Chiropractic Included At Vancouver Winter Olympic Games

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, include chiropractic care inside the Olympic Village Polyclinic, a multi-disciplinary facility offering comprehensive healthcare and medical services.

While DCs have historically been included on the Olympic medical staff, this year’s events mark the first time that DCs from the host country will be treating athletes and officials from around the world directly inside the Polyclinic.

“This is an historic event not only for the chiropractic profession, but also the athletes who will now have access to the care that will help them prepare their bodies for competition,” states Michael Reed, DC, MS, DACBSP, and team USA’s medical director (USOC). “These athletes train hard and endure significant physical demands. Sports-focused DCs, along with other members of the sports medicine team, are specially skilled to assist them in reaching peak performance.”

Chiropractic care has experienced several major moments in Olympic history, dating back to Leroy Perry, DC, who provided chiropractic care to athletes representing Antigua during the 1976 Games in Montreal, Canada. During the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NY, George Goodheart, DC, became the first official chiropractor appointed to the U.S. team.

With each subsequent Olympic Games and Pan American Games, the U.S. teams — along with a growing number of other national teams — have included at least one doctor of chiropractic on their medical staff.

“Inclusion inside the Polyclinic is another major milestone for the chiropractic profession, and we are grateful to the host city of Vancouver, the head of medical services at the Polyclinic, Jack Taunton, MD, and to Robert Armitage, DC, who helped make this possible,” says USOC Director of Sports Medicine Clinics, Bill Moreau, DC, DACBSP.