Mark Tewksbury is no stranger to success at the Olympic Games - and he's ready to share his experience and passion after being named Honourary Coach for Canada at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games.

Tewksbury, who won three Olympic swimming medals from the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Summer Games, has turned his attention to helping 164 athletes, coaches and mission staff that in Los Angeles this summer. "I have been fortunate to accomplish much in my swimming career, as well as in my professional life, but this is one of my greatest honours," he said. "When you go to a Special Olympics sports event, the energy, love and passion is just really infectious."

"It's hard not to be touched by it."

Tewksbury's connection to the Special Olympics runs deep as a member of the Special Olympics Board of Directors. He is also the co-chair of its Champions Network. As Canada's first openly gay athlete, the 47-year old Calgary native knows what it feels like to be isolated and ostracized; something that he says Special Olympics athletes feel every day.

"I've been involved in the Special Olympics for almost 30 years," he said. "I'm just a huge fan [because I know] what the power of sport can do to build a community."

"I just love that [sports] has completely transformed the lives of many people."

Founded in 1969, the Canadian chapter of the Special Olympics works with over 37,000 athletes, more than 17,000 volunteers and over 13,000 coaches. The Summer Games, which run from July 25 to August 2 will be the biggest sports event held in Los Angeles since the 1984 Summer Olympics.

Tewksbury has also been following the FIFA Women's World Cup as well as the upcoming Pan and Para Pan American Games; both taking place in Canada. "I just think it's great to keep, what I call the 'love affair' that started with the Vancouver 2010 [Olympic Games], alive and well," he explained.  "The [Canadian Olympic] team in London was sixty-six percent rookies so it is just fun for me to see the athletes that I was Chef [de Mission] for now three or four years later down their cycle."

He has high hopes for the Canadian Women's World Cup team that he feels can build on its bronze medal winning performance at the London 2012 Games. "It was wonderful to see them have success," he said. "They were a group that really embodied the spirit of the Olympics."

Tewksbury also stressed the importance for the upcoming Pan Am Games for Toronto. "I think it will be sort of a Litmus Test going forward to see if Toronto might one day want to host the Olympic Games or not," he said. 


And when it comes to Canada and the Olympics, there are few more knowledgeable than Tewksbury. After retiring from his swimming career, he worked for the International Olympic Committee and later became one of its biggest critics.

"I could really see first-hand how it worked," he explained. "As an athlete, you are being held to all of these standards and then you go to the other side, it is completely different.

"I didn't speak out about it right away and that's when I felt that I became part of the problem. I had a real crisis of faith in the leadership and that's when I stepped down. It was a natural evolution based on my experience in sport and what I thought would be the bare minimum standards."

After taking a stand against the International Olympic Committee in 1999, it didn't initially amount to what he had hoped for. "I didn't realize it would be that hard," he said. "I thought that when I spoke out, I would receive a lot more support."

"There is such a culture of fear because sports federations have so much power that athletes are really reluctant to speak out against [them]. It was pretty lonesome for a few years but I am proud to have done it."

And after coming out almost 17 years ago, Tewksbury is surprised more gay and lesbian athletes haven't followed suit. "I really thought that it would take five or eight years [for athletes to open up] but it has taken a lot longer than I thought," he said. "But there have been some positive steps."

"The IOC changed its charter to include sexual orientation as a non-discrimination clause. I'm really happy that happened."

And with those steps, Tewksbury believes that the foundation is in place. "One of my favourite quotes is, 'before something is a non-issue, it is an issue,'" he said. "I think we are getting close. Even with this last round with Michael Sam, some people are saying 'why are we still talking about this?'"

"You have to remember. He is the first [openly gay] professional football player. We are still making history. I think we are a really big famous professional player away from saying once and for all, gay people play sports. Let's get over it."