Walter Ignace D'Hondt (born September 11, 1936 in Richmond, Surrey, England) is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 competition rower

Sport rowing

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

 and Olympic champion. Brother of Miss Canada

Miss Canada

Miss Canada was a scholarship competition for young women in Canada. It was founded in Hamilton in 1946. The first broadcast of the Miss Canada pageant aired in 1963 on CTV. The late Peter Jennings was host of the pageant in 1964....

 1959 Canadian-American-British Actress restauranteur and author, Danica d'Hondt
Father of famous Women's Basketball player Gillian d'Hondt uncle of film actress, America Olivo

America Olivo

America Olivo is an actress and singer most notable for her membership in the Spanish- & English-language band Soluna. Born in Los Angeles, she has multiple citizenships: US, Canadian, and Italian. Born to father Nello Olivo and mother Danica d'Hondt...

He received a gold medal in coxless fours at the 1956 Summer Olympics

1956 Summer Olympics

The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...

 in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, together with Archibald McKinnon, Lorne Loomer

Lorne Loomer

Lorne Loomer is a Canadian competition rower and Olympic champion.He received a gold medal in coxless fours at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, together with Archibald McKinnon, Walter D'Hondt and Donald Arnold....

 and Donald Arnold

Donald Arnold

Competitor for CanadaDonald John Arnold is a Canadian competition rower and Olympic champion....

.

At the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games

1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games

The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Cardiff, capital of Wales from 18–26 July 1958.Thirty-five nations sent a total of 1,130 athletes and 228 officials to the Cardiff Games and 23 countries and dependencies won medals, including, for the first time, Singapore, Ghana, Kenya...

, D'Hondt received a gold medal in eights, and a silver medal in coxed fours. He received a silver medal in eights at the 1960 Summer Olympics

1960 Summer Olympics

The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...

 in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, as a member of the Canadian team.

Awards

D'Hondt was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1958. He was inducted into British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 1966, and into University of Brithish Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 1993, together with the other members of the Olympic gold team.