Jean Berthiaume (Canada), volunteer at Rio 2016: “It’s a very enriching experience”

After participating in Vancouver 2010 as a torchbearer, then as a volunteer at the Pan American Games in Toronto in 2015 and at the Rio 2016, Berthiaume are you ready for a new experience in Paris 2024.

This 58-year-old French-speaking Canadian is semi-retired and worked in the water treatment sector in Quebec. His lifelong “passion for sport” motivated him to apply as a volunteer for the Olympic Games.

Berthiaume particularly likes “motivating people to move more, because it is very important for physical and mental health”.

Your favorite Olympic memory comes from Athletics In Atlanta 1996When Bruny Surin and their Canadian compatriots won the gold medal in the men’s 4x100m relay, beating the United States, heavy favorites in the event. “I watched it live [na televisão] and it made me jump with happiness,” he remembers with emotion.

Berthiaume is also a travel enthusiast; alongside his wife, he visits almost every continent. This is one of the reasons why he applied to volunteer at Paris 2024, but also because he wanted to experience the emotion of the Olympic Games in a French-speaking country – an opportunity that doesn’t come around very often.

“I find it very enriching [combinar] the sport, the travel, the relationships and the experiences shared with millions of people around the world who are there to watch the Olympic Games. As a sports fan at heart, the Games offer it all. »

After his volunteer experience in Golf at Rio 2016, Berthiaume will be happy to join the protocols team at the Guyancourt camps, near Paris, next summer.