Domhnall MacAuleyPicture of Domhnall MacAuley is a CMAJ Associate Editor and a professor of primary care in Northern Ireland, UK.

 

As the world focuses on the Olympics in Rio, I visited the Allan McGavin Sports Centre at UBC to hear the views of some current and future opinion leaders in Canadian Sports Medicine. Dr Jack Taunton is a legend in Canadian Sports Medicine. An athlete who competed at the highest level, he was a leader in the development of clinical sports medicine in Canada and a pioneer in teaching and research. He co-founded the Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre in 1979 and is a Professor in Sports Medicine at UBC, where I visited him recently to talk to him about what it takes to provide medical care for the Olympics.  Jack was Chief Medical Officer for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Chief Medical Officer for Canada at the Sydney Olympics, two Pan American and two World Student Games.  He was also Women’s Team Physician and Association Coordinating Physician for Field Hockey Canada for over 25 years. Jack was a co-founder of the Vancouver Marathon, the Vancouver Sun Run and, most recently, the UBC Grand Prix of Cycling.

Here’s my video interview with Dr Taunton.

 

When I visited, Dr Don McKenzie was just about the set off for Rio where is he closely involved with the Olympic canoe and kayak team, Dr Prema Gopie the Centre’s current Fellow and Rob Drapala who recently completed his Fellowship talked to me about the discipline’s present and future.