Paris 2024 Olympics Sees Adventist Representation Through Chaplaincy
8 August 2024|
Facing the influx of athletes, visitors, and media attention, the Protestant Federation of France (FPF) developed a chaplaincy program for the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games. Among the collection of denominations represented is the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The purpose of the chaplaincy program is to have a spiritual presence within the Olympic Village where athletes and their entourage can go for faith-based guidance. Competing in the Olympics is no small feat, and the pressures of performing on a world stage create insurmountable pressure for the 15,000 athletes and 4,500 Paralympic athletes. When considering the physical stress and exhaustive training necessary to qualify for arguably the most competitive athletic event at the highest level, we often forget the mental toll that can have psychosomatic effects on athletes. With tensions running high, having a chaplain to help process the stress, regulate emotions, handle the competitive atmosphere, or simply calm performance anxiety has positive repercussions.
Each chaplain is selected and trained by the FPF, with many filling in the gap for those delegations who did not travel with their own chaplains. Beyond the spiritual expectations, the chaplains must be adept at the geopolitical and cultural nuance of the role. Considering there are delegations from every corner of the world, each with their own geopolitical, religious, sociopolitical, and cultural complexity, being a Protestant chaplain is no simple task.
Adventist representation within the Protestant Chaplaincy initiative endeavored to meet the needs of two groups — the athletes and the visitors. Within the Olympic Village, the Adventist Church is represented by Pascal Rodet and Joël Abati, a pairing that perfectly balances the purpose of the initiative. Rodet is pastor and ministerial secretary at the Franco-Belgian Union Conference, with experience as former director of the Adventist Youth department. His vocation as a spiritual leader, especially for young people, offers a supportive ear and grounding voice. Abati was a former Olympic handball champion, making him uniquely equipped to relate to the pressures of being an athlete.
“As chaplain of the Paris Games, I am at the service of the athletes and their staff, to welcome them in their spiritual expectations,” Rodet said in an interview with Franco-Belgian Union Conference Communication Department and Adventist Review. “It is a great responsibility for me, and I am happy about it. It is also an opportunity to experience it in an interfaith way.”
The second group placed under the wing of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are the visitors and media flooding into Paris to witness the historic event. The recognition that spiritual and physical health are two sides of the same coin is a central feature of the Adventist health message. Therefore, the official SDA church has worked to open the doors of local churches, sharing Christian literature, health exhibitions, and concerts for the public.
Carving out a space to accommodate the spiritual needs of the public and the athletes is as necessary as it is revolutionary. The FPF chaplaincy initiative is a new kind of practical evangelism allowing faith representatives, such as that of the Adventist Church, to offer a listening ear and sound advice for those facing an event that could change the course of their lives. As church leaders stated, “This global approach demonstrates the desire of the Adventist Church to be fully present and accessible during this global event, in line with its mission of spiritual guidance and service to the community.”
To comment, click/tap here
