WHITEHORSE - With just 518 days until the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Yukon—Canada's leading northern destination and the site of the highest point in Canada—has joined the Vancouver 2010 team.
Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie; Elaine Taylor, Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism and Culture; Archie Lang, Minister of Community Services; and John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), today announced Yukon's participation in VANOC's Contributing Province/Territory Program (CPTP).
"Being a contributing partner in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games is an excellent opportunity for Yukon to share its unique northern culture, people, landscapes, and economic and social advantages with a global audience," Premier Fentie said.
Yukon is the fifth provincial/territorial jurisdiction to join VANOC's CPTP, with a $166,667 investment. The territory's contribution will support Canadian athletes through the Own the Podium 2010 program, the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad and the staging of the Games.
"With world-class sport facilities, committed volunteers and officials, and an impressive history of successfully hosting major sporting events, including the 2007 Canada Winter Games, Yukon is an experienced and welcome addition to the Vancouver 2010 team," John Furlong, VANOC's CEO said. "We look forward to showcasing the vast northern beauty of the territory and the Aboriginal culture for which the Yukon is so well known."
The 2010 Winter Games will bring athletes and spectators to Canada from around the world and will draw a global television audience of approximately three billion people. Through the CPTP, Yukon will have a golden opportunity to organize a Yukon Day at the Games to promote and showcase the territory. Opportunities will also exist for Yukon artists to participate in the Cultural Olympiad. In addition, the territory will have enhanced involvement in the Yukon portion of the torch relay, which will arrive in the territory prior to the Games.
About the Contributing Province/Territory Program
VANOC's Contributing Province/Territory Program (CPTP) offers a structured avenue for all provinces and territories to participate in the 2010 Winter Games. Under the CPTP, signatory provinces and territories receive a package of benefits that create a close association with the Games, similar to those of corporate sponsors. In return, participating provinces and territories make a financial contribution towards the success of Canadian athletes in 2010 through the Own the Podium 2010 program; culture and arts, through the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad; and directly, to staging successful Games in 2010. VANOC developed this new program in response to interest demonstrated by Canada's provinces and territories outside of British Columbia to allow for greater involvement in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
About Yukon
Yukon is larger than life, with a breathtaking wilderness, a wealth of opportunities, abundant natural resources and friendly, welcoming people. Home to modern infrastructure, a skilled and educated workforce and endless options for year-round outdoor activities, Yukon is an excellent place to live, work, invest and play.
Yukon has a vibrant culture filled with rich northern tradition—First Nations customs and beliefs, an active Francophone community, and the tales, artifacts and architecture of the Klondike Gold Rush. It has been called Land of the Midnight Sun; there are endless hours of sunlight during the summer months and incredible aurora borealis, or northern lights, during the winter.
Culture is threaded throughout Yukon's diverse communities and is a way of life, as demonstrated by the beliefs, values, customs, behaviours and artifacts passed on from generation to generation. Yukon's thriving artistic community is comprised of music, literature, painting, sculpture, storytelling, theatre and film—bringing Yukon's stories to life for residents and visitors alike.
To learn more about Yukon, please visit www.gov.yk.ca or www.travelyukon.com.
About VANOC
VANOC's government partners provide funding, infrastructure, essential service support and management services to the 2010 Winter Games, which will contribute to lasting economic, sport, cultural and social legacies. VANOC's government partners include the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver and the Resort Municipality of Whistler. To date, members of VANOC's CPTP include Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Quebec and Yukon. VANOC's Venue Cities are Richmond, Surrey and the District of West Vancouver. VANOC has also signed memoranda of understanding with each Canadian province and territory. VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The 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. For more information, visit www.vancouver2010.com.
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| Contact: | |
| Matthew Grant Cabinet Communications 867-633-7961 matthew.grant@gov.yk.ca |
Greg Alexis VANOC/COVAN Communications 778-328-3227 greg_alexis@vancouver2010.com |