JENNIFER WONG RECEIVES THE COMMONWEALTH SPORT CANADA SPORT DEVELOPMENT AWARD

Commonwealth Sport Canada (CSC) is proud to announce that Jennifer Wong (Barrie, ON) has received the organization’s Sport Development Award, in recognition of her exemplary work as a SportWORKS Officer. This Award recognizes the exceptional contributions during an international placement with CSC and is presented to a SportWORKS Officer who has made a significant contribution to the development of sport.

Jennifer was named a SportWORKS Officer in 2008 and assigned to work with Trinidad & Tobago’s Alliance for Sport and Physical Education, where she was the Inclusive Development Officer.  There, she was responsible for the expansion of inclusive community sport programmes across the Caribbean. This included the organization of inclusive training sessions for physical education teachers and the activation and registration of the local National Paralympic Committee. She went on to represent Trinidad & Tobago's NPC at their first participation in the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) Annual General Meeting in 2009.

Andre Collins, the Co-Founder and Director of the Caribbean Sport Development Agency in Trinidad and Tobago was a mentor to Jennifer during her SportWORKS placement. “I remember Jennie taking on the mantle of sports with a disability”, he said. “She didn’t take long to zone in; we were loosely organized and Jennie worked very hard to formalize our National Paralympic Committee which was eventually recognized by the International Paralympic Committee. I credit Jennie for the success in this taking place, her energy and efforts were very significant in our being recognized by the IPC.”

Jennifer recently joined Loughborough University to manage the Global Disability Innovation Hub's project - Overcoming Stigma though Paralympic Sport. This four-year project is part of a wider programme focused on Assistive Technology funded through the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Jennifer was previously the senior program development manager for the Agitos Foundation, the International Paralympic Committee’s development arm, where she built the foundation for I'mPOSSIBLE - the Paralympic Movement's school based education programme. She was also involved in project management in the area of sport and physical education policy for UNESCO's fifth World Sports Ministers conference in 2013.

Jennifer continues to demonstrate her commitment to the Commonwealth through her work with the CGF’s Sport Development For Youth Working Group, where she was a founding member, advocating for the youth voice in sport policy across the Commonwealth. She is currently working on a new collaborative project for the CGF in Africa.

“Jennie continues to make a huge difference in the advancement of inclusion and opportunities for athletes with a disability”, said Richard Powers, President of Commonwealth Sport Canada. “Her actions demonstrate her commitment to the growth and equalling the playing field within the Para sport movement globally. She has been able to create an impact and is definitely making a difference; congratulations on this very well deserved award Jennie.”

Jennifer has an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from the Western University in Canada and Masters degree in Adapted Physical Activity from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium.

The Canadian Commonwealth Sport Awards were announced during CSC’s Annual General Meeting, which was held on September 20^th, 2020. 

For more information:
Commonwealth Sport Canada
Brian MacPherson
Chief Executive Officer
613.244.6868 x 4
brian@commonwealthsport.ca