Canada's Olympic chief Carol Anne Letheren diesCanada's sporting community plunged into mourning on Friday over the death of Canadian Olympic Association chief Carol Anne Letheren, who was also a member of the International Olympic Committee.Letheren, 58, died in hospital surrounded by her family after a massive brain aneurysm suffered on Wednesday evening. She was one of Canada's most influential sports executives, but will be remembered for the national trauma she touched off when she stripped Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson of his 100 meters gold medal after he tested positive for drugs at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. Letheren, a former Olympic gymnast, joined the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1990 and became chief executive of the Canadian association four years later. "Her contribution to Olympism and sport was truly exceptional," the IOC said in a statement. Prime Minister Jean Chretien paid tribute to what he said were Letheren's outstanding abilities and achievements. "Her loss is a blow to the Canadian Olympic movement that will be felt for years to come," he said in a statement. |
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