Beckie Scott, M.S.M., Bend, Oregon, United States of America
Meritorious Service Medal (civil division)
A native of Vermillion, Alberta, Beckie Scott became the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. An ardent advocate and spokesperson for drug-free sport, she led an anti-doping campaign in her sport in 2001, spearheading an athletes’ petition demanding the establishment of an independent drug-testing body for all World Cup and Olympic competitions. After it was discovered that the two athletes who had finished ahead of her in the five-kilometre race had tested positive for blood doping, both before the 2002 Olympics and after another race, the decision to upgrade Ms. Scott’s bronze medal to gold marked the ultimate victory in her battle against cheating in sport.