Government of Canada recognizes the national historic significance of Ethel Catherwood
News release
Catherwood was a world-class track and field star who helped improve athletic opportunities for women in international competitions
October 23, 2023 Gatineau, Quebec Parks Canada
Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced the designation of Ethel Catherwood as a person of national historic significance under Parks Canada’s National Program of Historical Commemoration. National historic designations encourage us to acknowledge the full scope of our history, including both the triumphs and the struggles that helped define Canada, and help us reflect on how to build a more inclusive society for present and future generations.
Born in 1908, Catherwood spent her childhood in Scott, Saskatchewan. It was in Scott where she honed her versatile athletic skills in many sports, most notably track and field. Her father even built a high-jumping pit in their backyard to support her passion. Throughout her teen years, Catherwood trained hard and excelled in high jump and javelin throw at competitions, breaking national and world records.
Thanks to the efforts of women’s sporting organizations, the International Olympic Committee reluctantly agreed to include five women’s track and field events at the 1928 Olympic Games on a trial basis. The future of women in the Olympic Games rested on the women’s athletic performances. Catherwood made the Canadian Olympic track and field team with Jane Bell, Myrtle Cook, Bobbie Rosenfeld, Ethel Smith, and Jean Thompson who together became known as the Matchless Six. Catherwood won gold in the high jump and is the only Canadian woman to have won gold in an Olympic individual track and field event during the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st century.
After returning from the Games, Catherwood won titles in the high jump and javelin throw in 1930 before retiring from sports. It is well documented that she sought to lead a more private life. Sportswriters described her high-jumping athleticism, yet, given intense sexism in sports, focused on her beauty and judged her personal life, which were some of the reasons why she retreated from public life.
The Government of Canada, through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizes significant persons, places, and events that have shaped Canada. Sharing these stories helps foster understanding and reflection on the diverse histories, cultures, legacies, and realities of Canada’s past and present.
The designation process under Parks Canada’s National Program of Historical Commemoration is largely driven by public nominations. To date, more than 2,240 designations have been made nationwide. To nominate a person, place or historic event in your community, please visit the Parks Canada website for more information: https://parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/proposer-nominate.
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Quotes
“It is an honour to officially recognize the national historic significance of Ethel Catherwood, her outstanding athletic talent, and her resounding impact on the ability for women to compete in sport, both in Canada and on the world stage. Stories like hers demonstrate the unique contributions and experiences that women have made and continue to make to the development of Canada. By commemorating the national historic significance of individuals like Ethel Catherwood, we help to share these stories and hope to foster better understanding of the various lived experiences of people in Canada throughout time.”
The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada
“Ethel Catherwood is a remarkable Canadian who earned a gold medal at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, the first Olympic Games where women competed in track and field.”
Vera Pezer
Proponent of the nomination
“Through her athletic skills and determination, Ethel Catherwood forever changed the world of sport. Alongside her teammates, the Matchless Six, and as the only Canadian woman to win gold in an Olympic individual track and field event during the 20th century and first quarter of the 21st, she helped make track and field sports more inclusive for women athletes. As an athlete and a woman with a disability, I’m excited to see Ethel’s legacy recognized through this national historic designation.”
The Honourable Carla Qualtrough
Minister of Sport and Physical Activity
Quick facts
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Ethel Catherwood’s athletic feats have been commemorated in many ways throughout the years. In 1966, Canada Post issued a commemorative stamp depicting her epic jump. She was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1949 and the Canadian, Saskatchewan, and Saskatoon Halls of Fame in 1955, 1966, and 1986, respectively.
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Catherwood`s impressive athletic career was marked by the rampant sexism towards women in sport. Known as the “Saskatoon Lily,” she was the most photographed athlete of the 1928 Games. The way she was treated by the media is an example of the sexist treatment and unwanted attention many female athletes endure.
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October is Women’s History Month in Canada, a time to celebrate the women and girls from our past, and our present, who are contributing to a better, more inclusive Canada.
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Created in 1919, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada advises the Minister of Environment and Climate Change regarding the national significance of persons, places, and events that have marked Canada’s history. Together with Parks Canada, the Board ensures that subjects of national historic significance are recognized under Parks Canada’s National Program of Historical Commemoration and these important stories are shared with Canadians.
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Parks Canada is committed to working with Canadians in our efforts to tell broader, more inclusive stories in the places that it manages. In support of this goal, the Framework for History and Commemoration outlines a comprehensive, and engaging approach to sharing Canada’s history through diverse perspectives, including shedding light on tragic and difficult periods of Canada’s past.
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Contacts
Kaitlin Power
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
819-230-1557
kaitlin.power@ec.gc.ca
Media Relations
Parks Canada
1-855-862-1812
pc.media@pc.gc.ca
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