Honorary degree citation - Richard Pound
By: Robert Kilgour, June 2010
Mr. Chancellor, it is my honour to present to you Mr. Richard W. Pound, founding chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency and former vice president of the International Olympic Committee.
Citius, altius, fortius, or swifter, higher and stronger is the motto which guides Olympic athletes as they rise to meet seemingly insurmountable challenges.
As a lawyer, athlete, author, volunteer, the voice for ethical standards in amateur and professional sports, and a university leader, Richard Pound knows a thing or two about hard work and determination. He has lived and breathed the Olympic motto throughout his career, bringing his characteristic wit and an uncommon integrity to all he does. No one more aptly defines a diversity of talent and enterprise as Richard Pound.
A consummate mediator and arbitrator, he led the Olympics through difficult financial times. He has been active in virtually all aspects of the games, including leading television negotiations, marketing and sponsorships, and serving as secretary general and president of the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An accomplished athlete himself, Mr. Pound was a competitor in the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago, a double Olympic finalist at the 1960 Rome Games and a medallist at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia, winning one gold, two silver, and a bronze. He is a member of the Canadian Swimming Hall of Fame and was a nationally ranked squash player in singles and doubles.
M. Pound a obtenu en 1963 un baccalauréat ès arts de la Sir George Williams University, où il a figuré sur la Liste d’honneur du doyen. Il est également diplômé en commerce et en droit civil de l’Université McGill, dont il a été chancelier pendant dix ans, de 1999 à 2009.
Attaché à ses racines, Richard W. Pound est professeur associé au Département des sciences de l’exercice et président du cabinet de la campagne Loisirs et sports de l’Université Concordia. Il y a quelques mois seulement, il assistait d’ailleurs à l’inauguration du Dôme des Stingers, au campus Loyola, aux côtés de la rectrice de l’Université, Mme Judith Woodsworth.
In recognition of his ongoing contributions, the Concordia Exercise Science Student Association initiated the Richard W. Pound Award for a graduating student who exemplifies his principles of integrity, leadership and community service.
Mr. Pound’s prolific writing expresses a wide range of interests, from authoritative works on the Olympic movement, tax law, and the history of a law firm to, more recently, a biography of a surgeon, and a nonfiction work about a highly publicized Canadian criminal case.
In recognition of his many accomplishments, Time Magazine selected him as one of the 100 most influential people of 2005. In 2008 he was awarded the Laureus “Spirit of Sport” Prize for his work as head of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
He is Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the Canadian Grenadier Guards, an Officer of the Order of Canada and l’Ordre national du Québec and was the 2009 recipient of the Ernest T. Steward Award for Alumni Volunteer Involvement from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. This year, Mr Pound received the Foundation for Global Sports Development’s Humanitarian Award. He is a Fellow of the Order of Chartered Accountants of Quebec and a member of the bar in Quebec and Ontario.
There is much we can learn from Mr. Pound’s tireless fight against doping in sport. No one person has made a greater impact on the integrity of amateur sport in the world. He did not take the easy road; he persevered in the face of adversity. He stood up for what he believed in.
Mr. Pound continues to serve as the advocate and flag-bearer for the rights of Olympians worldwide to be able to participate in a drug-free environment. He is renowned for his strength of character as well as his ethical and moral standards. Mr. Pound is the ultimate role model for athletes and students alike.
Mr. Chancellor, on behalf of Senate and the Board of Governors, it is my privilege and honour to present to you Richard W. Pound so that you may confer upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.
