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Torch Relay is set for 2010
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay to connect and inspire Canadians from coast to coast to coast
The torch relay doesn’t actually begin until October 30, 2009, but Vancouver Olympic officials have recently revealed the Relay route and are accepting applications for torchbearers. This Canadian relay sounds like it will be quite impressive. It promises to be the longest domestic relay in Olympic history, covering around 28,000 miles (45000 km). The relay route passes through more than 1,000 communities and will be within a one hour drive of more than 90% of every person living in Canada.
The flame will even travel to Alert, Nunavut, the northern-most permanently inhabited place in the world. This will bring the Olympic flame within 560 miles (900 km) of the North Pole (maybe Santa will get to be one of the torchbearers)!
The torch itself and the torchbearer uniform will be unveiled early in 2009.
You can see this historic relay route on this Interactive Map of the Torch Relay Route.
The sacred Olympic Flame is lit in an ancient ritual in Olympia, Greece, site of the first Olympic Games. After a short run through Greece, the Olympic Flame arrives in Athens, where it is handed over to a representative from the Host Country.
From there, the Olympic Flame will make a trans-Atlantic flight and arrive in Canada, signaling the start of the longest Olympic Torch Relay to take place in a single country.
The 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, proudly presented by Coca-Cola and RBC, will connect Canadians in every province and territory, throughout a 45,000-kilometre journey, over approximately 100 days, and involving 12,000 torchbearers. The journey of the flame will culminate at BC Place on February 12, 2010 with the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron, signaling the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
If you are interested in applying to become one of the 12,000 torchbearers (Canadians only) you can find out more about the application process on the official website. The two main sponsors of the relay are Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Coca-Cola. The each have similar, but different application criteria. Coca-Cola wants to inspire people to “Live Olympic on the Coke Side of Life” by asking for applicants “who demonstrate a commitment to embodying the spirit of the Olympic Games and taking positive action around living actively, protecting the environment and the creation of a more positive reality.” RBC is looking for people that “Help Create a better Canada.” All that applicants need to do is go to the website and give their “personal pledge to do something small or large in their daily lives that will make Canada an even better place to live.”
Johnson & Johnson drops out of sponsorship
The International Olympic Committee can’t put a Band-Aid on this financial cut: Johnson & Johnson passed on the chance to renew its lucrative global sponsorship deal.
The IOC confirmed Monday that the health care conglomerate would not renew its top-level sponsorship worth up to $100 million as first reported by Sports Business Journal.
“Our sponsorship of the International Olympic Committee concludes at the end of 2008 and will not be renewed,” Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman Lorie Gawreluk e-mailed.
China, with more than 1 billion residents and a burgeoning consumer marketplace, was a major draw for most sponsors. The next two games are in Canada and the United Kingdom — mature economies that combined have about a tenth of the population of China.
For the Beijing Games, Johnson & Johnson manufactured its signature adhesive bandages with Olympic mascots on them and set up a pavilion for fans to come see terra-cotta warriors from the time of emperor Qin Shi Huang — though overzealous security on the Olympic Green kept many away.
Read the rest of the article here.
Worldwide Olympic sponsors are allowed to use the copyrighted Olympic name & logos in their advertising anywhere in the world. But it comes with a pretty high price. The Beijing games had 12 Worldwide sponsors, including Visa, McDonalds, and Coke. The IOC already has agreements with 9 companies to be worldwide sponsors for the Vancouver games, including Panasonic and Samsung. TV rights, mostly from NBC, will provide approximately another $2.5 billion.
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