Harold Milavsky

Major Accomplishments

Instrumental in the building of the Rexall Centre on the York University campus in 2004.
Provided significant contributions to the Canadian Davis Cup team in terms of sponsorship.
Donated a considerable amount of money to the Tennis Canada Tennis Matters fund.
Chairman of Tennis Canada Board of Directors from 2001-2004.

Biography

Tennis has been a part of Harold Milavsky’s life for many years. Tennis is also a part of his extended family as one of his grandsons, Alex Moltsky, received a tennis scholarship at Adelphi University in New York and played on the varsity tennis team.

Milavsky has served two different terms on the Tennis Canada Board with his total tenure extending 11 years. He is a true builder of Canadian tennis, with significant contributions to the building of the world-class Rexall Centre in Toronto and Canada’s Davis Cup team.

In 2001, Milavsky was elected chair of the Tennis Canada Board of Directors. Getting a new facility built in Toronto would become the project that defined his chairmanship.

Milavsky was also a member of the Toronto Building Committee and he led the project by securing the land, securing the financial arrangements and setting deadlines for the venue. He was determined to stay within the budget and to have the facility up and running in just 11 months. In July 2004, just three months from the end of Milavsky’s three-year term, the Rexall Centre on York University campus was open.

From 2002-2008 Tennis Canada staged five Davis Cup ties in Calgary – the home of Milavsky. He was not a Davis Cup player himself, but he did play off court, to help make the event successful. In total, Milavsky single-handedly raised over $1 million of Davis Cup revenue from two levels of government in Alberta, from numerous local sponsorships and from his personal selling of hundreds of stadium boxes. This level of revenue generation allowed Tennis Canada to earn a surplus from each of these ties.

In recognition of his significant contribution to the Canadian Davis Cup team and the successful staging of ties in Calgary, the 2006 version of the Canadian team granted Milavsky with the rightful title – “Honorary” Captain.