Adam van Koeverden searched and searched; still his sought-after souvenir remained elusive.
The champion kayaker turned politician was quite familiar with the time-honoured tradition of exchanging your country’s pins at the Olympics. And with Milton having a sizable Pakistani community, the MP was eager to snag a few Pakistan pins for some friends back home, especially since javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem had just captured the country’s first track and field gold medal.
van Koeverden made numerous inquiries with both spectators and vendors, but to no avail. Hopes of leaving Paris with the keepsake had pretty much disappeared, until a chance encounter at the closing ceremonies Sunday (Aug. 11).
“A gentleman sitting right next to me wearing a green shirt just out of nowhere asked if I would like a Pakistan pin. I traded him five or six Canadian pins for the ones he had, and told him I have a bunch of friends back home who will really enjoy them. Lucky,” said the four-time Olympic medalist.
That meaningful exchange put a wrap on van Koeverden’s eighth Olympics – a sporting celebration he’s experienced from all angles.
Along with his four Summer Games as an athlete, he went to Vancouver as a Canadian Olympic Committee board of directors member and served as a CBC broadcaster in Sochi and Pyeongchang.
This time around he wore the ambassador’s hat as the parliamentary secretary to Sport and Physical Activity Minister Carla Qualtrough, a Paralympian swimmer who was on hand for Summer McIntosh’s historic performance in the pool.
Just a few days later van Koeverden would enjoy a similar thrill, cheering on canoeist Katie Vincent to gold.
“That was definitely my highlight,” he said. “They’re (Olympics) all special, but I’ve got to say, Paris really put on a show. The venues were super iconic; they really put athletes first and foremost in the spotlight.”
Among the many Canadian athletes van Koeverden was on hand to route for was Milton’s own Michael Foley, an accomplished track cyclist who competed in both the team pursuit and madison.
He was still at home when fellow Miltonian Kayla Alexander took to the court with the women’s basketball team, but watched all the action enthusiastically on TV.
“I'm a huge fan of hers on and off the court. She's a wonderful person and a really great children's writer... check out her work. Canada is proud of all of our hometown heroes,” said van Koeverden.
Among the dozens of events he took in was the women’s beach volleyball semifinals, where as luck would have it he was sitting right in front of IOC President Thomas Bach.
And van Koeverden had the perfect icebreaker.
“I told him if he loves French crepes he should try them with Canadian maple syrup,” said the Milton MP, who gifted Bach with one of the many bottles from Springridge Farm he brought along. “Then Canada won, so it was also good luck for Melissa and Brandie.”
van Koeverden expressed his enthusiasm about the emergence of the “urban events” such as breaking, wall-climbing, skateboarding and 3X3 basketball – which he feels have widened the Olympics’ appeal.
“A younger, more urban, cooler demographic was tuning into these Games and I think it’s great.”
On another positive note, van Koeverden – who also serves as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change – was especially encouraged by the measures taken to make the Paris Games much more eco-friendly and sustainable than previous Olympics.
“Usually there is just an absurd amount of free, mostly plastic, single-use giveaway swag. Paris did something very cool. They basically said take pictures, make memories, because there isn’t going to be a free plastic trinket or a hat you’ll wear once or a disposable item at every turn.
“It was a nice change. There was also almost no plastic bottles and bags. It was a good example for large global events in the future. They definitely rewrote the book and moved the needle on how to do large scale sustainability.”