Canadian kayak legend Adam van Koeverden, who recently was elected to a third term as a Member of Parliament, was named Secretary of State for Sport on Tuesday in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new cabinet.
A Toronto native who was raised in nearby Oakville, Ont., the 43-year-old van Koeverden was sworn in at Rideau Hall in Ottawa along with 28 ministers and nine other secretaries of state.
Van Koeverden was first elected to the House of Commons in 2019 and was re-elected for a second time on April 28 in the Burlington North-Milton West riding (formerly Milton) by 5,983 votes.
Van Koeverden is a four-time medallist at the Summer Games in sprint kayak, winning gold and bronze at his first Olympics in Athens in 2004, and following up with silver medals at Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. He ended his competitive career following the Rio Olympics in 2016.
The 2022 Canada Sports Hall of Fame inductee also won two world championship titles and eight medals overall. Van Koeverden was twice Canada’s flag-bearer — at the closing ceremony in Athens and the opening ceremony in Beijing.
The federal sports portfolio has had a number of iterations over the years, often combined with other responsibilities. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had distinct sports ministers in his cabinets from 2015 to 2024, but Carney eliminated the role in his first cabinet named in March before the election.
Van Koeverden and the other secretaries of state — a long-dormant designation Carney is reviving — will have a more junior role, with less inclusion in full cabinet responsibilities.