The countdown to an answer: My Olympic Volunteer Story - Part 2

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already made your way through Part 1 of this story, where I shared the beginning of my Olympic dream. I left you right after my interview to become a volunteer at the Milano‑Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. But to continue properly, I need to take you back to 22 February 2025, the day I filled out the volunteer application.

When you’re applying for something you really want, every question feels like a test. You overthink every answer. You wonder, What are they looking for? What’s the “right” thing to say? Then I hit the question:

“Do you already have accommodation in the city where you want to volunteer?”

Instantly, I thought: They want someone who already has a place in Milan—or at least easy access to one. It was a simple yes/no question, no address required, yet I froze. And then I did what any determined dream‑chaser would do: I opened Airbnb. Within minutes, I found a fully refundable two-bedroom apartment, available for the entire month of February 2026. If I wasn’t selected, I could cancel. If I was, I’d be ready. With that booking secured, I could confidently answer “yes.” to that question. So I did.

Less than an hour after reserving on Airbnb near the new Santa Giulia Arena (yes, the one with the construction delays), my Olympic dream shifted slightly. I still wanted to be a volunteer, more than anything, but a new thought crept in: What if I’m not selected? What if I try every two years and never get in? And that’s when it hit me: If I couldn’t be part of the Olympics, I could at least see them. Right there, almost one year to the day from the next Olympics, Dave and I decided that, no matter what happened with the volunteer selection, we were going to Milan for the Games. Three days later, when sale tickets opened, we jumped in immediately.

Olympic tickets are not cheap. We looked at all the events happening in Milan, and the only remotely affordable option was women’s ice hockey. (Figure skating starts at CA$450—and those “cheap” seats still aren't available as I type). Honestly, what a perfect coincidence: hockey is my favourite winter sport; we bought tickets for both semi-finals and the final for women ice hockey. Then Dave looked at the opening ceremony tickets with sparkles in his eyes. So I said, “Why not?” I’ll spare you the details of our credit card bill that month... You’re either in, or you’re not—and this time, we were all in.

The Timeline

1 April 2025 - (Back to where Part 1 ended).

I had my interview and confirmed I had accommodation in Milan. I also told the interviewer that I would be in Milan regardless—volunteering or not.

29 April 2025

My sister Véronique asked if I’d mind if she applied as well, and whether she could stay with us. I told her that’s exactly why we booked a two‑bedroom! Around the same time, I invited my mom to join us. For years, she had said that she wanted to see Marie‑Philip Poulin (MPP) play at the Olympics. My mom’s Facebook profile picture is literally her with MPP—she’s a true fan. She was excited but didn’t commit yet.

My mom, standing proud, beside Marie-Philp Poulin, the team Captain of the Montreal Victoire, and the Canadian Female Ice Hockey Team at the next Olympics.

16 June 2025

Dave had his interview. Same process as mine, just with more candidates. When he asked when we’d hear back, they said: likely end of July. (The website still said “spring 2025.”)

19 August 2025

July came and went with no news. Véronique finally had her interview and was told we’d hear by the end of summer—technically 21 September.

9 October 2025

I landed in Toronto after two weeks walking the Camino Portuguese (#3 on the bucket list!) and turned on my phone. A screenshot from Véronique popped up immediately.

The screenshot that was waiting for me when I landed in Toronto on 9 October 2025

She had been selected!… as a reserve volunteer. As fast as I could, I logged into my Team26 portal and saw the exact same thing. So did Dave. The message said that they liked our applications, but that all positions were filled. We were on the reserve list, and we had to accept this "role" if we wanted to stay in the running. We accepted—and the waiting continued...

20 October 2025

I received access to the online training library. Most modules were optional, except two mandatory safety courses. I convinced myself that if a spot opened, they’d choose a reserve volunteer who had completed all the training. So I did every single module. The general training was simple—things like tips on how to handle angry spectators, with advice such as: “Do not yell at them”. More than a couple time during the training I asked myself “Do they really need to teach us that”!

The Health & Safety courses were much more intense: 10 hours of content, two long exams, and not a single mention of the Olympics! I’m pretty sure these were standard Italian workplace safety courses. I passed both on the first try and received my shiny new Italian Health & Safety certificates.

3 November 2025

My parents stopped at my sister Manon’s house on their way to Florida. Since she lives only 2 km from me, I went over—it would be the last time I’d see them before Milan. I used the opportunity to gently nudge my mom about joining us before flights became too expensive. She clearly wanted to go, but my dad hates long flights (I should write flying in general) wasn’t interested. My mom didn’t want to travel alone. So I turned to Manon and said, “Why don’t you go with her?” That is all I needed to say!

6 November 2025

Manon booked her flights, with a planned overlay in London where she would meet up with my mom for their final leg to Milan. That exact same day, I received a discouraging email from Airbnb: our host could no longer accommodate us. Panic! Now my mom and sister were committed too. How was I supposed to find a two‑bedroom apartment in Milan, at a reasonable price, less than three months before the Games? Airbnb suggested alternatives, but none had two bedrooms. I settled on a fully refundable one‑bedroom appartement, with a sofa bed, 20km from any Olympic facilities —not ideal, but at least it was something. My mom and sister were only staying nine nights; we’d make it work. As for Véronique, she was still a reserve and didn’t want to commit to travel without confirmation. She also hadn’t completed her safety training yet as she was out of the country for most of November.

5 December 2025

By December, I had mostly accepted that I wouldn’t get an actual volunteer role. But I had a plan: once in Milan, I would write to the organisers and say, “I’m here, I’ve completed all the training, and I’m ready for any role you have.” I didn’t expect much, but I was at peace with it: At a minimum, I was going to see a real Olympic event—and the opening ceremony. Then an email arrived from Team26:

Subject: Hurray! You have received a role!

To be continued ...