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Born in Toronto in 1891, Alexandrine Gibb was encouraged at a young age to participate in sports, including attending Havergal College where she had access to some of the best gym equipment at the time. During World War I, women by necessity had taken on many responsibilities previously exclusive to men, including the management of sporting events. This participation continued well after the war with women gaining more opportunities to be involved in sporting events and their administration. Gibb had played on several different sports teams and in 1925 she became a preeminent sports journalist, writing for the Toronto Daily Star where she was a vocal advocate for equal access to facilities and representation in women’s sports.

Gibb’s tireless efforts to establish women’s sporting organizations on a national level and cement the idea of “girls’ sport run by girls”, led to her election as the manager of the Canadian Women’s Olympic team for the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. Prior to this, women had not not permitted to compete in track and field events as they were considered too delicate, or that their reproductive organs would be jostled by the rigours of the competition. It was under Gibbs’ tutelage that “The Matchless Six”, Canada’s first women’s Olympic team, went on to win several medals in track and field at the Games; and serve as pioneers in advancing the public perception of women in sports.

This silver tray presented to Gibb by the City of Toronto commemorates her achievements in both women’s rights and athletics.