RBC helps bring the Olympic spirit to classrooms with Olympic
Torch Relay Kit and national contest
Students get chance to be 2010 Olympic Torchbearers
TORONTO, March 10, 2009 — RBC and the Canadian
Olympic School Program (COSP), unveiled the Vancouver 2010
Olympic Torch Relay School Kit, to help bring the Olympic
Spirit to classrooms across Canada.
Presented by RBC, COSP has produced a kit of free educational
resources to engage students in the excitement of the Olympic
Movement. The kit brings the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch
Relay to life while meeting provincial learning outcomes in
social studies, language arts, math, science and physical
activity.
"The Olympic Flame is one of the most visible and inspiring
symbols of the Games," said David Bedford, Canadian Olympic
Committee Executive Director, Marketing & Communications.
"Working with RBC to incorporate it into our educational
programs helps educate students on the values of the Olympic
Movement and grow the excitement and support across Canada
for our athletes and the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver."
In addition to torch relay-related facts, figures and activities,
the COSP kit will also include an exciting opportunity for
teachers and students across the country to carry the Olympic
Flame. RBC is encouraging Canadians to create a better Canada
by pledging to do something big or small in their daily lives
to make Canada a better place to live. By making a pledge,
Canadians will automatically enter the Carry the Torch contest
for a chance to be an Olympic Torchbearer.
In keeping with the spirit of RBC's Carry the Torch contest,
teachers, coaches and school leaders will work with their
students to submit a team pledge through the COSP. Team pledges
will chronicle how they are going to improve their community,
be more environmentally-friendly, or live healthier lifestyles.
RBC and COSP will review the pledges and award 16 teams of
20 students, 13 and over, and teachers with the chance to
be an Olympic Torchbearer. Each team will collectively carry
the Olympic Flame for one kilometre during a local leg of
the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.
"Through the COSP contest, teachers and students are
being given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to carry the
Olympic Flame in the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay," says
Jacqueline Ryan, Director, Olympic Marketing, RBC. "We
encourage participating teachers and school leaders to visit
www.olympicschool.ca/torchrelay
to learn more about this exciting program and the opportunity
to be an Olympic Torchbearer."
The COSP contest will run from March 10 to May 12, 2009.
Winners of the team torchbearer spots will be announced the
week of June 22, 2009.
The 2010 Olympic Torch Relay will begin its journey to Vancouver
on October 30, 2009, when the flame arrives in Victoria, British
Columbia following the traditional lighting ceremony in Olympia,
Greece. The Olympic Flame will then travel from coast to coast
to coast through every province and territory in Canada -
spanning 45,000 kilometres, 1,020 communities, over 106 days.
It will end at B.C. Place on February 12, 2010, with the lighting
of the Olympic Cauldron, signalling the start of the Vancouver
2010 Olympic Winter Games.
About the Canadian Olympic Committee
The Canadian Olympic Committee is a national, private, not-for-profit
organization committed to sport excellence. It is responsible
for all aspects of Canada's involvement in the Olympic Movement,
including Canada's participation in the Olympic and Pan American
Games and a wide variety of programs that promote the Olympic
Movement in Canada through cultural and educational means.
For more information, see the COC website: www.olympic.ca.
About RBC and the Olympic Games
Through its longstanding Olympic involvement, RBC is committed
to helping create a better Canada. RBC sponsors amateur sport,
from grassroots programs in local communities to national
sport associations that support the development of amateur
athletes who compete at home and abroad. As Canada's longest-standing
supporter of the Canadian Olympic Team, since 1947, RBC continues
its sponsorship through the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic
Winter Games and is proud to bring the Olympic Spirit to communities
across Canada as co-presenting sponsor of the 2010 Olympic
Torch Relay. RBC is also a Premier Sponsor of Hockey Canada,
the Canadian Snowboard Team, the Canadian Freestyle Ski Team,
Athletics Canada and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. Visit
www.rbc.com/sponsorship
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For further information contact:
Isabelle Hodge
Manager, Media Relations
Canadian Olympic Committee
Phone: (416) 324-4122
Cell: (416) 806-4342
Email: ihodge@olympic.ca
Jackie Braden
Media Relations
RBC
Phone: (416) 974-2124
Email: jackie.braden@rbc.com
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