Eugene Reimer was inducted as a member of the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 when he was honoured in the distinguished WAC Bennett Award category. His induction in the Athlete category marked the first time an athlete had been inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame as an individual twice.

In the late 1960s when wheelchair sports were in their infancy, Reimer took up the sport with a passion. With only minimal use of his legs since polio had left him paraplegic at an early age, he soon became one of the province’s top overall all-round athletes in the 1970s. Not content with perfecting a single sport, Reimer excelled in a diverse selection: weightlifting, archery, swimming, basketball, volleyball, and all track and field events. Even acrobatics was given a shot.

From 1968 until his athletic retirement in 1980, Reimer brought home a prolific number of gold, silver, and bronze medals from prestigious world events such as the International Paralympics (held jointly with the Olympic Games every four years) and the Pan American Wheelchair Games. In addition, he was a perennial winner at the BC Wheelchair Games and the Canadian National Wheelchair Games. During his twelve-year athletic career, he amassed over fifty national and nine international gold medals.

Undoubtedly, one of the high points of Reimer’s athletic career occurred in 1972. His incredible year culminated with outstanding performances at the Paralympics in Heidelberg, Germany where he took gold in both discus and pentathlon (setting a new world record) and silver for the 4 × 60m relay. Based on these results, Reimer was named Canadian “Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year.” This was the first time such a level of recognition had been awarded to an athlete with a disability. In 1974, Reimer was awarded the Order of Canada for his “inspiring example to the handicapped.”

Throughout his athletic career, Reimer, a long-time resident of Abbotsford, was also an avid basketball player, playing for nineteen years with the successful Vancouver Cable Cars. He remains an inspiration to all British Columbians.