Sport Manitoba – May 1, 2018 – Winnipeg, MB  – In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame opened an historic new exhibit today featuring Manitoba’s athletes and sports teams, or the battalions to which they belonged, during the war. 
 
Using information from the digitized First World War personnel records in concert with archival materials such as badges, medals, articles of clothing and uniforms, and sports equipment, the curators designed Reflections of the Great War: Manitoban Athletes-In-Arms to showcase the incredible efforts of our honoured members and other athletes in the early 20th century. 

• Pink running shorts worn by Tommy Town, a champion long distance runner, in the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.
• WWI military-issue canvas running shoes (over 100 years old)
• 1912 participation medal from the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden of Canada’s first black Olympian, John Armstrong Howard (sprinter)
• Konrad Johannesson, of the Winnipeg Falcon’s, pilot’s license
• WWI khaki shirt and syringe kit used by Grover Glenn Murphy, expert pistol shooter, with the 12^th Canadian Field Ambulance, Canadian Army Medical Corps

“This collection, with some artefacts that are over 100 years old, is truly remarkable,” says Jeff Hnatiuk, President and CEO of Sport Manitoba. “We’re proud to showcase and celebrate Manitoba’s rich sport history with this exhibit with special attention to our athletes and teams who fought in the Great War.”

Many of our athletes fought at the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, and Amiens, and some were awarded the 1915 Star for seeing action so early in the war. Many teams served together on the same unit, including the Allan-Cup-winning hockey teams the 1911-12 Winnipeg Victorias, the 1913 Winnipegs, the 1916 61^st overseas battalion, and members of the Winnipeg Falcons whose surviving members would go on to win the Allan Cup and the Olympic Gold in 1920.

“This has been a fascinating exhibit to build and develop. So many military organizations and their heritage institutions have been so generous with their artefacts and archives, their knowledge and expertise, and their support of the new exhibit. The subject matter of the Great War and the Manitoban athletes who served will attract a new demographic of visitors to the Hall of Fame and we are thrilled to welcome them,” says Rick Brownlee, Sport Manitoba’s Sport Heritage Manager.

The exhibit opens today. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for teens and seniors, and $2 for children 12 and under. 

About

Reflections of the Great War: Manitoban Athletes-In-Arms will be on display at the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, located in the Canada Games Sport for Life Centre at 145 Pacific Avenue, from May 1 – Winter 2019. 
 
The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame’s mandate is to collect, preserve, showcase and celebrate the history and heritage of sport excellence in Manitoba.

Sport Manitoba is a not for profit organization and the lead planning, programming and funding agency for the development of amateur sport in Manitoba. Located in the Canada Games Sport for Life Centre, Sport Manitoba partners with over 100 organizations to deliver sport in our province and is responsible for programs including the Manitoba Games powered by Manitoba Hydro, Coaching Manitoba, Team Manitoba, Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, Fit Kids Healthy Kids, and KidSport. Services provided include the Sport Medicine Clinic, Performance Centre, Fitness Centre and Paul Robson Resource Centre for Leadership and Coaching. 
 

For more information, or to request an interview or images, please contact:
Rick Brownlee
Sport Heritage Manager, Sport Manitoba
Office: 204-925-5736
Cell: 204-612-7272
halloffame@sportmanitoba.ca
https://www.sportmanitoba.ca/hall-of-fame