Celebrated Athletic Career
Aluki Chupik-Hall
Six-year-old Aluki Chupik-Hall has severe scoliosis, an often-painful condition that requires her to wear a back brace for up to 23 hours a day and, when she is older, possibly having to undergo surgery to fuse her spine.
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The importance of sport in Rick Hansen’s life can’t be overemphasized. It was one of his first true passions: it inspired his earliest dreams; it helped pull him through the dark hours following his injury; and it prepared him for the immense physical and mental challenge of the Man In Motion World Tour.
Rick pursued his passion as an athlete and went on to become one of Canada’s most celebrated athletes. He won 19 International Wheelchair Marathons, 6 Paralympic medals, was a participant in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984, and won numerous InternationalTrack and medals in various other sports including wheelchair basketball, racquetball, tennis and volleyball.In addition, Rick led the Commission for the Inclusion of Athletes with Disabilities, a special committee of the International Paralympic Committee, to successfully obtain full medal status for athletes with disabilities in the Commonwealth Games, beginning in 2002.
His involvement in sport continues today as a coach for both able-bodied and athletes with disabilities in volleyball and basketball.He sponsored the creation and installation of the Terry Fox Exhibition at the BC Sports Hall of Fame, he helped to establish the Stan Stronge Wheelchair Basketball Fund at the Vancouver Island and, under his leadership his foundation has donated $4M in equipment and funds to wheelchair sport and wheelchair basketball associaton's across Canada.
Rick likens participation in sports to participation in life: “Learning how to be a leader, set goals, win and lose with humility, inspire others and deal with setbacks and failures—these are all important life lessons. You can set individual goals but you soon come to realize it’s very difficult to get there on your own. You truly benefit in sports, and in life, when you have coaches, role models and others who inspire you, as well as supporters, such as your parents and friends. Sports teach you to respect the physical spaces and the equipment needed to play and practice, and this is only possible in the context of a supportive community.”
Fast Facts About Rick’s Athletic Career
- Paralympian, 1980 (Gold 800m, Silver 1500m and Bronze 4x100m), 1984 (Gold 1500m, Gold Marathon & Silver 5,000m)
- Participant, 1984 XXIII Olympic Games, Wheelchair Exhibition
- Winner, 19 international wheelchair marathons, 1979-1984
- 9 Gold medals, 9 Records, Pan American Wheelchair Games, 1982
- Silver medalist, Canadian Basketball Team, Pan American Games, 1982
- Outstanding Athlete of the Year, Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association, 1980
- Lou Marsh, Canada's Outstanding Athlete of the Year Award; co-winner with Wayne Gretzky, 1983
- Inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, 2006
- Inducted into BC Sports Hall of Fame, 2007
- 6 National Wheelchair Basketball Championships 1976-1982, Vancouver Cablecars
Read more about Rick’s athletic accomplishments.
