22 Facts About Mark Tewksbury

Mark Tewksbury is best known for winning the gold medal in the 100-metre backstroke at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Mark Tewksbury hosted the first season of How It's Made, a Canadian documentary series, in 2001.

Mark Tewksbury competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and won a silver medal as a member of Canada's relay team.

For some years he ranked as one of the top backstrokers in the world; never a strong below-the-water swimmer, he was unmatched on the surface, but, as the importance of below-the-water swimming increased, Mark Tewksbury's ranking began to fall.

Mark Tewksbury won a bronze medal in the relay event in Barcelona.

Mark Tewksbury was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, and the International Swimming Hall of Fame and was named Canada's Male Athlete of the Year.

Mark Tewksbury was part of the group of former Olympic athletes that was pushing for the resignation of IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Only months after the scandal surrounding the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic winter Games broke, Mark Tewksbury became prominent around the world as a critic of the IOC and demanded reforms to the system.

Mark Tewksbury was highly critical of Swimming Canada's organization in the wake of the national team's poor performance at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where they failed to medal.

Mark Tewksbury suggested that there was a lack of accountability within Swim Canada, and that head coach Dave Johnson was given too much power.

Mark Tewksbury became a prominent advocate for gay rights and gay causes in Canada and the world.

On May 16,2003, Mark Tewksbury joined the board of directors for the 2006 World Outgames in Montreal and was named co-president.

Mark Tewksbury was a panelist at the 2003 National Gay and Lesbian Athletics Conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on a panel of LGBT Olympians that included rower Harriet Metcalf and high jumper Brian Marshall.

Mark Tewksbury was the narrator for the TV show How It's Made during the first season.

Mark Tewksbury remains a public figure working as a motivational speaker, a television commentator for swimming events, and a continued activist.

Mark Tewksbury is a board member of the Gay and Lesbian Athletics Foundation.

On November 30,2006 Mark Tewksbury was the Master of Ceremonies for the Tribute to former Prime Minister Paul Martin at the Liberal Party of Canada's Leadership and Biennial Convention in Montreal.

In December 2008 Mark Tewksbury was invited by the government of France to speak at the United Nations in New York City on the day that a declaration was introduced that affirms gay rights and seeks to decriminalize homosexuality.

On September 19,2009, Mark Tewksbury was inducted into Canada's LGBT Human Rights Hall of Fame, the Q Hall of Fame Canada, in honour of his outstanding achievements and efforts to end discrimination in the sports world.

On July 23,2015, Mark Tewksbury presented his gold medal to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg for an exhibit promoting the power of sport to influence positive change.

In 2017, Mark Tewksbury was chosen as a Grand Marshal for the Fierte Canada Pride Montreal.

In May 2019, Mark Tewksbury performed an autobiographical one-man show called Belong, which was produced by Wordfest and staged at the DJD Dance Centre in Calgary.