By Ken Pastushyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeshore News Reporter
Essex OPP Constable Jim Chauvin was selected as one of five law enforcement officers to represent Canada at the World Special Olympics Winter Games Final Leg torch run in Turin, Italy this year running from February 23 to March 9.
Like all Olympic torch runs, it began in Athens. The next day the torch was flown to
Rome for a special blessing at the Vatican. Visiting St. Peter’s Basilica was one of the
highlights of Chauvin’s trip.
“It was absolutely stunning!” said Chauvin referring to the altar at St. Peter’s Cathedral
“Gorgeous!”
Another religious experience for Chauvin was seeing the famous Sacred Shroud of
Turin during three days of sightseeing.
Chauvin was part of a contingent of 90 law enforcement officers, mostly from the United
States. They all stayed at a retrofitted hotel and shopping centre, formerly a Fiat test
track. Turin is headquarters to Fiat Motors in Italy and heritage cars like the 1936
“Topolino,” the 1957 Nuovo 500, the 1971 Fiat 127, the 1972 Dino and the 1980 Fiat
Panda were on display outside the complex.
As well-known as Fiat’s sport-utility cars is the Italian cuisine.
“Lots of gelato, cannoli, pasta and pizza,” said Chauvin who compared the wood-fired
Pizza pies to those of Oven 360’s Neapolitan-style pizza. “I also tried my first espresso.”
Chauvin also watched his first professional soccer match in person at the home of
Juventus F. C. in the Serie A division. At halftime, eight athletes, who were members of the final leg team along with four torch runners were escorted onto the soccer pitch.
The torch run to promote Special Olympics is why law enforcement officials are in
Turin.
The five-day journey of carrying the torch through the Piedmont region of the Italian
Alps began on March 1. Chauvin said law officers wrote the badge numbers with a felt pen
on their running shoes of two Virginia Beach police officers who were killed in the line of
duty prior to coming to Italy. One of Chauvin’s teammates is a Virginia Beach officer.
There was a total of eight torch run teams. Each team of 10-11 had an Italian officer, an
Athlete and eight or nine more officers from around the world.
Two runners, one officer and one athlete, would hold the torch high in the air and run approximately 100 metres. It would continuously be passed on to two more runners for three kilometres in each town.
After each run officers and athletes would be greeted by local dignitaries, school children
and Moly the Mole, the mascot of the Turin Games at all the town squares. This was
done twice a day in 10 different countryside towns like Bardonecchia, Cueno and Novara.
The ski resort town of Colle Sestriere, near the French border was another was a stop
for the torch runners. It was also the venue for alpine skiing at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics.
The opening ceremonies for the 2025 Turin Special Olympics were inside the Inalpi Arena,
also the venue for ice hockey in 2006.
During the opening dinner, Chauvin gave a speech about what Special Olympics means
to him. On March 8, he was invited to speak again at a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Turin.
Coca-Cola is a major sponsor of the Turin Games.
“We can’t do it without our sponsors,” said Chauvin. “Even just local donors help, every
dollar counts across Canada.”
Chauvin said the Windsor Polar Plunge had lots of sponsors like Caesars Windsor,
Unifor 444 and 200 along with St. Clair College.
On the last day, a Polar Plunge event was held in Turin where the final leg team raised an incredible $350,000 U.S. for Special Olympics.
“A big part of it is just getting the word out,” said Chauvin. “Over the years besides
participating in torch runs, I’ve organized torch rides, NHL alumni games, grocery
packings. These are some of the ways we raise funds for Special Olympics.”
And Chauvin has been raising funds and getting the word out since 2001with the Essex
Police Department. In 2009, he continued as a local coordinator with the OPP and becoming a zone co-coordinator for Southwestern Ontario. He was on the
provincial operations committee for six years before returning to a local representative
again in 2023.
Chauvin applied for a spot to the final leg team, voted on by the operations committee and had the honour of being selected.
Asked about some of his memorable moments in Turin, Chauvin answered…
“Oh gosh, just meeting the officers and athletes from around the world,” said Chauvin.
There were 90 athletes representing Canada during the Turin Games. Chauvin met with
many of them during his last night in Turin. One was Brianna Williams from Windsor who
won a Level Five (six being the highest) gold medal in the combined male/female figure
skating competition.
“It’s all about inclusion and equality. That’s what they are looking for,” said Chauvin.
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