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Norm O’Reilly poses for a portrait in his office in Copeland Hall at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He was the Assistant chief of the Canadian Paralympic Team and now is the chair of the Ohio University sports administration department. (HANNAH SCHROEDER | FOR THE POST)

OU Sports Administration Chair returns from Rio after serving role on Canada’s Paralympic team

After attending the 2016 Paralympic Games this past summer, Norm O’Reilly said he plans to stick a pushpin in Rio De Janeiro’s coordinates on the map in his office to mark the capital of the 53rd country he has visited — once he finds pushpins and free time.

For the past three weeks, as the assistant chef for the Canadian team, O’Reilly, who also chairs the Ohio University Sports Administration department, worked closely with former gold medal paralympian and Head Chef Chantal Petitclerc. The duo managed about 50 volunteers and staff members, attended Paralympic events, organized pep rallies and provided support for the Canadian team members.

“For those two weeks, it’s an 18-hour day. You’re in a meeting at 6 o’clock in the morning, and you’re at some sort of meeting until 12 o’clock at night,” O’Reilly, who lived in the Paralympic Village with the team during the games, said. “If you’re a runner — and I’m a runner — you have to run at 4:30 in the morning.”

O’Reilly became interested in working in the Paralympics when he was first exposed to wheelchair basketball in the late ‘90s, he said.

“I was really amazed by the power of sport. It’s changing people’s lives,” O’Reilly said. “It’s pulling them from depression.”

When the Paralympics were created after World War II as a competitive athletic outlet for wounded veterans, only a few countries competed in the games. The variety of backgrounds of paralympians has since expanded. This summer, 159 countries were represented at the games.

“It’s just a great place to be … you’re meeting people from all over the world,” O’Reilly said. “Everyone is so happy.”

Most paralympians who competed in the games were injured while serving in the military or from work place or drunken driving accidents, O’Reilly said. 

“When (an accident) happens to somebody, their life can change for the worst. They get depressed … but if they get involved in swimming or wheelchair rugby, they get off their couch and out of depression,” O’Reilly said. “They go out and get jobs and get reengaged in society.” 

O’Reilly was inspired by the positive energy from those both on the team and in the stands. He helped promote a positive and performance-focused culture among Canadian paralympians as they worked toward their goal of placing in the top 16 countries overall.

“During the games, all you’re focused on is high-performance sport,” O’Reilly said.

Since the Paralympics became an official partner with the Olympics in the early 2000s, the games have become increasingly competitive as more and more countries scout athletic talent earlier and earlier, O’Reilly said. However, O’Reilly was on-stage as his country’s flag was raised and its anthem was sung for each of Canada’s eight gold medal ceremonies, and by the end of the games, Canada placed 14th.

Nadège Levallet, assistant professor of Management and Information Systems, said O’Reilly’s work at the games this year and in years past has made both the faculty and their family proud. 

“Our children Emma, Kian, Thomas, Leland and I felt very proud when we saw him march behind the Canadian flag bearer alongside the paralympians during the opening ceremony,” Levallet said in an email. “He is one of few sports academics who manage to conduct impactful research while still contributing to various sports organizations.”

O’Reilly’s involvement as assistant chef could impress prospective students, as it speaks to the professor’s ability to remain relevant and active in sport management, Gary Coombs, chair and professor of the Management Department for the College of Business, said.

“The fact that he’s engaged in the profession at such a high level is certainly going to filter through (to prospective students),” Coombs said. “You know the phrase, ‘those who can’t do, teach?' Well, here’s a person who’s doing both.”

@hopiewankenobe

hr503815@ohio.edu

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