Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay to visit 11 communities
in 10 days across Canada starting March 3, 2010
Coca-Cola, RBC, Province of BC join Government of Canada
in support of relay
Vancouver, BC, November 5, 2009 — Nine more
Canadian communities will celebrate the endless possibilities
of the human spirit and the awe-inspiring stories of Paralympic
athletes when they welcome the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch
Relay, starting on March 3, 2010 in the nation’s capital.
The relay, which heralds the opening of the first Paralympic
Winter Games in Canada, will visit 11 communities in 10 days
and culminate in the lighting of the Paralympic Cauldron at
BC Place in downtown Vancouver on March 12, 2010, the Vancouver
Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter
Games (VANOC) announced today.
The community celebration sites are: Ottawa, ON (March 3),
Quebec City (March 4) and an as yet unnamed community in Central
Canada (March 5), as well as Victoria (March 6), Esquimalt
and Squamish (March 7), Whistler (March 8), Lytton and Hope
(March 9), Maple Ridge (March 10), and Vancouver (March 11
and 12) in British Columbia.
“These 11 communities are sparks across this great land
that shed light on and honour the remarkable athletic achievements
of Paralympians and their triumphs over adversity,” said
John Furlong, VANOC’s Chief Executive Officer. “As
the Paralympic Flame approaches Vancouver, this light will
only grow stronger as Canadians and people around the world
join together with us in a celebration of what is possible
if you dare to dream.”
“We encourage all Canadians,” he continued, “to
come out to see the Paralympic Flame when it visits a community
near you.”
VANOC is also pleased to announce today that the Vancouver
2010 Paralympic Torch Relay will be presented by Coca-Cola
and RBC and supported by the Province of British Columbia.
All three today are joining the Government of Canada as partners
of the historic relay. Coca-Cola also announced today that
it is signing on as an official partner of the Vancouver 2010
Paralympic Winter Games.
“Coca-Cola is proud to have been a Paralympic Games
partner since Barcelona in 1992,” said Nicola Kettlitz,
general manager, Coca-Cola Olympic Project Team. “We
are delighted to announce Coca-Cola will be a partner of the
Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay.”
“RBC is honoured to support the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic
Torch Relay as Canada prepares to welcome the world’s
best winter Paralympians for the first time,” said Jim
Little, chief brand and communications officer, RBC. “Paralympic
athletes represent the height of human achievement —
they persevere when the odds are against them and we’re
proud to support their success.”
An estimated 600 torchbearers will carry the flame in the
curved steel blue torch designed and manufactured by Bombardier
during the relay, which will start at the Parliament Buildings
in Ottawa, ON. A special Aboriginal-themed lighting ceremony
with a uniquely Canadian flair will spark the Paralympic Flame,
which has no ancestral home. Each of the 10 provinces and
three territories will each name a torchbearer to participate
in this ceremony on the historic front lawns of Parliament.
“As Canada prepares to host its first Paralympic Winter
Games, our Government is proud to be a partner in this incredible
journey,” said Minister of State Gary Lunn. “On
its 10-day journey, the Paralympic Flame will reach out to
Canadians and invite them to celebrate our Paralympians and
their achievements, as well as build excitement for its arrival
at BC Place in Vancouver for the opening of the 2010 Paralympic
Winter Games.”
“As the provincial host of the 2010 Paralympic Winter
Games, British Columbia wants to welcome all Canadians to
join us in the celebration and ensure they have a chance to
be inspired and play a role in these historic Games,”
said Mary McNeil, Minister of State for the Olympics and ActNow
BC.
In March 2010, approximately 1,000 athletes and officials
from more than 40 countries will take part in five sports
(alpine and cross-country skiing, ice sledge hockey, wheelchair
curling and biathlon) at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter
Games in Vancouver and Whistler. The big international sporting
event comes just 12 days after the region hosts the Olympic
Winter Games.
Tickets for all Paralympic events, including the magical
Opening Ceremonies, will go back on sale this Saturday, November
7 at www.vancouver2010.com,
as part of Phase 3 of ticket sales for the Games.
For more information on the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch
Relay, visit www.vancouver2010.com/torchrelay.
About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing
and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic
Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be
staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010.
Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games
from March 12 to 21, 2010. Please visit www.vancouver2010.com
for more information.
About the Government of Canada
The Government of Canada is proud to make 2010 a celebration
for all Canadians. Through strategic investments in programming
and funding, the spirit and excitement will be felt far and
wide and leave lasting legacies for future generations. Through
the Olympic Torch Relay and Paralympic Torch Relay, the Government
of Canada is supporting citizen and community participation,
as well as the inclusion of Aboriginal, ethnocultural and
official language communities. For more information on the
Government of Canada’s contribution to the Vancouver
2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, visit www.Canada2010.gc.ca.
About Coca-Cola and the Olympic and
Paralympic Movements
The Coca-Cola Company has been associated with the Olympic
Games since 1928 and is the longest continuous corporate supporter
of the Olympic Movement. Through the Olympic and Paralympic
Games, Coca-Cola encourages people to create their own path
of “positivity” in everyday life by believing that
anything is possible. The Coca-Cola Company is the exclusive
non-alcoholic beverage provider to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic
and Paralympic Winter Games. For more information about Coca-Cola
Canada, please visit our website at www.cocacola.ca
or our parent company’s website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.
About RBC
As part of our commitment to help 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 a long standing supporter of the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic
Teams, RBC continues its sponsorship through the Vancouver
2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and is proud to help
showcase Olympic and Paralympic sport as presenting partner
of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays.
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.
About the Government of British Columbia
The Government of British Columbia is the proud Host Province
for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The Paralympic
Torch Relay represents a significant opportunity to create
understanding and awareness about people with disabilities
and the Paralympic Movement. Through the Paralympic Torch
Relay, the Government of British Columbia is promoting healthy
communities, healthy lifestyles and individual excellence.
For more information on British Columbia’s contribution
to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,
visit www.gov.bc.ca/themes/2010olympics.
- 2010 -
Media Contacts:
Jenée Elborne
VANOC Communications
604.403.1787
jenee_elborne@vancouver2010.com
Kirsten Mihailides
Manager Public Affairs and Communications
Coca-Cola’s Vancouver 2010 Olympic Project Team
604.828.3534
kmihailides@na.ko.com
Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819.994.9101
1.866.569.6155
Matthew Gierasimczuk
Manager, Media Relations
RBC
416.974.2124
Greg Dickson
Media Relations, Province of BC
604.660.0859
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