The Olympic Games have just concluded and as we remember all of incredible team and individual accomplishments that took place in Paris, what often isn't talked about are the dedicated staff members who are committed to making it the ultimate experience for all of the athletes.

UC Irvine Athletic Director Paula Smith knew the benefits of the holistic approach to the student-athlete experience and put into motion a position that would prioritize that effort. Her vision came to fruition when UCI hired John Abdou, who would bring an Olympic approach to Irvine.

Before joining UC Irvine as the senior associate athletic director for Health, Wellness and Sports Performance,  Abdou help lead the team behind the team at USA Water Polo. He served as the High Performance Director at 2016 Rio Games and then the Chief of Sport at the 2020 Games. The UCI job provided a unique opportunity for Abdou.

"The opportunity to be back at my alma mater and implement a similar model at a different place with some lessons learned that I could implement across a variety of sports was a big factor."

His role at USA Water Polo was akin to a general manager of an NBA team, overseeing all sport operations then adding coaching reports in 2020. The support team and care of the athletes, including coaching, developing the pipeline of athletes and coaches, travel, facilities, nutrition, gear, sports medicine, strength and conditioning as well as mental skills coaches comprise the ecosystem that takes care of the team.

He came to UCI in 2023, bringing the same holistic approach to the student-athletes at UCI. A challenge of his role at an Olympic Games was the integration of a lot of people for the same purpose. There are a lot of moving parts, but Abdou liked the challenge of holding all the parts together so the coaches and athletes didn't need to worry about anything.

While at USA Water Polo Abdou focused on two teams, here at UC Irvine there are 18 teams to be taken care of.  

"Execution is a little different, but the idea is the same." Abdou said. "I was tasked with creating a team behind the team that supports their performance, nutrition, mental health, mental skills, comfort with career development as well as skill development. It's a culture of care around our athletes. If athletes know and can feel the care that is there for them then their performance will improve and they will give you more than you ask for."

Abdou has created a framework for the culture of care, integrating of all the services.

"Nothing can be in a silo, they all have to be working together. A priority was working with sports medicine and the strength and condition staff. Asking, are we testing to give us data driven practices across the board so that each athlete has what they need in the sense of their wellness and care?"

In Tokyo there was a roster rule that one of the 13-player roster had to sit out each game and he had the unique experience of sitting with that athlete during the competition. While many deep discussions ensued sitting next to the athletes, one profound statement stuck with Abdou.

"Mental health and wellness resources can't be communicated in an email."

Abdou agreed, email was a cold way to communicate and foster a culture of care. Taking that to heart, he prioritizes human interaction at the core of everything we do at UCI.

Many fans don't realize athletes are the only ones to get medals at the Olympics. A positive of the Tokyo Games and the quarantined situation was the ability to stay in the venue as a team to celebrate after the women's team won their third consecutive gold medal. An authentic, intimate experience followed that is one of the most memorable for Abdou.

After the game every athlete found a different member of the support staff and placed their medal around their neck.

The picture above (Abdou is on the top row in the middle) shows that moment and is a great illustration of the integration of everyone that goes into building a team.

Another powerful memory of the Olympic experience was the Village and the dining halls.

"The Olympic Village is the epitome of what is best of humanity. Eating in the village is the closest thing you will see to world peace. 207 different countries in one place all eating together, sitting next to each other. It is the most hopeful place to be. Walking through every day and hearing all of the languages is a really unique experience."

Inspired by the power of sport and the community of athletes, Abdou goes to work each day on a mission to set UCI student-athletes up for success.

"The student-athlete experience isn't bells and whistles. The experience is what we are doing on a daily basis. Is your coach excellent on a daily basis? Are you getting excellence in training in the weight room, sport medicine? Are you getting educated in nutrition and the way to fuel your body? Are you supported when you don't feel well? That's the true student-athlete experience we are talking about."

Surprisingly the holistic approach to the student-athlete experience isn't adopted by most, something that gives UCI student-athletes an edge.

To learn more about UCI Sport Performance programming and to contribute to its success, click here