Phelps, Liukin, Sale and Pelletier Among Athletes Honored

Gymnast Nastia Liukin (pictured) and swimmer Natalie Coughlin were jointly named as USOC's SportsWoman of the Year. (Getty Images)Phelps, Coughlin and Liukin Named USOC Athletes of the Year

The United States Olympic Committee handed out its awards for the athlete and team of the year awards today.

Michael Phelps took home the SportsMan of the Year title while swimmer Natalie Coughlin and gymnast Nastia Liukin were joint winners of the women’s award. Swimmer Erin Popovich won the Paralympian of the Year title and the men’s volleyball team earned the team honors.

"Through their actions both on and off the field of play in Beijing and throughout 2008, these athletes truly represent the best of what the United States has to offer and make us all proud to be Americans," USOC Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr said in a press release. "Their achievements were central to the narrative of the largest modern Olympic and Paralympic Games in history, and we at the USOC are proud to announce this year's recipients of SportsMan, SportsWoman, Paralympian and Team of the Year."

The USOC SportsMan and SportsWoman of the Year awards have been presented every year since 1974. The team award was added in 1996, and the Paralympian of the Year was awarded for the first time in 2004.

2002 Olympic Heroes to be Inducted in Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame

2002 pairs figure skating gold medalists Jamie Sale and David Pelletier will be inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.(Getty Images)Three of Canada’s gold medal winners from the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City – pairs figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier and the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams – were the most prominent among the five 2009 inductees into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame announced by the Canadian Olympic Committee on Thursday.

They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, along with swimming coach Howard Firby and sports official Robert Hindmarch, at a ceremony on March 26 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Sale and Pelletier won their pairs figure skating gold medal at the 2002 Olympics amidst a firestorm of controversy concerning the judging of the event.

“Having our lifelong dream come true of making the Olympic team and coming home with a gold medal was extremely special and rewarding for both of us,” Sale said. “Making it into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame is a great honor and we feel very fortunate to have been nominated. It is always extraordinary to be put in class with so many fantastic athletes who have worked so hard and dedicated a part of their lives to accomplish their goals.”

The 2002 Canadian Olympic men’s hockey team also made their mark in Salt Lake City, beating the U.S. in the finals to win the first gold medal in the sport for Canada since 1952. The 2002 women’s The gold-medal winning 2002 Canadian Olympic men’s hockey team will also be inducted in the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. (Getty Images)hockey squad won Canada’s first gold medal in the brief history of the female version of the sport in the Olympics, beating the U.S. in the finals in Salt Lake City.

Firby, who died in 1991, was the coach of the Canadian team at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and coached three-time Olympic medalist Elaine Tanner and Mary Stewart, who set two world records in the butterfly in 1962.

Hindmarch is a life member of the Canadian Olympic Committee and was the chef de mission for Canada at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. He was also general manager and assistant coach of the country’s hockey team at the 1964 Games in Innsbruck, Austria.

Long-time sports administrator Jean Grenier will be awarded the Canadian Olympic Order. Grenier, a member of the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and Sports Hall of Fame, was Canada’s chef de mission for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta and was elected president of the Canadian Speed Skating Association in 1976. He was also the founder of the Quebec Speed Skating Association in 1970.

Written by Greg Oshust and Ed Hula III.