International Olympic Committee (IOC) and general governance, event organization
Milena Parent (English and French)
Full Professor, Telfer School of Management
Milena.Parent@Telfer.uottawa.ca
Professor Parent specializes in sport (event) governance and strategy, with her research focusing on the organization and strategic planning of sport organizations, particularly major sports events including the Olympics. She also examines sport system governance issues, such as stakeholder management, partnerships, networks, and policies.
She will be on-site at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games.
Athlete mental health and performance
Sommer Christie (English & French)
Assistant Professor, School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences
Professor Christie has worked as a mental performance consultant with various Team Canada groups (women’s hockey and wheelchair rugby) and can speak to performance psychology – from raising performance to mental skills and performance - at the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.
She can provide analysis/expertise on the mental side of performance, particularly how athletes prepare for and manage pressure, sustain focus in high-stakes moments, and adapt psychologically across competition phases. She can also speak to team dynamics, including the challenges that arise in high-performance environments, and how mental skills, resilience, and well-being support consistent performance and functioning throughout the Games.
“The Olympics highlight how much performance depends on mental preparation. The athletes who thrive in Milano Cortina will be the ones who can manage pressure, stay present, and perform when it matters most.”
Natalie Durand-Bush (English & French)
Full Professor, School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences
Natalie.Durand-Bush@uottawa.ca
Professor Durand-Bush specializes in mental skills training and assessment, mental health, and coaching psychology. Professor Durand-Bush is the executive director of the Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS), a specialized centre providing sport-informed mental health care, educational programs, and resources to competitive and high-performance athletes, coaches, and support staff.
She will be on-site at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games.
National identity, sociocultural themes
Christine Dallaire (English & French)
Full Professor, School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences
Professor Dallaire studies sports and physical activity from a sociocultural perspective, with a particular focus on Canadian society, youth and communities. She has also developed expertise on the role of sports in the discursive construction of francophone and Canadian identities among youth across the country.
Sport and society
Nicolas Moreau (French only)
Full Professor, School of Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences
Professor Moreau is an expert in the sociology of sports practices and social norms. He will be on the ground during the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
He can analyze the relationships between sport and society, as well as the political dimensions of sport, explaining how major sporting events reflect and shape social and political values.