Rich Trenholm, a sports medicine physician in Muskoka, said being on Team Canada’s medical team at the Olympic Games in Paris was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he will never forget.
With just five positions to fill, Trenholm competed against doctors from across Canada for the job. Working on various sporting events at all levels, including the Pan American Games in Chile in 2023, helped him get there. “It’s been about 15 years in the making to get to this point,” he said.
Now, back in Huntsville, he is frequently asked how his holiday was, and he laughs because it was definitely not a holiday. “Work for me was basically starting anywhere between 7 or 8 in the morning, and you worked until 11 or 12 at night, and you lost track of days… and it was extremely hot over there,” he said.
Given the state of the world, Trenholm was a little nervous at first, but he said that knowing that there were 55,000 extra police officers and armed personnel and enhanced security measures helped put him at ease. “It was hard for people with the appropriate accreditation to get through the various checkpoints on a regular basis. Every time you went into or out of a venue, you had to go through a metal detector, and there were helicopters always flying around – especially during the opening and closing ceremonies… at no point did I ever feel unsafe… even when using public transport.”
The medical team stayed in a satellite accommodation just outside of the Olympic Village and made their way in and out of the village daily. From there, secure transportation awaited them to take the athletes and their teams to the competition venues scattered around Paris. “They had dedicated lanes just for the buses and games-related vehicles to travel in, so it was tricky at the beginning because there was such a strain on the transportation personnel, like bus drivers, and they had to bring in bus drivers from surrounding communities. And so, some of them had never driven in Paris, so they didn’t really know where to go, and they were going on Google maps [to figure out]where to go, and Google maps didn’t take into account all the road closures and barricades that were up, so it made it extra challenging. Sometimes, it took an hour longer than anticipated to get to a venue, but eventually, we got there,” said Trenholm with a laugh, chalking it all up to experience.
He said the basketball team was comprised of beautiful human beings. He said the medical team was made to feel like they were family. “I was not only a doctor, but I was a water boy, a towel getter, I was equipment go-getter, and they allowed me to cheer as loud as I wanted to and be part of their huddle before they got on to the court, which is unheard of for a lot of sports. For them to include me in that just really made my Olympic experience, you know, next level—something I’ll never forget.”
Given the opportunity to go to another Olympic Games, Trenholm said he’d do it again. “I mean, it’s the pinnacle of a sports medicine doc’s career to have that opportunity.”
When participants were in the Olympic Village, Trenholm said it was as if there were no borders. “We had great conversations and celebrations with people from around the world. The Canadian building was right beside the Israeli building, and the Palestinians were just around the corner, and the US, who are unspoken rivals, were just down the street, and everybody, once inside the village, the borders were gone. Everybody celebrated victories, and there was no ill will that you could even see, hear, or palpate. It was a true melting pot of people.” He said seeing athletes make friends with their competitors and how everyone sat down and laughed together when they were not competing was truly special.
Rich Trenholm and the iconic Olympic Games symbol, each ring representing Earth’s five continents.
The iconic Eiffel Tower, where the volleyball games were held, thanks to help from Huntsville’s own Hutcheson Sand & Mixes.
Dr. Trenholm doing what he does best at the Olympic Games in Paris.
The Olympic Village, the home away from home for athletes during the games.
Seine River selfie where the swimming competitions were held at the Paris Olympics
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