Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction Spring 2025
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/29/2025
An impressive showing for Canada, the mighty maple leaf finished fourth overall at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, winning 15 total medals including 6 gold. From the personal collection of press communications specialist and former press chief Sylvie Bigras, we offer a Roots leather jacket and hat worn at the closing ceremonies, Roots black cashmere jacket worn at the opening reception, a traditional style Japanese navy blue kimono and an original Japanese artwork given to the athletes. The Roots closing ceremony jacket has a Roots label to the collar with XL sizing, and a Canadian chenille crest to the left breast with the Olympic rings. The crest is repeated on the reverse along with "Canada" arching overtop, with a Nagano Games crest to the right sleeve. The matching beret-style hat has a Roots label with "Canada" embroidered and a matching crest to the jacket. Next, black cashmere jacket has a Roots Olympic label to the collar, with a gold coloured Canadian flag crest with the Olympic rings over the left breast. There is a stain to note on the left cuff. The kimono has a label to the collar with "Hand Made By" along with the individuals name in Japanese. It appears to never have been worn. The original artwork is still mostly wrapped in the original sleeve, with an envelope with Nagano letterhead and a book with a Nagano stamp for the games. An LOA from Classic Auctions will accompany.
The passion for sports was engrained in Sylvie Bigras from a very young age and being on the court for volleyball and basketball was akin to a second home. A founding member of the inaugural University of Ottawa's women's volleyball program in 1977-78, Bigras was instrumental for that program being recognized as an official varsity team. Giving back to the sport she was always passionate about, she later worked in the Ontario Volleyball Association for athlete development and high performance, and in 1980, was a member of the national silver medal winning team in her last of three years in Garnet and Grey. The players and coaches credit her with being the key factor in establishing the program as an official university team. Since her time at uOttawa, where she earned a Masters in Sport Management, Sylvie has continued to be a builder in Canadian sport. A long-time Executive Director of Volleyball Canada, Bigras was also the Press Chief for the 2008 and 2010 Canadian Olympic Teams as well as for Canada at the Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. She has worked thus far at 16 Olympic Games, 4 Commonwealth Games and 5 Pan American Games, while also working on communications planning for Team Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Bigras is currently a senior communications specialist at the Canadian Olympic Committee and a member of the Board of Governors for Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. Additionally, she has hosted national sport celebrations such as Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies, the Canadian Sport Awards and more, as well as a number of major events including the Nelson Mandela Citizenship Ceremony, and State Dinners for George W. Bush, Vicente Fox Quesada, Prince Charles and other dignitaries.
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