A capital celebration for Team Canada’s Paris 2024 Olympians

Four months ago, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games were in full swing and Team Canada was on its way to a performance for the ages: 27 medals, nine of them gold. Both numbers represent Canada’s second-best medal haul at one Olympic Summer Games.

Though the Olympic flame was extinguished in August, for a couple of chilly days in early December, the excitement and energy burned bright once again as Team Canada Olympians and Paralympians gathered in Ottawa for a celebration of their journeys and accomplishments.

On Tuesday night, the Canadian Museum of History provided a spectacular location for Olympians and Paralympians to receive their official Olympic and Paralympic Team rings presented by Teck.

“For me, a lot of these people are my role models. We’re so lucky on Team Canada to have such amazing athletes. And so being able to hang out with someone like Ellie Black, and just remind them that even though I’m an athlete, that ‘I look up to you, and you inspire me.’ We don’t get to do that very often…so this has been really special to catch up.”
– Evan Dunfee, Race Walk, Tokyo 2020 Bronze Medallist

Also part of that celebration was the presentation of the James Worrall Flag Bearer Awards presented by Petro-Canada. Among the athletes honoured was Paris 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony flag bearer Maude Charron.

“It’s such a special moment when we all come together as a family. Olympians and Paralympians don’t often get the chance to be in the same space, so it’s fun to reconnect, share stories, and inspire each other. It’s great to hear everyone’s personal experiences…After the Games, we all go through our own challenges, so it’s nice to hear how others are coping with the post-Olympic period and to share tools and advice to support one another.”
– Maude Charron, Weightlifting, Two-Time Olympic Medallist

Earlier in the day, the Game Plan Summit, organized by Canada’s Total Athlete Wellness Program, was a chance for the Olympians and Paralympians in attendance to learn, be inspired, and connect. Among the expert speakers they heard from was Olympic champion moguls skier Jenn Heil, as well as Olympic wrestling champion Carol Huynh, Olympic medallist in taekwondo and Game Plan advisor Dominique Bosshart, three-time Paralympic medallist in para hockey Todd Nicholson, and JP Shearer from the Smith School of Business.

“I think it’s been really fun to finally get the chance to meet so many people whose faces I recognize, whose stats I know, but I’ve never met them. I think that’s been the craziest part—I feel like I know so many of these athletes, except that we’ve never had any face to face interaction! So I think that’s probably been the most fun part, getting to know everyone, make some friends and be able to celebrate everyone’s success.”
– Camryn Rogers, Hammer Throw, Paris 2024 Gold Medallist

The climax of the celebration came on Wednesday as more than 180 Olympians and Paralympians went to Parliament Hill to be recognized on the floor of the House of Commons. A few of them even had a chance to sit in the Speaker’s Chair!

“I’ve enjoyed being here with all the athletes. It’s such a different environment. We work so hard to compete at the Games and then hopefully to perform at the Games—everyone’s very focused and into their training and preparation. So to come here and just celebrate our accomplishments and also just enjoy each other’s company and get to know each other better. I think at Games, we say hi and we chat a bit, but it’s mostly in passing while we’re on our way to training or competition. So to finally have a chance to really get to know each other is nice because as athletes, we have so much in common.”
– Skylar Park, Taekwondo, Paris 2024 Bronze Medallist

Yes, the greatest joy for just about every athlete in attendance was the chance to mix and mingle with those they haven’t seen since they were all competing so proudly for Canada in Paris.

“When you leave the [Olympic] Village, it feels like your experience is kind of cut short and you just go back to your real life and you’re far away from all these other athletes. So it’s really nice to come back here and tie it all up, connect with everyone, share stories about how the Games went for you, and to just say a bit of a farewell until the next time.”
– Charity Williams, Rugby, Two-Time Olympic Medallist