Jean Berthiaume (Canada), who was already a volunteer at Rio 2016: “It’s an enriching experience”

After participating in Vancouver 2010 as a torchbearer then as a volunteer at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Berthiaume is ready for a new experience at 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 to become a volunteer again at the Olympic Games.

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

His greatest Olympic memory comes from the Atlanta 1996 athletics, when Bruny Surin and his fellow Canadians won the gold medal in the 4x100m relay, beating the big favorites, the United States. “I saw it live [por televisión] and it made me jump with happiness,” he remembers with emotion.

Berthiaume also likes to travel. With his wife, he visited almost the entire American continent. His love of travel is one of the reasons why he decided to apply as a volunteer for Paris 2024, in addition to wanting to experience the emotion of the Olympic Games in a French-speaking country; an opportunity that doesn’t always present itself.

“I think it is very rewarding to share sport, travel, relationships and experiences with millions of people from all over the world who are there to watch the Olympic Games. As a sports fan at heart, the Games offer all this combination.”

Following his experience as a volunteer during the Rio 2016 golf events, Berthiaume will have the pleasure of joining the Protocol team on the greens of Guyancourt, near Paris, next summer.