Robert Steadward
Robert Daniel Steadward, (born May 26, 1946) is a Canadian retired sports administrator, professor, sports scientist, and author. Steadward helped organize the first Canadian wheelchair sport national championships in 1968, and later coached Canada in wheelchair basketball at the Summer Paralympics. He became a professor at the University of Alberta in 1971, later served as chairman of the Department of Athletics, and published more than 150 papers about disability sport. He was the founding president of the Alberta Wheelchair Sports Association in 1971, founded the Research and Training Centre for Athletes with Disabilities in 1978, served as president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee from 1984 to 1990, and later became a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee. Steadward became the first president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in 1989, after a successful campaign to consolidate international disability sport organizations. He signed a memorandum of understanding with Juan Antonio Samaranch of the International Olympic Committee during the 2000 Summer Olympics which united the Paralympic movement with the Olympic Games movement, and saw one city host both events. During his tenure as president of the IPC, the organization grew from 37 to 172 national federations, and the Paralympic Games grew in popularity. The Commonwealth Games subsequently integrated disabled sports into its program, as a result of his efforts. His career has been recognized with the Order of Canada, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, and the Alberta Order of Excellence. He has also been inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame, and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Early life and education Steadward was born on May 26, 1946, in Eston, Saskatchewan. His parents Danny and Irene encouraged their children to be active participants in the community. As a youth, he enjoyed ice hockey, baseball, track and field, and riding horses. He graduated from Luther College High School in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1964. Steadward initially studied dentistry at the University of Alberta but abandoned that career path. After a few years of not attending school, he returned to the University of Alberta and earned a Bachelor of Physical Education in 1967. While working as an intern with disabled athletes, he chose to volunteer in Paralympic sport and work with its athletes. He completed a Master's degree in physical education science and then a Doctorate at the University of Oregon, during which he was a member of the Epsilon-Alpha chapter in the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Canadian disabled sports Steadward became involved in disabled sports in Edmonton during the 1960s while he was a student. He coached a wheelchair basketball club called the Edmonton Handicaddies; and along with Gary McPherson, he helped organize the first Canadian wheelchair sport national championships, hosted at the University of Alberta in 1968. After realizing there was lack of funds allocated to disabled sports, he decided to become more involved. He coached for the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) from 1966 to 1976, in swimming, wheelchair basketball, and track and field. He