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Olympic gold medalist, and former National team member will be coming to Fort McMurray

PHOTO PROVIDED: SURIN AND SOONIAS. WBSHOF INDUCTION DINNER.

Olympic gold medalist Bruny Surin and former Canadian National team men’s volleyball athlete Dallas Soonias will be visiting our community to take part in the 2017 Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame Induction Dinner.

Surin and Soonias will be the two guest speakers for the event on June 22, which is set to take place at the Shell Place grand ballroom.

“When we were searching for a guest speaker, we were looking at a whole bunch of names,” Said Robert Murray, Communications Board Member, WBSHOF. “These two names really ended up standing out because of their path they took to get where they were in the sporting world, the message they are going to be able to speak about is what made them so attractive in coming to Fort McMurray, and getting them for this dinner.”

Both Surin and Soonias had very successful international careers.

Surin was a member of Canada’s 4x100m relay team at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, in which the team won gold. His resume also includes four World Championship titles at the indoor and outdoor track levels.

Soonias played volleyball in just about every top league in the world including playing 13 years for Canada’s national team. After what was a very successful career, Soonias suffered an injury that held him back from playing in the RIO Olympics, and ultimately ended his career when he decided to retire.

“Dallas is a part of the First Nation’s community, and we believe that he will be a great role model for anyone from the First Nation’s community in the Wood Buffalo region who wants to come to this dinner,” Said Murray. “He is going to be able to provide an amazing message.

The Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame will also honor the Class of 2016 inductees after last year’s event was canceled. The 2016 inductees include.

  • Alwyn Piche (Volleyball Athlete)
  • Curtis J Phillips (Local Sports Historian)
  • Lori-Olson Johns (Curler)
  • Ernie Kimball (Special Olympics Advocate)

Tickets for the 2017 Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame Induction dinner will be on sale in the coming days through Eventbrite, but you can find out more information about the tickets, and the event by emailing admin@woodbuffalosports.com