When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
DCs Meet with Olympic Sports Officials
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Local chiropractor Gary Wood and ACA Sports Council DCs Jan Corwin (president) and Dr. Thomas Hyde (exec. dir.), met with US Olympic officials to discuss chiropractic involvement with the new San Diego ARCO Olympic Training Center. The new center is scheduled to open the first or second week of February 1995.
Through the efforts of Dr. Wood, who has been active in local sports medicine activities, a meeting with Mr. Bob Beeten (dir. of sports medicine, US Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs); Ms. Gloria Chadwick, chief of operations, San Diego Olympic Training Center; and Ms. Ann Bolzoni (asst. fundraiser, USOC), was arranged.
Dr. Hyde reported the meeting resulted in seven positive outcomes:
- Chiropractic services will be provided at the San Diego ARCO Olympic Training Center on the same basis as is currently in effect at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and will go through the same requirement program in San Diego. The USOC Sports Medicine Department will use the same chiropractors currently in use for the selection and evaluation of each chiropractic applicant. Additional personnel for selection purposes will be added as needed.
- Dr. Gary Wood will serve as the local liaison between the San Diego ARCO Olympic Training Center and the chiropractic profession. The USOC Sports Medicine Department will continue to use the services of Dr. Wood or other local DCs during the year when the two-week internship is not in effect. Dr. Wood will continue to represent chiropractic locally by attending meetings and covering events as directed.
- The long range goals of the USOC Sports Medicine Department is to provide year-round health care personnel, including chiropractors, to take care of the athletes at the San Diego ARCO Olympic Training Center. This goal is at least three years from fruition.
- Dr. David Joyner will be contacted regarding placing a chiropractic representative on the endowment committee.
- We will make every reasonable effort to provide funds (at least $100,000) for the San Diego ARCO Olympic Training Center's Sports Medicine Department through the endowment committee. The money will be payable over a yet undetermined time. We would have the option at the end of each year to evaluate our involvement prior to a commitment for the upcoming year.
- We would continue to work with Ms. Gloria Chadwick through Dr. Wood and the chiropractic profession as well as Ms. Ann Bolzoni. We will also continue to work with the Sports Medicine Department and the existing Sports Medicine Program.
- The USOC Sports Medicine Department and the San Diego ARCO Olympic Training Center will forward all inquiries related to the inclusion of chiropractic services through Dr. Wood and his committee. This committee will handle these inquiries and relieve the Sports Medicine Department of this burden.
Dr. Hyde termed the outcome of the meeting "another major step in the process of including chiropractors in the treatment of athletes at all levels." He noted the many chiropractic sports pioneers who have contributed to making this all possible, a list to long to publicly acknowledge, including the invaluable support of DCs participating in the USOC programs in Colorado Springs, and those who have gone on to represent chiropractic at the Olympic Sports Festivals, Pan American Games and Olympics.