Sports leaders top list of new Order of Canada appointees

Canadian sports icons including Stacey Allaster, Donovan Bailey and Angela James are among the 85 new appointees to the Order of Canada this year.

This year's list of appointees also includes Canada's first Indigenous female MP, the first MP for Nunavut, and a number of contributors to the arts, including Emmy nominated actress Sandra Oh.

Considered one of Canada's highest civilian honours, the Order of Canada is meant to recognize people who make "extraordinary contributions to the nation," according to the Governor General of Canada website.

Allaster was named as a companion, the highest of the honour's three levels, which also include the level of officer and member. There can be no more than 165 living companions at any time.

Born in Windsor, Ont., and raised in Welland, Ont., Allaster was an executive with the Women's Tennis Association from 2006 to 2015, first serving as president before being promoted to chair and CEO in 2009.

During her tenure, she was instrumental in securing equal prize money for women at six WTA tournaments and all four Grand Slams. She also played a key role in streamlining the WTA calendar and securing a landmark international media agreement.

In 2020, Allaster was named as the first female tournament director of the U.S. open.

Former Olympic and world champion sprinter Donovan Bailey will be invested as an officer of the order. The former world record holder won Olympic gold in 1996 in the men's 100-metre race and in the men's 4x100-metre relay.

"It's incredible," Bailey said of the appointment to the order. "I'm very blessed, I'm extremely humbled to have shared incredible moments with Canadians."

Bailey said being invested with the Order of Canada is an official recognition of what he has