2025 Canada Games Profile

With the Canada Games underway, Swim Ontario is highlighting some of the officials who made the trip to Newfoundland!

Steve Sachs might be considered in the often-heard expression “the little fish in the big pond”.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite. He’s a very important person in a large group, has a huge positive influence on others and receives a great deal of respect for what he does.

Having achieved so much, Sachs knows that there are many more challenges over the horizon – and a major one is not far off. More about that as you read on.

A bright and jovial individual, modest in many ways, his gift to humanity is always about looking for ways to make things better.

As a youngster, he was fascinated with how the human body worked. His dream was to become a doctor – and to improve opportunities for people. While his academic adventures would lead him in a different direction, the personal gratification of contributing to help others was something that stuck with him.

His journey in life took him from the days of being raised and educated in Pickering to becoming responsible and committed as a multi-sport athlete. What followed were the experiences of working in a deli followed by employment in the manufacturing world at Wrigley – the multinational candy and chewing gum company.

Then, it was off to a huge corporation – a place of employment for 20 years. From field service operations and fixing machines, he went to become a mid-management executive with Xerox. Experience, knowledge and a focus on achievement were distinguishing qualities of excellence that added to his genuine personality.

“I was a repair person at heart – interested in medicine and being there to make things work well for others,” said Sachs, who now resides in Oshawa and is the father of three girls – and only one is a swimmer.

That connection to aquatics led him to a major involvement in sport.

While his career is in operations and technical support management, something that’s easy to say but requiring much more time and detail to elaborate on, Sachs has had a heartfelt partnership in another facet of making things work well.

It’s the duty of administering rules in sport. Others know it by one word – officiating.

The 55-year-old Sachs has his Level 4 swim official certification. Later this year, he will travel to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, where he plans to add to his credentials at the World Para Swimming International training session.

Having recently administered the Ontario Open Water championships at Gull Lake in Gravenhurst, the focus is now on St. John’s, Nfld. It’s the site of the 16th Canada Games – and will be accommodating close to 10,000 people consisting of athletes, coaches, and managers. Volunteers are required for such a massive event.

As for the competition and the involvement of Sachs, we turn to Healey’s Pond in Rotary Sunshine Park, where as many as 50 male and female swimmers - from across the country - will compete for awards in the three-kilometres course.

For Sachs, it’s his second time to the national showcase of elite amateur athletes.

“I used to swim as a kid, but it was all about leisure as, ironically, I was not a distance swimmer,” he said. “Open water competition is what I call combat swimming in a lake, pond or ocean – water surrounded by a group of swimmers rather than lanes.”

Sachs is the Chief Referee for the Open water event – and with the detailed responsibility that involves the technical aspect.

“It’s my second time (to the Canada Games) and when I was offered the opportunity – I didn’t hesitate to accept (the officiating job),” he said. “I was humbled by the offer and, as officials, we will do whatever is necessary to make this a memorable event.”

Joining Sachs at the Canada Games – and on the seven-member supervisory delegation for Ontario are Trevor Cowan as the technical lead and para technical advisor Sanda Rousseau. Canada’s largest province will also have four master technical officials - Ahmed Abdelfattah, Tina Cerqua, Libby Leung-Kalman and Siobhán Muldowney.

Sachs has his own way of motivating people, especially athletes often absorbed by nerves and last second adjustments. He refers to the words of the great Vince Lombardi “we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.”

“At the Ontario Swimming Championships, I put up a banner that said ‘Moment of Joy’ so everyone could see (at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre)” he said. “It sets the right tone and focus, to achieve a level of excellence and have fun.”

Medals, trophies and citations don’t exist for Sachs. There is no pizzaz or flash of jubilation. Yet, he does have his own collection of awarding experiences.

“My reward, as an official, is the personal satisfaction that I did something for someone and supported them to be better,” he added. “It’s the internal gratification that I did something right.”

Thirty-four swimmers will compete for Ontario in the Canada Summer Games. In the Olympic stream, there are 24 athletes, Paralympic athletes total six while Special Olympics has four swimmers.

David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 50+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.