Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction Spring 2025
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/29/2025
From the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, held in the summer of 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, where Canada finished 10th overall for total medals with 22, we offer a few items from the personal collection of former press chief and press communications specialist Sylvie Bigras, including a Team Canada opening ceremony jacket, track suit top, long-sleeved shirt, baseball cap and sandals. The opening ceremony jacket was made by Hudson's Bay, with Olympic women's tag to the collar with "L" sizing. There is a Canadian Olympic rings crest to the left breast, Hudson's Bay patch to the right, and Rio 2016 crest to the left sleeve. "Canada" is screened to the reverse with a large heat-pressed maple leaf. The track suit top has a matching tag to the collar as the jacket, with "Canada" across the front, a Canadian Olympic rings crest to the left breast, Hudson's Bay patch to the right, and hollow maple leaves to the sleeves. The white long-sleeved shirt again has a matching tag to the collar as the jacket, with "Canada" across the front, a Canadian Olympic rings crest to the left breast, Hudson's Bay patch to the right, and large red maple leaf over the reverse. The cap has a Hudson's Bay tag with "Canada" embossed over the front, while the sandals have a maple leaf design with "Canada" and "Hudson's Bay". An LOA from Classic Auctions will accompany.
The passion for sports was engrained in Sylvie Bigras from a very young age and being on the court for volleyball and basketball was akin to a second home. A founding member of the inaugural University of Ottawa's women's volleyball program in 1977-78, Bigras was instrumental for that program being recognized as an official varsity team. Giving back to the sport she was always passionate about, she later worked in the Ontario Volleyball Association for athlete development and high performance, and in 1980, was a member of the national silver medal winning team in her last of three years in Garnet and Grey. The players and coaches credit her with being the key factor in establishing the program as an official university team. Since her time at uOttawa, where she earned a Masters in Sport Management, Sylvie has continued to be a builder in Canadian sport. A long-time Executive Director of Volleyball Canada, Bigras was also the Press Chief for the 2008 and 2010 Canadian Olympic Teams as well as for Canada at the Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. She has worked thus far at 16 Olympic Games, 4 Commonwealth Games and 5 Pan American Games, while also working on communications planning for Team Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Bigras is currently a senior communications specialist at the Canadian Olympic Committee and a member of the Board of Governors for Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. Additionally, she has hosted national sport celebrations such as Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies, the Canadian Sport Awards and more, as well as a number of major events including the Nelson Mandela Citizenship Ceremony, and State Dinners for George W. Bush, Vicente Fox Quesada, Prince Charles and other dignitaries.
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