Former athlete Charmaine Crooks named Canada Soccer president

Former Olympic athlete Charmaine Crooks was officially named acting president of Canada Soccer on Wednesday.

Crooks, 60, is the first woman and person of color to lead Canada Soccer after serving as vice president for two years. She will take over from Nick Bontis, who resigned on Monday.

The Canadian women’s team, the reigning Olympic champions, recently escalated their protest over pay equity issues when they wore purple shirts that read “Enough is enough” ahead of their opening match of the SheBelievesCup in February.

🗣️ “I know and understand the calls to get this right”

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Charmaine Crooks named new acting president of Canada Soccer 🇨🇦#CanWNT #CanMNT #CanPL

DETAILS 👉 https://t.co/szqFJy74Iv pic.twitter.com/zeGZ9eEdS1

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 1, 2023

“The job ahead for our organizations, our sport, and for the players who wear our Canadian jersey, is as important to me as any race I’ve competed in,” Crooks said in a statement.

Crooks competed in five Olympics and won a silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Games as a member of the women’s 4×400 metеrs relay team.