John Furlong

In July 2016, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced that Furlong will chair the Special Committee for Home Games (SCHG) to assist Calgary if it decides to bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics. In November 13, 2018 plebiscite, a majority of Calgary citizens voted against hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics. Within a week of that non-binding plebiscite, Calgary City Council voted to shut down the bid.

In July 2018 in apparent response to Furlong heading Calgary's 2026 bid exploration committee, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) passed a resolution calling on chiefs to boycott the bid as a show of support for former residential and day school students.

In July 2017, Furlong joined the Victoria, British Columbia bid committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In August 2017, Victoria's bid was cancelled after the provincial government declined financial support. In October 2017, Furlong and Victoria bid committee chair David Black attempted to revive Victoria's bid. In an opinion column published by Victoria News, a Black Press news site owned by David Black, Furlong expressed his support for Victoria's bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. There is no evidence that the provincial government reconsidered its decision.

In January 2017, University of British Columbia (UBC) president Santa J. Ono apologized to Furlong for cancelling his keynote address at the February Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation fundraising event for athletes. Days later, in an apparent response to a strong public reaction against the speech cancellation including alumni who threatened to withhold major donations, Ono announced that UBC had reversed that decision expressing "deep regret" for the impact of cancelling on Furlong. In response to Furlong's reinstatement as speaker, indigenous professor Daniel Heath Justice quit a UBC committee working on a new sexual assault policy. In a letter to Ono, Heath stated the decision to reinstate Furlong "silenced and erased" abuse allegations against Furlong.

In October 2017, UBC became the subject of a human rights complaint over its handling of Furlong's speech.

In 2016, Furlong and Gareth Rees led Rugby Canada's bid for Vancouver's to host the World Rugby Sevens World Series event. He continues to chair the annual tournament.

In a December 2016 complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, six Northern British Columbia First Nations members formally accused the federal government and RCMP of racial and ethnic discrimination in mishandling their allegations that John Furlong abused them.

In July 2016, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) passed a resolution to pressure the federal government and the RCMP to formally investigate multiple abuse allegations against Furlong.

In January 2016, a complaint to the Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) sought to appeal a judge's decision due to incorrect information. CJC dismissed the complaint.

Furlong served as advisor to the organizers of the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, British Columbia.

In a November 2015 open letter, three First Nations hereditary chiefs and five Furlong accusers called on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to remove John Furlong from Own the Podium pending a hearing of their claims. Furlong left Own the Podium in July 2018.

Abuse allegations against Furlong have never been heard nor accepted as evidence in court. Three former students, who were not part of the Georgia Straight story, alleged that Furlong sexually, physically, and verbally abused them. In 2013, these three former students filed failed civil lawsuits against Furlong, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, the Roman Catholic Prince George Diocese, and the Catholic Independent Schools Diocese of Prince George.

In late 2013, Furlong and Renee Smith-Valade became romantic partners. The couple have shared a home since early 2014.

On September 26, 2012, The Georgia Straight published an article that reported allegations that children in the 1970s were physically and mentally abused while Furlong was a missionary and physical education teacher at Immaculata Catholic School, a residential school, in Burns Lake. The article, by journalist Laura Robinson, was supported by over 45 statements, including eight affidavits. Robinson's response to Furlong's defamation action included additional allegations supported by witness statements that he emotionally, physically, and sexually abused his first wife. A statement from his second wife alleged domestic violence.

In November 2012, Furlong filed, but later dropped, defamation suits against the Georgia Straight newspaper and journalist Laura Robinson. Robinson's response to Furlong's defamation action included additional allegations of abuse. Robinson's lawyer accused John Furlong of dropping the suit to avoid witnesses. In default judgements, Georgia Straight and Robinson were awarded legal costs.

Furlong and Deborah Sharp were married from 2012 until her death in a car accident in Ireland in April 2013.

In the aftermath of the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riots, at the request of then-Premier Christie Clark John Furlong and Douglas Keefe provided 53 recommendations in their September 2011 report, The Night the City Became a Stadium: Independent Review of 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup Playoffs Riot.

Since 2011, Furlong has served as a member of the corporate board of Canadian Tire retailer. He is also board chairman of the Canadian Tire charitable organization, Jumpstart, that funds youth sport called.

On February 12, 2011, the one-year anniversary of the Olympics, Furlong, with Globe and Mail journalist Gary Mason, published his autobiography Patriot Hearts – Inside the Olympics that Changed a Country.

His performance and leadership in the Canadian Sport community and specifically in the highly successful staging of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games led to wide recognition such as the Order of Canada and Order of British Columbia as well as numerous honorary degrees and other awards.

Furlong chaired the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation (2001–04) and pitched Vancouver in Prague in its bid to the International Olympic Committee to host the Winter Games.

Furlong was chair of Own the Podium, a Canadian not-for-profit organization created several years before the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games to develop Canada as a world leader in high performance sport. With Own the Podium support Team Canada won a record 26 medals at the Vancouver Olympic Games including an historic 14 gold medals.

In 2010, Furlong joined the board of Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. With the sale of Whistler Blackcomb Holdings to Vail Resprts in 2016, Furlong's term on the board ended.

Questions have been raised about the relationship between Furlong and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers who investigated abuse allegations against him. Some of these senior officers had worked closely with Furlong on Olympic security holding senior or oversight positions in security for the 2010 games in Vancouver. These relationships were not revealed and these officers did not recuse themselves from the investigation.

Biographies associated with his speaking engagements and awards such as the Order of British Columbia state that Furlong was the 1986 Canadian Squash Champion. In fact, Jamie Hickox won the 1986 title. John Furlong was one of three age group winners. Squash Canada does not recognize Furlong as the 1986 Canadian Squash Champion.

In 1984, Furlong married Gail Robb and had one child. The couple divorced in 2011.

In the lead up to 1978 Northern B.C. Winter Games, Furlong claimed he had competed in the Olympics two times. There is no evidence that Furlong appeared as an athlete at any Olympics.

In 1975, Furlong stated he had played internationally for Ireland for eight years. This claim is unsupported by a timeline that finds Furlong away from Ireland from age 18 to 20 years (1969–72) and from age 24 (1975 to the present).

Furlong wrote in Patriot Hearts that he arrived in Canada in 1974 with his wife and young family. He later admitted the date he arrived as a landed immigrant was not 1974 under cross-examination (Robinson v. Furlong).

Furlong lists May 14, 1974 as the date of the Dublin bombings. In fact, the Dublin bombings occurred on May 17.

Furlong wrote that the May 1974 terrorist bombings in Dublin and deaths of his cousin and his father prompted his decision to emigrate shortly thereafter in 1974. However, Furlong returned to Canada over a year following these events, in 1975.

Furlong wrote that he had been a "young teacher with just two years' experience" in 1974 when he accepted a job with a Prince George high school. In fact, he accepted the position with Prince George College (in 1975, not 1974) as a teacher with five years' combined experience at Immaculata Catholic School and Prince George College, 1969–72 and Newpark Comprehensive School, circa 1972–75. Furlong wrote that a recruiter visiting Ireland invited him to set up a high school athletic program in Prince George, British Columbia. In fact, Furlong was well known to Prince George College and recruiter Bishop Fergus O’Grady, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince George, as the former Frontier Apostle missionary who taught physical education until June 1972.

Furlong has never discussed his employment at Newpark Comprehensive School in Dublin Ireland (circa 1972–75). During this time, George Gibney, the disgraced former Irish national swim team coach, also managed athletics at the Newpark. In 1976, Furlong told a reporter only that he had managed a government sports centre in Ireland before returning to Canada.

In 1970, Furlong married Margaret Cook in Burns Lake British Columbia, Canada. Furlong and Cook are parents to four grown children.

In the late 1970s, Furlong lived with Dayle "Dee" Turner in a three-year common law marriage.

Furlong first visited Canada as a physical education teacher and missionary from 1969 to 1972 in the Canadian province of British Columbia in the communities of Burns Lake and Prince George. At the conclusion of his teaching term he returned home to Ireland and served as a sports administrator at Newpark Comprehensive School before emigrating to Canada in 1975. He was also president of the Arbutus Club, a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, and head of the BC Summer Games, BC Winter Games and Sport B.C.

That Furlong's visiting teacher and missionary years in Canada are not included in his book is controversial because the timeline coincides with allegations Furlong abused First Nations children while a missionary teacher at a school in Burns Lake (1969–70). Furlong had been a visiting teacher in Canada from 1969 to 1972 as a Frontier Apostle missionary at schools in Burns Lake and Prince George, British Columbia. In June 1972, Furlong returned to Ireland following threats against his life. Co-author Gary Mason has stated that Furlong never mentioned the visiting teacher years in Canada.

John Furlong, OC, OBC (born October 12, 1950) is a Canadian administrator of sports organizations widely recognized for overseeing the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics as President and CEO of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC).