THUNDER BAY — A celebration of life will be held on Sept. 12, 2021 for the late Slavomir Kardas, a giant in the development and promotion of ski jumping as a sport in Thunder Bay and across Canada.
Kardas died in Thunder Bay on July 4 at the age of 76.
Born in Poland in 1945, he competed in ski jumping for his native country at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France.
A year later, he left for Canada as a refugee.
While he was living in southern Ontario, Kardas was hired as the country's first national ski jumping coach.
He was subsequently sent to Thunder Bay where he chose Mount Norway as the site for a new national sports facility, and assisted in the construction of the Big Thunder ski jumps.
Among his numerous other achievements, Kardas captured the title of world masters champion at a ski jumping competition in Steamboat Springs, Col.
His obituary notes throughout most of his life he continued to be a coach as well as a competitor, "always giving back to the community the skills of the sport he was so passionate about."
The celebration of Slav Kardas's life will take place in September at the Mount Baldy Ski Area.
Correction: A previous version of this story included an incorrect year for the 1968 Winter Olympics
