Media luminary and Olympic athlete Karin Larsen was awarded Douglas College’s highest honour – Honorary Fellow – today at a graduation ceremony. Larsen rose to the top of the sports world as an Olympian and two-time world champion artistic swimmer before she launched an illustrious career in sports journalism with the CBC.
“The success Larsen has achieved in multiple areas exemplifies the adaptability, resilience and leadership that we encourage our students to develop," said Dr. Kathy Denton, President of Douglas College. “Her exceptional contributions in both sports and media serve as an inspiration to our community and beyond. It is our privilege to recognize her life’s work by awarding her the title of Honorary Fellow.”
Larsen was one of Canada’s premier artistic swimmers during the 1980s. She won gold for Canada in the team routine event at the 1986 World Aquatics Championships and served as an alternate for Canada’s gold medal-winning pairs team at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
As a journalist, Larsen is recognized as one of the first women working in sports broadcasting in Canada. Throughout her three-decade tenure with the CBC, she has covered a wide range of international events, including twelve Olympic Games and five Paralympic Games.
“When I started my career in journalism, sports media had a narrow focus on professional men’s sports,” said Larsen. “Coming from women’s sports, I wanted to bring more focus to the achievements of girls and women in the local Vancouver sports scene. As women’s sports broadcasting increases in visibility every year, I am proud to have contributed to creating a more representative media landscape.”
The Douglas College Honorary Fellow title is the latest among many honours Larsen has received. She was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2021, the British Columbia Swimming Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame in 2019. Larsen also won the Leo Award for Best Sportscaster in Vancouver in 1999.
The title of Honorary Fellow recognizes outstanding achievement or distinguished service by an individual on a local, national or global scale. Past Honorary Fellow recipients include Paralympic medalist and disability activist Rick Hansen, playwright Marcus Youssef, vulnerable populations advocate Mebrat Beyene and many more.
As she receives her Honorary Fellow designation, Larsen encourages new grads to seek out career and educational opportunities in which they can apply the skills they learn in one area to another – as she did by turning her athletic background into a sports media career.
“You can translate the skills you learn in sports, for example, to other areas and carry over those good habits of being able to focus and work hard,” said Larsen. “That’s going to serve you well anywhere. Seek out mentors who are willing to help you identify those strengths, and learn how to translate them.”
Douglas College is the largest college in B.C., combining the academic foundations of a university and the employer-ready skills of a college to graduate resilient global citizens who adapt, innovate and lead in a changing world.
For more information, visit douglascollege.ca.
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Contact
Aline Bouwman
Communications Officer
bouwmana@douglascollege.ca