore (August 9, 1940 – April 8, 2016) was a Canadian

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympi ...

competitor and official. He won the 1964 Canadian national title in

four skating Four skating is a figure skating and artistic roller skating discipline. Fours teams consist of two women and two men. The sport is similar to pair skating, with elements including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals, and throw jumps, as wel ...

. He later served as

Skate Canada Skate Canada (Canadian French: ''Patinage Canada'', lit. "Skating Canada") is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, recognized by the International Skating Union and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It organizes the annual C ...

's president and director general and as vice-president of the

International Skating Union The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international sport governing body, governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded ...

Personal life

Dore was born on August 9, 1940, in

East York East York is a district and former municipality within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From 1967 to 1998, it was officially the Borough of East York, a borough within the upper-tier municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. The borough was dissolved ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. He nearly died from

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

at the age of 12 and had to regain his ability to walk. He and his wife had two children, Paul and Chris. He died in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

on April 8, 2016.

Career

Having started skating as therapy after a bout of polio, Dore was coached first by Wallace Diestelmeyer and then by Sheldon Galbraith. In 1964, he became a Canadian national champion in

with Bonnie Anderson, Laura Maybee, and Greg Folk. After retiring from competition, he became a judge and served at seven

World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships are an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). The first World Championships were held in 1896 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and they have been held e ...

and the

1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian language, Serbo-Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: ; ) and commonly known as Sarajevo '84 (Serbian Cy ...

. Dore became a director of the

Canadian Figure Skating Association Skate Canada (Canadian French: ''Patinage Canada'', lit. "Skating Canada") is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, recognized by the International Skating Union and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It organizes the annual ...

(now known as

) in 1972. He became the CFSA's youngest President in 1980 and served in the role until 1984. From 1984 to 2002, he served as CFSA/Skate Canada Director General. He stepped down on January 31, 2002. During his tenure, he developed the National Team program, created the Athlete Trust, developed marketing and television concepts, and staged three

. Under his leadership, Canadian skaters won more Olympic and world medals than during any other time. In 2002, he was elected as the 1st Vice President Figure Skating of the

. He was the first Canadian to serve in the role. Dore was one of the most decorated administrators and volunteers in Canadian sport. In 2002, he received the International Olympic Committee's highest honour, the Olympic Order. In 2008, he was inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame and into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Career

References

Further reading