Bombardier, designer and manufacturer of planes and trains, has joined Vancouver 2010 as an Official Supporter of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games and is the first Signature Supporter of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays.
As part of its sponsorship Bombardier will be designing and manufacturing the torches for the Vancouver 2010 Games and two ceremony cauldrons. The cauldrons, which are in pre-development, will be built at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver and at Celebration Plaza in Whistler. They will be unveiled at the Opening Ceremony of the Games on February 12, 2010.
A multidisciplinary team from both Bombardier Aerospace and Bombardier Transportation has been collaborating with VANOC for the past six months to develop what Vancouver 2010 says is “an original and innovative concept for the torch” which was approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) June 4.
VANOC, in partnership with Bombardier, will unveil the selected torch design in early 2009. According to Vancouver 2010, 12,000 Canadians will carry the torch over 35,000 kilometres – the longest single-country relay – bringing it through about 1,000 communities over 100 days.
John Furlong, Vancouver 2010 chief executive officer said, “Bombardier’s story is one of great Canadian success and we are delighted to welcome them to our team as an Official Supporter. Vancouver 2010’s torch and cauldron will be magnificent, technically stunning pieces, and we are confident they will inspire Canadians and the world in 2010 and for generations to come”.
As part of the agreement Bombardier receives exclusive rights in the aircraft manufacturer and total passenger transit systems vehicle manufacturer product category for the 2010 Winter Games, as well as sponsorship rights for the Canadian Olympic team at Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010 and London 2012.
