From Ultimate to Olympic: First Nations sporting legend Lara Mussell joins Canadian Olympic Committee
Exceptional athlete and former Sqwá First Nation chief one of two new members on COC
It's fitting that former Sqwá First Nation chief Lara Mussell Savage excelled at a sport renowned for eschewing refereeing and relying on the sportsmanship of players is now on the Canadian board of directors focused on the global games founded on the spirit of respect and fair play.
Mussell is one of two new members named to the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced last week.
A leader in sport administration and Indigenous sport development, it was 20 years ago in 2005 when Mussell was awarded Canada’s National Tom Longboat Award for Female Indigenous Athlete of the Year for her stellar performances in the sport of ultimate.
She competed in four world championships in the sport, winning two golds and two bronze medals. Mussell was inducted into the Chilliwack Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 and into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame 2024 for her achievements in, and contribution to, sport.
The new COC announced on April 27, 2025, includes four-time Olympian and Olympic rowing silver medallist Tricia Smith who was unanimously re-elected as president, four returning members, and two new ones, Chilliwack's Mussell and Tim Powers from Newfoundland.
Mussell brings a unique blend of experience and perspective to the COC. She was a member of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) for five years where she worked with the Four Host First Nations to achieve unprecedented Indigenous participation. Mussell was also one of five subject matter experts engaged in the Indigenous-led 2030 Olympic and Paralympic feasibility and bid initiative with the COC and Four Host Nations. She also served as Team BC’s Chef de Mission for the 2014 and 2017 North American Indigenous Games.
Mussell has dedicated her career to fostering positive change through sport. As Executive Director, Sport for I·SPARC (Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council), she is deeply committed to advancing sport’s role in reconciliation in Canada.
She also has extensive governance experience, including nearly 10 years on her Sqwá First Nation council, including three as chief from 2020 to 2023 and is a long-standing trustee with the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
-30-
Paul J. Henderson
pauljhenderson@gmail.com
facebook.com/PaulJHendersonJournalist
instagram.com/wordsarehard_pjh
x.com/PeeJayAitch
wordsarehard-pjh.bsky.social