Les McDonald (Triathlon)

Les McDonald CM
McDonald receiving the Order of Canada in 2013
Born	(1933-04-30)30 April 1933 Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
Died	4 September 2017(2017-09-04) (aged 84) North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Citizenship	British, Canadian
Occupation	IF President
Organization	International Triathlon Union
Term	1989 - 2008
Successor	Marisol Casado
Awards	Triathlon Canada Hall of Fame BC Sports Hall of Fame Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame ITU Hall of Game IOC Women and Sport Award
Honours	Order of Canada Olympic Order

Les McDonald, CM (30 April 1933 – 4 September 2017) was the founding President of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) from 1989-2008, and was made an Honorary President for the organization until his death in 2017. He is largely credited with getting the sport of triathlon into the Olympic Games, with the inaugural race taking place at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney, Australia, in 2000. He is a member of the Triathlon Canada Hall of Fame (2001), Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (2007), the BC Sports Hall of Fame (2009), and the ITU Hall of Fame (2014). He was awarded the Olympic Order in 2010, in Vancouver, by the International Olympic Committee. He was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2013 by His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, the Governor General of Canada.

Les McDonald was born to a coal miner and a newspaper shopkeeper and grew up in Felling, a borough near Newcastle Upon Tyne (where he was born), in the northeast of England, in 1933. He was the eldest of 3 children. He left school at the age of 14 to go work in the coal mines and help support his family. He completed two years of military service and was part of the British army of occupation of Germany in the post-war period, which would eventually lead to him meeting his wife, Monique. In 1955, he immigrated to Vancouver, BC, where he married and had 3 children. As a young man in the northeast of England, he had discovered rock climbing and skiing. He became a legendary rock climber and would go on to achieve many first ascents in Canada, some with the legendary Fred Beckey. He then continued his passion for skiing, coaching at Grouse Mountain and Whistler Mountain. He helped form the Alta Lake Sports Club based out of Whistler, BC, Canada, and competed in several cross country ski marathons including the Engadin Skimarathon. During his early professional life, he worked as an electrician and labor union organizer with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. His prowess in sports administration and organization were heavily influenced by his experiences as a labour unionist.