First female president of an Olympic Sports Federation. 1974.
Meet Diane Clement.
Originally an international track athlete from Moncton, New Brunswick, she relocated to Vancouver as a young adult. She represented Canada as a sprinter in the 1956 Olympics and is a bronze medalist from the 1958 Commonwealth Games. She is also known as the “Chef on The Run’ for her numerous cooking and healthy living books as well as starting her own restaurant, Tomatoes, which she successfully sold. Much of this is common knowledge.
What you may not know is that she was the first woman to coach the University of British Columbia women’s track team in 1957.
Add to that she was the first woman to become President of any Olympic Sports Federation in the world. In 1974! She held this role as President of Athletics Canada (Track & Field) for 1974, ’75, and ’76. Imagine the challenges she faced in that role, as any leader must face.
Anyone who meets Diane comes to appreciate her stories — too many to list here (and likely I’ll get them factually incorrect). Let’s just say she met the Pope and he took her hand. Diane has that effect on people!
Diane’s wish is to join Doug in the BC Sports Hall of Fame. Yet her great joy is and always will be her family. She is quick to add her extended ‘track family’ is vitally important to her and Doug, as well.
To learn more about Diane, review these two articles and the short video below.
“Feature Profile: In Her Footsteps honouree Diane Clement”
Diane Matheson-Clement sets standard for New Brunswick
This is reason #106 to declare a year of women in sport. Also published on 
