AWARDS

The awarding of the Centennial Cup exemplifies the pan-Canadian sport development objective of the Canada Games. It is presented to the Provincial or Territorial team that shows the greatest improvement from one Summer Games to the next or from one Winter Games to the next. The Centennial Cup has been won by 10 different Provinces and Territories since it was added to the Games in 1971.

Games to Games performance by a Provincial/Territorial Team at the Canada Games is measured by accumulated flag points. Every Provincial/Territorial Team is awarded flag points for its ranked performance in each sport in which it competes.

The point differences for each Province and Territory in each sport are combined to give an overall measure of change, and the Province or Territory with the greatest positive change is awarded the Centennial Cup. If a Province or Territory did not compete in the sport during the preceding Games, that sport is not counted for the Province or Territory in the current Games. If a sport is new to the Games' program, it does not count in the current Games. If a sport has been dropped from the Games' program, it does not count in the current Games.

If there is an overall tie in Centennial Cup points between two or more teams once the sum of all centennial points has been calculated across all sports, the tie will be broken using the flag point table. Between the tied teams, the team with the most flag points will be awarded the higher finishing position for the Centennial Cup.

Presented by the Interprovincial Sport and Recreation Council, the Jack Pelech Award goes to the Provincial or Territorial team whose athletes, coaches, managers, and mission staff best combine competitive performance, good sportsmanship and a spirit of fair play, cooperation, and friendship. The award is named after Jack Pelech, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Canada Games Council from 1971 to 2001.

Claude Hardy was a pioneer of the Canada Games from their very beginning. His first involvement was as an athlete at the inaugural Canada Games in Québec City in 1967. In 1969, he was a coach for Team Québec at the first Canada Summer Games in Halifax-Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. From 1971 to 1999, excluding only the 1975 and 1979 Canada Games, Claude Hardy led Team Québec as Chef de Mission. His last Games were the 1999 Canada Winter Games. His legacy will forever live on through the Claude Hardy Award, which is bestowed upon the Provincial or Territorial Mission Team that best exhibits leadership, cooperation, integrity and esprit de corps.

Both the Jack Pelech and Claude Hardy Award winners are determined through votes submitted by all Provincial/Territorial teams during Week 2 of the Games. The awards are presented to the winning teams at the Closing Press Conference prior to the Closing Ceremony. The winner of each award takes their respective award back to their Province/Territory and transports it to the next Games.

Lechelt was a mainstay with Alberta’s Mission Team at every Canada Games from 1989 to 2019. She served primarily as Chef de Mission or Assistant Chef de Mission. The award is given to an athlete in each week of the Games who exemplifies the True Sport principles on and off the field of play.

Contributions made on behalf of the 2019 Canada Games Host Society were instrumental in bringing this award to fruition.

A tireless volunteer, Paul Flaherty was a board member for the 2007 Canada Winter Games and with the CGC board from 2009 to 2018. The Paul Flaherty Volunteer Award recognizes the volunteers who are at the very heart of the Canada Games. The award is given to an outstanding Host Society volunteer at the end of each week of the Games.

Provincial/Territorial Teams, Canada Games Council staff, Host Society staff, National Sport Organization representatives as well as Canada Games volunteers will be provided the opportunity to submit nominations for the Paul Flaherty award.

The Roland Michener Canada Games Award was established in recognition of Roland Michener’s contribution to Canada, for his passion for physical fitness and his belief in the power of sport in building unity and mutual trust. One of Canada’s Governor Generals, he attended three Canada Games.

The Roland Michener Canada Games Award is presented to a male and a female Canada Games athlete who exemplifies leadership, cooperation and excellence. The award was first presented following the 1991 Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island.