Robert Hargan Storey (born December 3, 1942) is a
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
bobsled
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of 2 to 4 athletes make timed speed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobs ...
der who competed from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s who later became a businessman and chairman of two communication companies in Canada. Storey served as fourth president of the
Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing
The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) is the international sports federation for the sliding sports of Bobsleigh and Skeleton. It was founded on 23 November 1923 by the delegates of Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Canada, ...
(FIBT – International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation) from 1994 to 2010, and was instrumental in
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
being awarded the
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...
. He went on to marry Catherine Storey and they had three children.
Bobsleigh career
A native of
Collingwood, Ontario
Collingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay. Collingwood is well known as a tourist destination, for its skiing in the winter, and limestone caves along the Nia ...
, Storey got into
bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of 2 to 4 athletes make timed speed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobslei ...
in the mid-1960s. He first became known when was part of the Canadian four-man team who crashed on the
bobsleigh track at
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, Essex County, New York (state), New York, United States. In 2020, its population was 2,205.
The village of Lake Placid ...
, in the United States in February 1966 that took the life of Italian-born, Canadian-emigrated
Sergio Zardini
Sergio Zardini (22 November 1931 – 22 February 1966) was an Italian bobsledder who competed from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s. He won the silver medal in the two-man event at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. He was bor ...
and severely injured fellow bobsledder
Michael Young Michael Young may refer to:
Academics
* Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington (1915–2002), British life peer, sociologist and social activist
* Michael Young (educationalist), British educational theorist and sociologist
* Michael K. Youn ...
. Competing in two Winter Olympic games, Storey earned his best finish of 14th in the two-man event at
Sapporo
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...
in
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
. He became a coach for the Canadian bobsleigh team for the
1976 Winter Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (, ) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 (), were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from February 4 to 15, 1976. The games were awarded to Inn ...
in
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
, earning their best finish of 17th in the four-man event. From 1976 to 1994, he served as president of
Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton twice.
[Canoe.ca 1998 article on Storey – accessed April 12, 2008.] In 1984, Storey was elected to serve as Vice President of FIBT and became FIBT President in 1994, a position served until 2010 when he was defeated 22–20 for a fifth term by former Italian bobsledder
Ivo Ferriani
Ivo Ferriani (born 5 March 1960) is an Italian sports official and bobsledder. In September 2010, he was elected president of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT), ending the 16-year presidency of Canada's Robert ...
.
[Sportaccord.com profile of Storey.]
– accessed April 12, 2008. Besides being FIBT President, Storey served on the
Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations
The Winter Olympic Federations (WOF), formerly Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF), is an association of winter sports federations recognized by the International Olympic Committee that compete in the Olympic Win ...
, the
General Association of International Sports Federations
Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) was the umbrella organisation for all (Olympic and non-Olympic) international sports federations as well as organisers of multi-sports games and sport-related international associatio ...
, the
Canadian Olympic Committee
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC; ), also known as Team Canada, is a private nonprofit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee. It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization.
History
Cana ...
, and served on the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
(IOC) Sport and the Environment Committee.
[Businessweek.com profile of Storey]
– accessed April 13, 2008. In bidding for the
2010 Winter Games
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...
in Vancouver, he served as Chief International Strategist for which Vancouver was awarded in July 2003.
Storey served on the Coordination Commission for the
2012 Winter Youth Olympics
The 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games (), officially known as the I Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), were an international multi-sport event for youths that took place in Innsbruck, Austria, on 13–22 January 2012. They were the inaugural Wint ...
in
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
, a commission chaired by
International Ski Federation
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation, also known as FIS (), is the highest international governing body for skiing and snowboarding. It was previously known as the International Ski Federation () until 26 May 2022 when the name was cha ...
(FIS) President
Gian Franco Kasper and includes
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 ...
President
Ottavio Cinquanta
Ottavio Cinquanta (15 August 1938 – 18 July 2022) was the president of the International Skating Union and a member of the International Olympic Committee. He held the ISU position from 1994 to 2016 and the IOC position since 1996. In 2000 he ...
and fellow Canadian
Beckie Scott, the first North American woman to medal in cross country skiing at the Winter Olympics.
Business career
After retiring from competitive
bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of 2 to 4 athletes make timed speed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobslei ...
in the early 1970s, Storey became involved in the communication and broadcasting business in Canada. During his broadcasting career, he founded South Fraser Broadcasting Limited, and later served as president of Teraca Communications.
Storey was later a consultant for Masabe and Company.
In 2005, he joined the Board of Directors for the
Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. which is headquartered in Toronto.
Canadian Standard Radio (now XM Radio Canada) profile of Storey.
– accessed April 13, 2008. Storey also serves on several boards of directors for broadcasting companies both in Canada and in the United States. He was able to parlay his broadcasting success into increased television and later internet coverage for the FIBT.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Storey, Robert H.
1942 births
Living people
Canadian male bobsledders
Bobsledders at the 1968 Winter Olympics
Bobsledders at the 1972 Winter Olympics
Canadian International Olympic Committee members
Canadian radio executives
Canadian referees and umpires
Sportspeople from Collingwood, Ontario
20th-century Canadian sportsmen