Hall inductees prove Canada Games can be a launchpad to the Olympics

The Canada Games have been an important part of the country's athletic landscape since they began in 1967. It's Canada's largest domestic multi-sport event and often the pinnacle of its athletes' careers.

For others, it's a key stepping stone on the path to becoming an Olympian.

That includes the four athletes honoured by the Canada Games on Friday in St. John's. Diana Matheson, twin sisters Sharon and Shirley Firth, and Lennox Lewis – joined by builder Ajay Patel and distinguished alum Jennifer Bishop – were officially inducted into the Canada Games Hall of Honour.

Matheson, Lewis, and the Firth twins all represented Canada at the Olympic Games, and their journey was shaped by their time as Canada Games athletes.

The Canada Games were a launchpad for Matheson, who competed at age 16 for Team Ontario at the 2001 edition in London, Ont. Just two years later, she was on the Canadian women's national soccer team and playing in the FIFA Women's World Cup.

"The fact that I was playing up with a group of players that were older and better than me at that time prepared me as an athlete to go to the next level. [The Canada Games were] absolutely a big, pivotal point in my journey," she said.

Matheson spent 17 years representing Canada with the national team, winning two Olympic bronze medals along the way. She said the Canada Games have had a huge impact in her life, and those of many other athletes.

"The Canada Games [are] special, and you can talk to so many Canadian athletes, former athletes, present athletes, and they'll tell you what these Games meant to them: It has an impact. It creates the next generation of leaders, it invests in sport infrastructure, which is so needed in our country, and it's unifying like nothing