HIGH ACHIEVERS: Canada chef de mission Erica Wiebe soaking up Commonwealth Games a dozen years after her coronation in Glasgow

By Martin Cleary

Twelve years and two days ago, freestyle wrestler Erica Wiebe walked into the Scottish Exhibition and Convention Centre in Glasgow, Scotland aiming to put forth her best performance in every match at her debut Commonwealth Games.

Keep the approach simple and avoid all the outside clutter.

The former Stittsville multi-sport athlete was true to her game plan, successful in all four matches and the recipient of the coveted 75-kilogram class gold medal.

Read 2014 Ottawa Sports Pages story: Turning the wrestling world on its head – Commonwealth Games gold the latest in Erica Wiebe’s breakout 2014 run to world #1

But she also earned something as equally important – belief in her athletic ability.

“It was my first Commonwealth Games with all the bells and whistles, lights and cameras. Competing and winning gave me the confidence to have success at Rio,” Wiebe said in a phone interview with High Achievers on Friday.

Wiebe, who would repeat as Commonwealth Games champion in 2018, discovered the ultimate success in Rio de Janeiro as she won the women’s 75-kilogram class gold medal with four straight victories at the Summer Olympic Games.

For the past few weeks, Wiebe has been out and about in Glasgow, but this time she’s not focused on strong wrestling performances, which might spark more potential podium presentations. Even if she wanted to represent Canada again at the current Commonwealth Games, she couldn’t, since wrestling isn’t part of the multi-sport calendar because of a scaled-back schedule of events.

Instead, the Calgary resident has assumed a new sidelines role, cheering, supporting and encouraging every Canadian athlete she sees as Team Canada’s chef de mission.

In April, 2025, Commonwealth Sport Canada announced Wiebe as Team Canada’s executive leader for the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Wiebe, who is manager of athlete relations for the Canadian Olympic Committee, was selected from 15 applicants.

“It’s a completely different experience,” Wiebe said about her Games roles as an athlete and a chef de mission. “I loved training, competing and performing. Now, I’m supporting Team Canada behind the scenes … and helping them have their best performances.

“It’s such an honour. There are challenges, but I’m so grateful. Generally, we have been very lucky (when it comes to challenges). All the Games have some kinks. For the first few days, it’s accommodation, transportation, schedules. But we have been able to make it through, riding on all positives.”

The smaller Games will end on Sunday before the Commonwealth Games movement looks ahead to its centennial celebration in 2030 in Ahmedabad (Amdavad), Gujarat, India. Victoria, Australia was originally scheduled to stage the 21-sport Games this year, but withdrew because of financial costs. Glasgow took on the challenge and played host to a 10-sport Games on a tight budget.

“It is so crazy,” Weibe added. “It has been such a positive experience. The saying in Glasgow is: People make Glasgow. Everyone we’ve met has been so unique and friendly. The infrastructures have been incredible.

“Glasgow stepped up on short time lines, when Victoria couldn’t do it. There was no government funding. But they said we can do it. They reimagined the Games, made hard decisions, put together a great plan and have executed it.”

When the Games organizers built their Games from the ground up, the 2026 version didn’t include wrestling.

“It was definitely disappointing it wasn’t on the schedule,” an understanding Wiebe said about her primary sport. “But they had to make tough decisions. It’s a different feel, but still a great experience, using existing facilities.”

A typical chef-de-mission day for Wiebe has her moving morning, noon and night. After planning her Thursday schedule on Wednesday night, Wiebe held a 7 a.m. support team meeting and then she threw herself into the Games, visiting the venues for judo, lawn bowls, wheelchair basketball, boxing and athletics. Travel is relatively fast and easy as all venues are within an eight-kilometre radius.

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Wiebe has seen a lot of positive results and provided plenty of support as the Games enter their final weekend.

“Team Canada has been blowing it out of the water,” she said excitedly. “They have competed so well. There has been lots of success in the pool, on the gymnastics apparatus, at the track and in wheelchair basketball.”

After the Day 8 competition on Friday, Canada was solidly in third place with 53 medals – 17 gold, 15 silver and 21 bronze. Australia tops the medal table at 55-30-43-128, while England is second at 17-34-29-80.

Wiebe entered her role rather blindly because it’s hard to train to be a chef de mission. But during her six multi-Games competition appearances, she kept an eye on how the support staff works with the athletes and how to handle a variety of issues.

“There’s no handbook or manual,” she explained. “But I was lucky to have incredible mentors. I have been to six multi-Games and seen a lot of Canadians in action. I felt well prepared.”

But just the same, that’s one of the lessons she will take away from her inaugural experience as a chef de mission.

“You can never have enough preparation. I’m learning about communication. It’s a different sport culture. It was eye-opening,” she summarized.

On Aug. 15, Wiebe will celebrate the 10th anniversary of her Olympic gold-medal wrestling performance in Rio and she wants to do it in style.

She will stage Stay Golden, which is a free family get together, featuring a clinic led by Wiebe for wrestlers ages eight to 11 in the afternoon inside the Erica Wiebe Gymnasium at the CARDEL Rec Centre in Stittsville from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. There are 10 spots remaining for the free clinic. For registration information, contact info@ericawiebe.ca.

There also will be exhibition wrestling matches, autograph signings with Wiebe, food trucks featuring fresh tacos and small batch handmade ice cream and a chance to meet fellow community members as well as local wrestlers and Olympians. The community celebration runs from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

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