The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) has unveiled the winning design for an infill of the London 2012 Olympic logo to be used exclusively use by UK schools and colleges.
Vancouver, BC— Looking for a chance to create lifetime memories as part of a huge international event with thousands watching live and millions more tuning in around the world? Five thousand spots are available starting today for volunteers wanting to be a part of the breathtaking and inspiring Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) is looking for volunteers with all types of abilities and performance skills to participate and play a part in sharing Canada with the world. All performers aged six or older as of September 1, 2009 are invited to apply at www.vancouver2010.com/ceremonies. The deadline for applications is October 9, 2009.
“We’re looking for thousands of people who are brimming with enthusiasm and wear their hearts on their sleeves to perform in these large-scale productions. No previous experience is necessary,” said David Guscott, VANOC’s executive vice president of celebrations and partnerships. “We want the audience and athletes to get swept up in the magic as we celebrate their incredible stories and encourage them to reach for their dreams here in Canada in 2010.”
A creative team from across Canada, announced last month, has been assembled by ceremonies producer Patrick Roberge Productions (PRP) to stage the ceremonies and direct the 5,000 volunteer performers.
“We can hardly wait to meet these volunteers and work with them,” said Patrick Roberge. “They’re going to have an amazing experience. We’re going to have some spectacular performance components that showcase dance, highlight unique abilities and celebrate the athletes.”
On March 12, 2010 the Opening Ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will take place at BC Place in downtown Vancouver in front of 55,000 people, including over a thousand of the top Paralympic athletes, coaches and officials in the world.
Nine days later, the Games will draw to its official end in the Host Mountain Resort of Whistler in a unique outdoor amphitheatre designed especially for the Olympic and Paralympic Victory Ceremonies and the Paralympic Closing Ceremony. VANOC and PRP are looking to engage volunteer performers from the Sea to Sky region to highlight the picturesque community.
Tickets are still available for both Paralympic ceremonies and can be purchased later this fall when Phase 3 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games ticketing program is launched. Tickets are to 5. For more information, visit www.vancouver2010.com.
Recruitment of ceremonies volunteers is being supported through limited advertising and targeted outreach to cultural and sport organizations.
Audition and rehearsal timelines:
Auditions will take place over several months starting in October. There will be no open casting calls and auditions will be scheduled by invitation to online applicants.
Candidates will be notified by the end of November if they have been successful in landing a ceremonies role. Rehearsals start in January, on evenings and weekends, and will take a two-week break during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games from February 12 to 28, 2010. Rehearsals will resume on March 1 with increased length and frequency, and will continue throughout the Paralympic Winter Games period.
For more information on ways to participate in the ceremonies, visit www.vancouver2010.com/ceremonies.
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. Visit www.vancouver2010.com
About PRP
PRP Inc. is a live entertainment and show production company that specializes in creating spectacular, large-scale shows and events. Based out of Vancouver, BC, PRP’s award-winning team boast more than 22 years of high-profile international events and entertainment production. Visit www.prpconnect.com.
Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com
For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com
Ten London women have completed training to become bus drivers on the Olympic Park as part of the London 2012 Women’s Project.
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For further information, please contact the IOC Communications Department:
Vancouver, BC — Forty budding teenage journalists or videographers from across Canada will have the opportunity to cover history in the making at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games through a new program called Historica-Dominion at the Games.
To nab their spot at the Games, teens aged 16- to 18-years-old are invited to enter competitions — two national (one creative writing-based and one video-based) and/or a regional essay competition aimed at Vancouver students — describing why they should have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Competition submissions can be made at www.fyicanada.ca starting today.
The competitions are part of a collaborative project between the newly formed Historica-Dominion Institute, which is dedicated to creating greater knowledge and appreciation of Canadian history, identity and citizenship, and /EDU, the online Canadian school portal for the Games created by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).
“Engaging Canada’s next generation of young storytellers in the 2010 Winter Games and seeing and reading their unique perspectives on history unfolding before their eyes is the driving force behind our partnership with the Historica-Dominion Institute on this innovative project,” said Burke Taylor, VANOC’s vice president of culture, celebration and education programs.
“These Games are about creating lasting legacies for Canada and what better way to do that than to involve our youth, put them right in the centre of the action and provide them with a creative outlet to share their experiences with others?” he continued. “This will be something they will always look back on with pride and a sense of accomplishment.”
The 40 competition winners will attend sporting and cultural events, such as hockey, figure skating and nightly Victory Ceremonies, during either the first week of the Olympic Winter Games in February or the Paralympic Winter Games in March. Their tickets will be provided through VANOC’s previously publicized ticket program for those who might not have the means to attend Games events. After attending these events, they will record and write daily about their own personal experiences at the Games and will also have the chance to interview retired Olympian and Paralympian stars, artists and Games’ officials.
Their best video diaries and articles will be shared with the entire world — live from Vancouver and Whistler — at www.fyicanada.ca and www.vancouver2010.com/edu from February 10 to 17, 2010 and March 10 to 17, 2010.
“We’re pleased to partner with VANOC through the Historica-Dominion at the Games initiative,” said Avie Bennett, chairman of the Historica-Dominion Institute. “This partnership allows us to bring youth from across Canada together in Vancouver and Whistler to experience and chronicle history in the making at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. This is a remarkable opportunity for these young people to connect with each other, to learn about our country through each other and to experience Canada’s sporting present, while learning about its impressive past.”
Eight students from across Canada will be chosen, along with 26 from Metro Vancouver, as well as six students with disabilities, who will be selected through criteria set by 2010 Legacies Now, a British Columbia-based not-for-profit society that is partnering on the project. Competition winners will be announced in late October. Each of the competitions will be judged by a separate panel.
The 40 participants will be required to pay a registration fee of 5 to cover their meals, local transportation and other costs during their week at the Games. Some students will take part in a homestay program where students from other regions will stay with those located in Metro Vancouver. Students from areas outside British Columbia will have their transportation to the Games region provided by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage.
For more information on Historica-Dominion at the Games, visit www.fyicanada.ca and www.vancouver2010.com/edu. At /EDUteachers can also find Games-related resources related to school curricula andshare with the world the innovative projects happening in their classrooms on the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
About The Historica-Dominion Institute
The Historica-Dominion Institute is a national charitable organization that was launched on September 1, 2009 through the amalgamation of two existing organizations: The Historica Foundation of Canada and The Dominion Institute. Its mandate is to build active and informed citizens through a greater knowledge and appreciation of the history, heritage and stories of Canada. Some of its signature programs include: Encounters with Canada (Canada’s largest youth forum), FYICanada.ca (a social networking site aimed at youth) and the Canadian Encyclopedia (the official resource of the Historica-Dominion at the Games project). You are invited to discover The Historica-Dominion Institute at www.historica-dominion.ca.
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. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.
Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com
For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com
A group of 20 new Trailblazer pre-Games volunteers have joined the London 2012 Organising Committee.
If you are interested, you can go and vote for the film of your choice on the official contest web site www.olympicshortfilmcontest.com.
More than 1,000 UK businesses have won contracts worth over £5 billion to help build the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Games.
