Calgary '88 Olympic Games leader Bob Niven dead at 80
One of the men who brought the Winter Olympic Games to Calgary in 1988 has died.
Bob Niven, who was president of the bid committee, died May 26 at the age of 80.
Niven was vice-chair of the organizing committee and served as mayor of the Olympic Village during the Games.
Canada Olympic Park named its high-performance training facility in his honour.
The legacy facilities from the 1988 Winter Games gave athletes a place to train and compete and helped make Canada a strong winter sport country.
Niven's obituary states he died of corticobasal degeneration, which is a rare progressive, degenerative neurological disease that primarily affects speech, motor function and balance.
According to his obituary, Niven was born Aug. 16, 1942, in Maryport, England. His father, Robert H. Niven, was a Canadian pilot serving in the Royal Air Force who was killed in action three months before Niven was born.
Niven travelled to Canada with his mother, Andrea, in 1946. On the voyage his mother met Canadian military surgeon Max Cameron. They married and the family settled in Calgary.
Niven spent 45 years working in the oil and gas industry after completing a master's degree in mechanical engineering at the University of British Columbia in 1957.
He spent 12 years volunteering for the Calgary Olympics as bid committee chair and vice-president of the organizing committee.
He also served as the chairman of the Calgary Olympic Development Association (now Winsport), which provides training for Olympic athletes and maintains the 1988 facilities.
Niven was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
BREAKING Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canadian Blood Services issued an apology on Friday to the LGBTQ2S+ community for what it now admits was a harmful and discriminatory blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma.
BREAKING Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city, marking the first franchise in Canada
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.