50 years of Sport PEI Awards – Mark Arendz
The 2023 Sport PEI awards will be our 50th edition! To celebrate this milestone, we wanted to take time this year to look back at those who have received the Lieutenant Governor’s award as PEI’s top athlete of the year.
Mark Arendz – Para Nordic ski and Biathlon
“It’s a huge privilege receiving the Lieutenant Governor Award. I’ve been honoured to share this award with some fantastic Island athletes. To be recognized as the province’s highest-achieving athlete for the year is truly special.”
Mark Arendz is no stranger to the Sport PEI awards. In the past 10 years, Mark has been recognized for several awards, including 6 times as the Lieutenant Governor’s award winner. In 2013 and 2014, Mark was a co-winner (with Heather Moyse) of the award after winning the overall World Cup title in ’13 and winning a silver and bronze medal at the 2014 Paralympics.
Mark was a co-winner (with Brett Gallant) for PEI’s top athlete in 2016, when he won 2 silver and one bronze medal at a World Cup event, and 2017, winning 5 medals at the World Championships, 3 medals at the Olympic test event and 2 medals at the World Cup final.
As the sole winner of the award in 2018, Mark had one of his best seasons yet, winning 6 Paralympic medals at the 2018 games, the most ever by a Canadian at a single Paralympic winter games. Competing at his 4th Paralympic games in 2022 and coming home with 4 medals, Mark was once again named as PEI’s top athlete at our most recent awards show in December 2022. With his 6 Lieutenant Governor awards, Mark has won the award more times than anyone in Sport PEI’s history.
Feel free to share with us your favourite Sport PEI awards memory!