title: Harold Backer
text: # Harold Backer
  
  Harold Backer (born 20 November 1962 in Selkirk, Manitoba) is a Canadian former Olympic rower and financial advisor.
  
  ## Olympic rowing
  
  He participated in three Olympic Games for the Canadian rowing team: 1984 in Los Angeles, 1988 in Seoul and 1992 in Barcelona.
  
  After retirement as an Olympic athlete, he became a rowing coach.
  
  ## Financial advisor and disappearance
  
  Backer established financial advisory firm Financial Backer Corp. In 2015 he disappeared after allegedly setting up a pyramid scheme that ran into trouble. His disappearance caused a B.C. wide search at the time, and was covered in an episode of The Fifth Estate.
  
  In April 2017 he turned himself in to the police.
  
  