Scarce medal honoring the 1984 Summer and Winter Olympic Games held in Los Angeles and Sarajevo, presented by the Calgary Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (OCO ‘88) Board of Directors to board member Paula Andrews, who served as the mayor of the Olympic Village. Bronze, 108 gm, 63 mm, made by Jostens. The front shows a dove with olive branch in its beak flying over the Olympic rings, a lit torch, and raise text: “1984, Sarajevo-Los Angeles”; the reverse bears the logos of the Summer and Winter Olympics with encircling text: “Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiads Los Angeles / XIV Zimske Olimpijske Igre Sarajevo.” Includes its original wooden presentation stand.
Accompanied by a detailed letter of provenance from Andrews, which reads: “The Calgary ‘88 Winter Olympics staged the Cross Country and Biathlon events at the Canmore Nordic Centre located just outside the town of Canmore, Alberta. As mayor of Canmore, I was appointed to the Calgary Olympic Development Association Board of Directors (CODA) and later to the Calgary Olympic ‘88 (OCO ‘88) Board of Directors. (From 1983 until after the ‘88 Olympics)
I worked closely with staff on the planning, development and operation of athletes village for the Cross Country and Biathlon athletes. I was appointed, by the OCO ‘88 Board of Directors, to the position of mayor of this athletes village. Providing a home for athletes during the Olympics involves everything from housing, food services, and health care to training facilities, transportation and anything else needed by athletes in their home.
My involvement with the Olympics as a board member and especially as mayor of the athletes village resulted in the most challenging and time consuming volunteer positions I have ever held. However the work I completed for the 88 Winter Olympics was also the most rewarding volunteer experience in my life.
As a thank you for my work I received a few gifts. Some I regifted to other volunteers, or donated to the town and Nordic Centre, and some, such as a set of medals and participation medallions, a torch used in the torch relay and a sculpture of a horse I was given for my work on the OCO ‘88 Board, are in today’s Olympic Auction.”
