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September 24, 2004
Massage At The Olympics
Here's one massage therapist's account of her experience giving massage at the 2004 Olympics in Greece.
I realized I could combine so many different passions in my life into a single goal - massaging elite athletes at an Olympics in my own country of Greece.
The first meeting with the Chief Medical Director came in June 2002 when I was home visiting my family in Greece. It was very informal and eye opening. ATHOC had never even considered that massage therapists would be needed at the games. This was the first shock and the beginning of what I would later understand as an unfortunate lack of awareness, appreciation, and understanding of my profession in Greece.
Before I end, there's one other quite unexpected pleasure that this experience has brought me - and that is having taken the first step in showing the Greek doctors and physiotherapists with whom I worked that Massage Therapy is not just for "relaxation", as is the common belief in Greece, but a truly therapeutic and important health service. It's a first step, but if I can continue to help bring this understanding to the health community in my home country, then this Olympic adventure may have afforded me the chance of helping far more people than I imagined.
Posted by linda at September 24, 2004 12:17 PM
