By Evan Midford, Website & Social Media Coordinator
The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and its community is saddened by the recent passing of Mary Dopson.
Dopson, nee Pittas, passed away on January 15, 2024, at the amazing age of 105.
While Mary was born in Scotland, her family moved to Fort Rouge in 1919 where she lived for most of her life.
Dopson fell in love with track and field while attending Sargent Park. At the Manitoba Girl’s Track & Field championships of 1934, Pitts set a provincial record of 15′ 3″ in the junior broad jump. She was also part of the winning 400m junior relay team.
Pitts continued in track and field, competing in a variety of disciplines, including various dashes and the broad jump. She qualified for the 1936 Olympics, but was unable to compete due to funding issues. Undeterred, she competed for Canada at the 1938 British Empire Games.
After retiring from active competition, Dopson continued in athletics as a coach and was an active advocate for women in sport.
Dopson was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 and was the oldest honouree in its 40-year-plus history. Read her Honoured Member profile here.
