Federal Sports Minister Jacques Olivier, left, presents a cheque to chairman of the Calgary Olympic Development Association Bob Niven at a ceremony in Calgary on March 30, 1984. Niven, who was president of the bid committee for the 1988 Calgary Winter Games, died May 26 at the age of 80. Niven was vice-chair of the organizing committee and served as mayor of the Olympic village during the Games. Canada Olympic Park named its high-performance training facility in his honour. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Pat Price
CALGARY – One of the men who brought the Winter Olympic Games to Calgary in 1988 has died.
Bob Niven, who was president of the bid committee, died May 26 at the age of 80.
Niven was vice-chair of the organizing committee and served as mayor of the Olympic village during the Games.
Canada Olympic Park named its high-performance training facility in his honour.
The legacy facilities from the 1988 Winter Games gave athletes a place to train and compete and helped make Canada a strong winter sport country.
Niven’s obituary states he died of corticobasal degeneration, which is a rare progressive, degenerative neurological disease that primarily affects speech, motor function and balance.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2023.
