'When one Indigenous person achieves, we all succeed': Olympian Waneek Horn-Miller to join sports hall of fame

For Waneek Horn-Miller, receiving Canada's highest sporting honour is a reminder of the work needed to improve opportunities for Indigenous youth in sport.

She's the first Mohawk woman to compete in an Olympic Games, and will be the first water polo player to be inducted to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame this fall.

"It's a huge honour," said Horn-Miller, who is from Kahnawake, Que., but now resides in Ottawa.

"I love my sport and it's great to represent it in the Hall of Fame."

But she said the recognition comes with a sense of discomfort and stress. Out of the current 665 members of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, only 11 are Indigenous. She is one of of two Indigenous women among the eight athletes being inducted this year.

"I know there are so many Indigenous athletes out there that deserve recognition but also some who didn't get the same opportunities as I did," said Horn-Miller.

"I just feel like they're all there with me and I'd like to accept this on behalf of all them."

Horn-Miller won a gold medal at the 1999 Pan American Games and co-captained the first Canadian women's water polo team in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

"When I was an athlete I was controversial," she said.

"How I was raised in our culture, you're supposed to do something if you see something wrong. You need to make it better."

Not only did she pose nude on the cover of Time magazine prior to the 2000 Olympics, she said her team took stances on issues that weren't popular, including asking for an external investigation into the sport in Canada and the treatment of athletes.

She said her opinions on certain issues ended her water polo career earlier than she would have liked. She retired as an athlete in 2008.

"I could have gone to two or three more Olympics if I never said anything, but at whose expense would I have achieved? I couldn't live with myself.

"It doesn't matter if you're a gold medallist or are playing intramurals, you should never leave sport hurt and damaged. It should be a place of empowerment and that's what I felt wasn't happening."

Today, she continues working to empower Indigenous communities and youth through sport.

"When one Indigenous person achieves, we all succeed," said Horn-Miller.

"Whether you like it or not, you're opening people's eyes to who we are as Indigenous peoples."

And for her, getting to the Olympics gave her that opportunity.

"As Indigenous people, it's really important that whatever success we have, we use it to support the entire community. That's what I tell kids all the time."

Canada Sports Hall of Fame class of 2019 inductees

6 years ago

Duration 2:41

On Thursday in Calgary the Canada Sports Hall of Fame introduced the 2019 class of inductees.

Métis Paralympic athlete also to be inducted

Métis athlete Colette Bourgonje is also among the group of eight being inducted this year.

"There's an amazing group being inducted and I'm very honoured to be with them," she said.

Bourgonje, from Saskatchewan, is a 10-time Paralympian in para nordic skiing and wheelchair racing. She is the only woman in Canada to have competed in both summer and winter Paralympic Games, and the first to medal in dual events.

She retired in 2014, and now coaches.

"I loved to compete and when I reflect back, it was a wonderful journey that I learned a lot from," said Bourgonje.

The 2019 induction festival takes place Oct. 23 in Toronto.