Canada's most successful ice dancing duo are now members of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir were among the group of athletes and builders officially inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Gatineau, Quebec on Thursday. The 2023 class includes former UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre, softball player Phyllis Bomberry, wheelchair basketball player Danielle Peers, and curlers Randy Ferbey, Scott Pfeiffer, Marcel Rocque, and David Nedohin. It also includes builders Oren Lyons (lacrosse) and Hiroshi Nakamura (judo).
Virtue and Moir are the first and only ice dance team to win every major international junior and senior skating competition. They earned five Olympic medals, three World Championships, eight Canadian National Championships, and won the Four Continents Championship three times.cThe pair met as children and stayed athletic partners for over 20 years.They retired from competitive skating in 2019.
The duo thanked the countless people who helped them in their careers, including coaches, choreographers, Skate Canada and Olympic officials, and fans.
But it was their families that earned the greatest expression of gratitude.
"To the Moir's and the Virtue's, we can confidently group you together because we are, and always will be, family. Not only did you all make sacrifices of time, energy, money, and more, you also took timely steps back so that we could step into our power. You trusted us, you empowered us, and you emboldened us to soar," Virtue said. "There's no telling just what you experienced witnessing the behind the scenes of our 22 year career and partnership. But know this, collectively you provided the comfort of perspective, steadfast support, and humanity. The foundation upon which we built a career was solid because of the part each of you played in our lives."
According to the Hall of Fame, each inductee is a trailblazer and "has gone 'beyond the win' to build more opportunities for those who came after them and continue to give back to the community."
The members of the 2023 induction class were selected from 222 nominations.
