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CPC names prominent Toronto doctor as 2010 Assistant Chef de Mission

07 December 2007

OTTAWA (December 7, 2007) – Dr. Gaétan Tardif, of Toronto, has been named as Assistant Chef de Mission for the Canadian team at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. He will work alongside 2010 Chef de Mission Blair McIntosh.



They will oversee all aspects of Team Canada’s preparation for the 2010 Vancouver Games, the premiere winter sporting event for athletes with a physical disability. The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games run March 12-21, 2010.

“It’s an honour to serve the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Paralympic athletes and coaches. My current involvement with the Beijing Mission has only strengthened my desire to remain connected to the Paralympic Movement in Canada,” said Tardif.

He is currently also Assistant Chef de Mission for the Canadian team heading to the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Summer Games, running from September 6-17, 2008 in China.

Tardif has extensive experience at Paralympic Games, having also served as Chief Medical Officer at the 2006 Turin Paralympic Winter Games and at the 2002 Salt Lake City Paralympic Winter Games, and as a team doctor at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Summer Games and at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Summer Games.

“Paralympic athletes are truly phenomenal. They are so amazing and inspiring – a joy to work with – and that’s what brings me back again and again,” stated Tardif, who is Vice-President of Patient Care and Chief Medical Officer at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.

He is also Academic Head of the Division of Physiatry at the University of Toronto, Head of the Division of Physiatry, Department of Medicine at the University of Health Network and Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital.

“I have always had an interest in leveraging the public awareness that the Paralympic Games create to promote the social and health benefits of participating in physical activities regardless of physical impairments,” says Tardif. “Hosting the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games will provide unprecedented exposure to the Paralympic Movement and help spread the word about the benefits of sport for Canadians with a physical disability. It will also enable us to showcase the incredible athletic feats of Canada’s elite Paralympic athletes to both our hometown crowds and internationally.”

McIntosh and Tardif’s initial key priorities will be finalizing the budget and operational plans for the Canadian team at the 2010 Games, selecting key volunteer members of their team and meeting with athletes and coaches.

“Gaetan’s involvement and experience in the Paralympic Games as Chief Medical Officer and currently the Assistant Chef for the 2008 Games will be a great asset to the success of the 2010 team,” said McIntosh. “I’m looking forward to working with Gaetan on building a very strong team for 2010.”  

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