COC celebrates the team behind the team with 50 days to go to Paris 2024
MONTREAL (June 6, 2024) – With 50 days to go until the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) has announced key members of its Mission Team who will support Team Canada.
- Christine Girard, OLY and Rosie MacLennan, OLY – Athlete Services Officers
- Dr. Suzanne Leclerc – Chief Doctor
- Dr. Karen MacNeill – Mental Health Lead
- Dr. Alexis Gagnon-Dolbec and Lisa Hoffart – Mental Health Practitioners
- Evelyne Telmosse – Performance Dietician
“Paris 2024 marks a return of an Olympic Games at the scale of which we haven’t seen in a long time. We have a dedicated Mission Team eager to embrace the opportunity to support the incredible athletes set to represent Canada in Paris,” said Eric Myles, COC Chief Sport Officer. “This special group of dedicated individuals from across the country is determined to provide the best possible performance environment where mental and physical health are at the forefront. Together, we are committed to supporting the entire Team Canada delegation through what will be an unforgettable Olympic Games.”
In their roles as Athlete Services Officers, Girard and MacLennan will act as the “front of house” in the Team Canada building of the Olympic Village servicing all Team Canada members. They will be a key contact for providing information, helping connect team members and act as a key support and friendly resource to athletes in meeting the challenges of performing at the Olympic Games, while working to maintain a positive and welcoming experience for the entire Canadian delegation.
Girard is Canada’s first Olympic champion in weightlifting, having won the gold medal in the women’s 63kg category at London 2012. In her Olympic debut at Beijing 2008, she captured bronze and became the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic weightlifting medal. Both of those medals were awarded several years later when athletes who had initially placed ahead of her were disqualified due to doping infractions. This experience led to Girard becoming an active ambassador and advocate for safe, ethical and fair sport. She is an International Testing Agency Education Ambassador and an International Weightlifting Federation Anti-Doping Commission Member. Girard also served as Team Canada’s Chef de Mission for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, and will use her experience in that role to further support the Canadian Olympic Team at Paris 2024.
“I am incredibly excited to support Team Canada and have the chance to be surrounded by such amazing and inspiring people at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” said Girard. “This opportunity is even more meaningful, considering my experience as Chef de Mission at the Pan American Games where I witnessed so many historic performances by Team Canada! I can’t wait to be there with and for our Canadian team and witness their demonstration of all the qualities that makes us so proud to wear the maple leaf. It will be an amazing experience for us all!”
MacLennan is a four-time Olympian and two-time Olympic champion (London 2012 and Rio 2016) in trampoline gymnastics. She is the first trampolinist to ever win back-to-back Olympic gold medals, the first Canadian athlete to successfully defend an Olympic title at the summer Games, and the first Canadian woman to win two gold medals in an individual event at the summer Games. Going into Rio 2016 as the defending Olympic champion, MacLennan was named Team Canada’s Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony flag bearer. Tokyo 2020 was MacLennan’s final Olympic appearance. She placed fourth after battling back from a severe ankle injury in the final weeks leading up to the Olympic Games. She has a Master of Science in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from the University of Toronto. Following Tokyo, she completed a Masters of Business Administration from Stanford University in 2023. MacLennan continues to give back to sport, and is the current chair of the Canadian Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission.
“I am honoured to have the opportunity to be part of Team Canada in a different capacity at Paris 2024 as an Athlete Services Officer,” said MacLennan. “I am thrilled to be part of the ‘team behind the team’ and to be able to use my experience to support Canadian athletes during what is sure to be an extraordinary Olympic Games. Every Olympic journey is so special, and I’m so excited to be able to play a role in helping to make sure Team Canada’s experience at Paris 2024 is world-class.”
Girard and MacLennan will work alongside Bruny Surin, Team Canada’s Paris 2024 Chef de Mission.
”Leading the team behind the team and working alongside fellow Olympians Christine and Rosie, who share the common purpose of supporting Team Canada, is indescribable,” said Bruny Surin, Team Canada Chef de Mission for Paris 2024. “Our support team is made up of dedicated and experienced professionals to ensure that Canadian athletes are at their peak in Paris. The excellence of our mission team demonstrates our collective commitment to creating a positive and sustainable legacy, united by a common goal: to make Canada shine in Paris.”
Dr. Karen MacNeill will serve as Team Canada’s Mental Health Lead for Paris 2024. MacNeill, who is a Registered Psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant, has worked with athletes in the mental performance and mental health field at five previous Olympic Games. She served as Team Canada’s Lead Mental Performance and Mental Health Consultant at PyeongChang 2018, Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022. MacNeill has over 20 years of experience supporting athletes’ mental fitness and health, and has also represented Canada internationally as a field hockey athlete, prior to beginning her mental performance and mental health career.
Collaborating with Dr. MacNeill, Dr. Alexis Gagnon-Dolbec and Lisa Hoffart will serve as Team Canada’s Mental Health Practitioners. Dr. Gagnon-Dolbec, a bilingual clinical psychologist and mental performance consultant, works closely with many National Sport Organizations, as well as working as a sport psychologist with the Institut national du sport du Québec (INS Québec). Hoffart is a Registered Psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant and also serves as a Game Plan Advisor with Game Plan, Canada’s national athlete wellness program. Her wealth of experience in this field, including serving in the role of Team Canada’s Mental Health Lead at Santiago 2023, will be invaluable to the mental health services that the mental health team will provide the entire Team Canada delegation at Paris 2024.
Dr. Suzanne Leclerc has been selected as Team Canada’s Chief Doctor for Paris 2024, under the leadership of Dr. Mike Wilkinson, the COC’s Chief Medical Officer. A sports medicine expert with experience at more than 10 previous major Games dating back to Salt Lake City 2002, she currently serves as Medical Director at the INS Québec. Dr. Leclerc will build off her experience as Team Canada’s Chief Doctor at Santiago 2023. Alongside Brigitte Gauthier, who has been selected as Team Canada’s Chief Therapist, Dr. Wilkinson, Dr. Leclerc and Gauthier will lead a core health services team of 14 physicians and therapists, in addition to several sport-specific health practitioners.
The role of Team Canada’s Performance Dietician for Paris 2024 will be filled by Evelyne Telmosse, who served in this role for Santiago 2023 as well. Telmosse is a nutritionist at the INS Québec, supporting athletes with performance nutrition on a day-to-day basis, as well as working with many National Sports Organizations and Cirque du Soleil artists.
The Canadian Olympic Committee is on track to nominate approximately 345 Team Canada athletes to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, who will be supported by a team of approximately 520 coaches, support staff and Mission Team. There will be a total of 22 Canadian Olympians and three Pan American Games athletes supporting Team Canada as part of the Mission Team in a variety of functional areas including Maison Olympique du Canada operations, legal services, outfitting, performance integration, photography and Village operations, among others.
The Canadian Olympic Committee extends its gratitude to the 120 volunteers who will also be part of the team behind the team. The Team Canada volunteer program includes Canadians who will travel to Paris from coast to coast to coast, including one volunteer from Nunavut, as well as local French volunteers who will support operations at Maison Olympique du Canada, as well as with outfitting and digital operations. Many long-time volunteers began supporting Team Canada at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games begin on July 26 and end August 11, 2024, and will feature approximately 10,500 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees competing across 32 sports. Nine sports thus far have announced their athletes nominated to the Canadian Olympic Team, with more than 25 more team announcements to come throughout the next month.
To stay updated on the latest news and information about Paris 2024, please visit our Press Resources page.
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