Athlete Mentor at the 2018 Winter Olympics
- Details
- Tuesday, 12 September 2017 23:27
I am incredibly happy and honoured to announce that I will be joining our PyeongChang 2018 Mission Team as Athlete Mentor alongside Jeane Lassen, Vincent Marquis and Catriona Le May Doan. It will be my first Winter Olympic Games but the fourth ones that will experience. This time, I will work behind the scene to help our athletes to perform. It is going to be an intense adventure.
As an athlete, I had the privilege to have an incredible environment at the three Olympic Games that I competed at. With France or Canada, there was a team working relentlessly behind the scene to make it happen. With this Athlete Mentor position, my role and missions will be varied and it is my turn to work in shadow and put athletes first.
We will be on site for more than four weeks. A week before to set things up and a week after the closing ceremony to pack everything up. I will be based in the Coastal Village with Jeane Lassen, a former Olympic weightlifter. We will set the Athletes’ Lounge up before the village officially opens. The Lounge will be the go-to-place for the athletes before, during and after their competition. Our role will be to run the place et support the Olympians throughout the Games. Some will need to talk or find a quiet place to stay away from the heat, when others will need to ease off on the pressure. Who to better understand an athlete than an athlete?
It is going to be intense and a great opportunity to give back a fraction of what I have received throughout my career, while discovering a different aspect of the Olympic Games. When I apply for the position (1) a couple of months ago, not only did I put forward my ability to interact in French and English, but I expressed my desire to share my diverse Olympic experience and to be there for everyone. Medallist or not. Experienced or novice. Every Olympian experiences the Games in a different way, and I for sure experienced three widely different Olympic Games.
It might be a twist of fate, but the only world championships that I missed over the course of my career were the 2013 World Rowing Championships in…South Korea. It seems like it had to happen at some point, and I will have the chance to discover a new country and a new culture.
I am looking forward to starting working and to helping our athletes have the experience of a lifetime. Next step: orientation and work seminar in Toronto mid-October.
“The Adventure goes on…”
(1) The Athlete Mentor position is a volunteer position. Accommodation and travel are covered by the Canadian Olympic Committee.
For more details: CLICK HERE
