Olympic gold medalists and Canadian figure skating darlings Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir will be honoured at this year's Start.ca London Sports Celebrity Dinner and Auction.
Officials with the dinner announced Thursday the ice dancing duo are being named Sportspeople of the Year and will accept their award in person at the April 1 event at the London Convention Centre.
“It is truly a thrill and an honour to have Tessa and Scott be part of this year’s event,” said Event Chair Ryan Robinson in a statement. “When you think of all-time greatest Canadian athletes they have to be at or near the top. And when you combine the fact that they’re world-class people in addition to being world-class athletes, there was no doubt in our minds as to who was deserving of this year’s award.”
Moir and Virtue became the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history after winning gold medals in ice dancing and team figure skating during the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018. The pair already had a gold medal and two silvers from previous Olympics. They are also three-time World Champions.
Virtue is a London native, while Moir is from Ilderton.
They will be seated at the head table during the 63rd edition of the event which benefits the Thames Valley Children’s Centre. The organization serves more than 8,000 children and their families each year by providing a wide range of services for those with physical disabilities, communication disorders, developmental delays, and autism.
“Tessa and Scott have meant so much to this community and have always been supportive of the region,” said Jennifer Baxter, manager of community relations with the Children's Health Foundation. “It’s hard to imagine better people for our youth to look up to, and they serve as amazing role models for all youth in our community.”
Former NHLer Jeremy Roenick was originally slated to attend the event, but had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict, officials announced earlier this week. A replacement for Roenick, as well as additional head table celebrity guests, will be announced in the coming weeks.
The night features a chance for Londoners to rub shoulders with celebrities, while enjoying entertainment, and bidding on a variety of auction packages.
Tickets for the one-night event can be purchased at www.ldnsportsdinner.com.
