McDonald’s Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
As a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Movement, McDonald’s is preparing to once again feed the athletes and share the excitement of the Games with millions of customers around the world during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.
Feeding the World’s Best Athletes
– As the Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games and the only branded foodservice retailer, McDonald’s is building three new Olympic venue restaurants: one in the Olympic Village in Vancouver, one in the Olympic Village in Whistler, and one in the Main Media Center in Vancouver.
– McDonald’s Olympic Champion Crew, made up of more than 300 top performing restaurant employees from across Canada, will serve menu favorites to the world’s best athletes, coaches, officials and media at McDonald’s on-site Olympic venue restaurants.
– Spectators will be able to share in the Olympic Spirit and enjoy McDonald’s quality and variety at any of the more than 40 McDonald’s restaurants located in the Vancouver and Whistler areas.
McDonald’s Champion Kids(TM)
– The McDonald’s Champion Kids program debuted at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as part of McDonald’s ongoing commitment to children. The program provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for kids from across the globe to experience the Games first hand.
– For the Vancouver Games, one child from each province and one child from the territories in Canada will join kids from around the world to attend Olympic events, meet athletes, visit the Olympic Village, tour the cultural sites of Vancouver and Whistler, and receive their own gold medals from Olympic champions.
– The children will also have the chance to serve as special youth correspondents to share their experiences with their hometown news outlets.
Giving Back
– As part of McDonald’s Olympic tradition of giving back to the host country, Ronald McDonald House Charities® will make a lasting contribution to Vancouver that will live beyond the Games.
– Ronald McDonald House Charities of Canada, in cooperation with The Province of British Colombia, the Rick Hansen Foundation and 2010 Legacies Now, is funding three world-class accessible playgrounds.
– These playgrounds – located in the three venue cities of Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler – will meet the needs of children with disabilities and enable these children to play side by side with their siblings, families and friends.
– The Richmond playground and the majority of the Whistler playground are planned to be completed in time for the 2010 Games; the Vancouver playground will be finished in the summer of 2010. More information to come on playground celebrations that will take place during the Games.
Environment
– In keeping with a green Olympic Games, McDonald’s three new Olympic venue restaurants will be fitted with energy-efficient lighting and equipment.
– The equipment from these restaurants will be reused and recycled at McDonald’s restaurants in Canada after the Games have ended
McDonald’s Canada
– As host country, McDonald’s Canada is activating a wide variety of programs and promotions leading up to and during the Games to celebrate Canada’s Olympic Spirit nationwide.
Activities include:
– Flying Olympic flags at select McDonald’s restaurants across Canada to celebrate their role as host country
– Exciting restaurant promotions such as Olympic-themed McDonald’s Vancouver 2010 Olympic Sport Water Bottles featuring graphics of athletes participating in popular winter sports
– Alliances with top Canadian athletes such as speed skater Cindy Klassen, figure skater Patrick Chan and Cassie Campbell, former caption of the Canadian Women’s Ice Hockey Team
– Celebrating the importance of family and community on the journey to the pinnacle of sport through McDonald’s 2010 Hopefuls, a grant program that supports the Olympic aspirations of 26 Canadian athletes and recognizes the efforts of their parents by allocating a portion of the funding to the family
– Canada holds a special place in McDonald’s history as the first country outside of the U.S. to open a McDonald’s restaurant in 1967.
McDonald’s Olympic Games History
McDonald’s became an Official Sponsor of the Olympic Games in 1976 and has a long-standing commitment to the Olympic Movement, which first began more than 40 years ago. At the 1968 Olympic Winter Games, McDonald’s airlifted hamburgers to U.S. athletes competing in Grenoble, France, after they reported being homesick for McDonald’s food. Since then, the company has served its menu of choice and variety to millions of athletes, coaches, their families and fans. The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games mark McDonald’s seventh Olympic Games as a Worldwide Partner and eighth as the Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games. McDonald’s current sponsorship will continue through the 2012 Games in London.
Source: McDonald’s
Toronto wins 2015 Pan American Games
City to Welcome 10,000 Athletes from 42 Countries, 250,000 Visitors
The City of Toronto, Canada has been chosen to host the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games. The decision was made by the Pan American Sport Organization (PASO) in Guadalajara, Mexico. “We are thrilled,” said Toronto 2015 Bid Chair, the Hon. David Peterson.
“We would like to thank PASO and in particular, PASO President, Mario Vasquez Rana for having confidence in us and allowing us this great honor. We will work hard to stage the best Pan Am Games ever.”
The Pan American Games are among the premium amateur athletic competitions in the world. Toronto 2015 is expected to attract 10,000 participants and 250,000 visitors from the 42 participating countries in North, South and Central America and the Caribbean.
“We look forward to welcoming the PASO family and athletes from across the Americas and Caribbean to Toronto in 2015,” said Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. “In fact, we hope they’ll stay a few weeks to enjoy a province that offers a non-stop summer of fun and excitement.”
“Canada is excited to be chosen to host the Americas in 2015. Canada has a successful history of hosting major international sport events, and we will host a world-class event,” said the Honorable Gary Lunn, Minister of State (Sport). “Hosting the 2015 Games will bring people from across the Americas to celebrate their passion for sport.”
Situated on the Great Lakes in the heart of North America, Toronto is Canada’s largest city and capital of Ontario, Canada’s largest province. More than 200 million people live within a three-hour flight or one-day drive of the city, with 30 direct flights to PASO countries on 15 airlines.
“I’m pleased that we will be able to host everyone to Toronto in 2015 and to make them feel welcome,” said Toronto Mayor David Miller. “Torontonians speak more than 140 languages and dialects and we will make every athlete and visitor feel at home. Those who have never been to Toronto will discover how much our city has to offer. We have cultural institutions designed by celebrated architects, world-class theatre, a beautiful waterfront, and thousands of acres of parkland and green space.”
Toronto has been recognized internationally for its superb quality of life. The Economist magazine ranked the city of soaring skyscrapers and vibrant cosmopolitan neighborhoods as the fifth “most livable” city in the world. The 215-city Mercer survey cited Toronto the safest city in the Western
Hemisphere.
Toronto was chosen as host site over competitors Bogota, Colombia and Lima, Peru. The winning city’s $1.4-billion (CAD) plan is built around a core of existing and proven world-class facilities used for professional sports, six new athletic venues and a well-designed, sustainable athlete’s village on Toronto’s waterfront. New venues include a stadium for athletics, indoor velodrome, Canadian Sports Institute facility and Aquatics Centre, as well as two additional 50-meter pools.
“For us, the Games’ legacy of new competition and training facilities for Ontario’s and indeed Canada’s athletes is most important,” said Michael Chambers, President of the Canadian Olympic Committee which formally submitted the bid. “They will provide much needed new and improved training and competition opportunities for high-performance athletes in and around the Toronto area, and provide valuable community resources for promoting physical fitness and health, especially among our youth.”
The Pan Am Games are a major international multi-sport event, held every four years for athletes of the 42 PASO member nations. The Pan American Games consists of all Summer Olympic sports, plus other non-Olympic events, and serve as an Olympic-qualifier for a number of participating sports. The Toronto 2015 Pan American Games will take place July 10-26 and the Parapan American Games August 7-14. The last edition of the games was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in July 2007 and the next is for Guadalajara, Mexico in October 2011.
Source: Toronto 2015 Pan American Games Bid
Colorado to Host 7th Annual Churchill Cup
The Churchill Cup will take place in Colorado this summer, marking the first time North America’s premier XV-a-side rugby tournament has been staged solely in the United States.
This year will see the USA Eagles, Canada, England Saxons, Ireland A, Argentina Jaguars and Georgia play doubleheaders at Infinity Park in Glendale – the first municipally-owned rugby-specific stadium in North America – on June 6, 10 and 14.
These pool stages will be followed by a tripleheader finals day at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, home of Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer side, on June 21.
“The Churchill Cup continues to be a valuable part of our international season, offering top class international competition, as well as allowing us to showcase international rugby to new audiences in the United States,” said Nigel Melville, Chief Executive Officer of USA Rugby.
“We are delighted to play at two great facilities in Infinity Park and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. This will give the Churchill Cup and rugby in general a great platform in a wonderful sporting city and help us achieve our objective to grow the sport.”
Mike Dunafon, Mayor Pro-Tem of the City of Glendale, said: “We are proud to host the Churchill Cup pool matches in Glendale. It has been our vision to bring international rugby competitions to Glendale and the metropolitan Denver area. We look forward to showcasing Infinity Park.”
Terry Burwell, Churchill Cup Tournament Director, added: “The Churchill Cup goes from strength to strength and is now established in the international rugby calendar.”
“This will be the seventh Churchill Cup and we are pleased to add Denver and Glendale to the eight other cities in Canada and the USA who have hosted the tournament since it started in 2003. With the tournament being based solely in one state for the first time we hope that we can build a following throughout the pool stages, culminating in a bumper crowd on finals day.”
KieAnn Brownell, President of the Metro Denver Sports Commission, added: “We believe that rugby fits strategically with our overall objectives and is a sport that our city will embrace and support. We also feel that we can provide significant value to the Churchill Cup both in terms of building the brand and growing the sport in Denver and the U.S.”
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Senior Director of Venue Operations Allison Hamilton concluded: “We are very excited about our role in hosting the Churchill Cup during its first time to be played in Colorado. Between Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and Infinity Park, rugby fans will have an opportunity to experience this wonderful event in two world-class facilities.”
The 2008 Churchill Cup finals were played at Toyota Park in Chicago and attracted more than 9,000 fans. In front of a bumper crowd, the England Saxons beat Scotland A 36-19 to retain the main trophy, while Ireland A and Canada won the Plate and Bowl with 33-8 and 26-10 victories over Argentina A and USA, respectively. In 2009, Georgia has replaced Scotland A from last year’s line-up.
Tickets for Churchill Cup matches will be on sale to the public starting on Friday, May 1, at 10am for as little as $15 and are available online at http://www.tickethorse.com/EventDetail.aspx?eid=260&vid=7 or via phone by calling 1-866-461-6556.
The games will be broadcast live on SkySports in the UK and Setanta in North America.
Churchill Cup 2009
Pool A
Canada
Georgia
Ireland A
Pool B
Argentina Jaguars
England Saxons
USA
Fixtures (kick off times local)
Saturday June 6
Infinity Park, Glendale
England Saxons v Argentina Jaguars (2.15pm)
Canada v Georgia (4.30pm)
Wednesday June 10
Infinity Park, Glendale
Canada v Ireland A (4.30pm)
USA v Argentina Jaguars (7pm)
Sunday June 14
Infinity Park, Glendale
USA v England Saxons (1pm)
Georgia v Ireland A (3.30pm)
Sunday June 21
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
Churchill Cup finals (12.05pm, 2.30pm, 4.45pm)
Churchill Cup background
The Churchill Cup is an alliance between the English Rugby Football Union (RFU), Rugby Canada and USA Rugby.
The tournament was launched in 2003 and aims to develop and grow the sport of rugby union across Canada and the USA.
It is named after former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who shared close ties with the United States – his mother was American – and with Canada during the Second World War.
With support from the International Rugby Board, as part of their Rugby World Cup-funded strategic initiatives, the tournament has grown in success since 2003 when 5,000 people attended to watch the three Alliance nations in Vancouver.
In 2008, when the tournament was played in Canada and the USA, the finals day in Chicago attracted almost 9,000 spectators.
Since its introduction, both men’s and women’s teams from England, the USA and Canada have participated although since 2005 it has been a men only event.
Invitational sides from Argentina, Ireland, Scotland and New Zealand have all participated, while there was also a women’s competition in 2003 and 2004.
www.churchillcuprugby.net
Source: Infinity Park
Local Golfer’s Provide Some Warmth for the Coming Cold
The first signs of winter remind every Canadian golfer of the dawning season, filled with snow blowers and frozen motors. It’s a fact; most Canadians, especially golfers, tend to hate the winters – I bet you’re shaking; just thinking about last winters’ temperatures. In Mississauga, local golfers are finding a way to melt the snow a little quicker.
Local business-savvy golfing enthusiasts have launched a new source for local golfers to find information about golf courses, golf retailers and related business. The newly developed website, GolfMississauga.com, provides a comprehensive listing of Mississauga golf courses and golf related business without all of the annoying advertising.
The simple, stylish design is easy on the eye and gets right to the point. The open interface lets you see everything the site has to offer without the need to create an account or give away your information. However, in exchange for your email address GolfMississauga.com offers a spectacular newsletter, “The Sandtrap,” containing golf tips and even promotions at local retailers.
Now that golfers are surrendering their golf clubs for the season, the trends pertaining to golf-related searches are exploding for local golf retailers. In an interview with members of the GolfMississauga.com development team, it was made clear that their current focus is on taking advantage of the traffic increases.
A brief discussion with GolfMississauga.com creator Kris Scheben-Edey, revealed his plans to launch a series of local website in Ontario just like the one that his team is developing now. When asked his future plans with GolfMississauga.com, the young marketer stated:
“We plan to follow our initial mission of providing free, quality and comprehensive golf information – for locals by locals. More consumers use the internet to search for local goods and services than any other medium; GolfMississauga.com is how we are going to provide local golf business with an online presence that is actually insightful to the audiences.”
In their future development plans, local golf sites will be developed for cities across Ontario. After a discussion with the GolfMississauga.com development team, six sites were confirmed in the near future plans for cities including: Brampton, Guelph, Hamilton, Kitchener, Orillia and Scarborough.
The website provides listings for golf courses and golf retailers. For each listing, comprehensive information is available on contact, prices, maps, directions and reviews from other locals. The directory is constantly growing and it seems the site is progressing every day, with a new update or updated site design. Local golfers also have the ability to submit a course or retailer into the directory, whether they are associated with the business or it’s simply their favourite one.
The efforts of local golfers, like those of the GolfMississauga.com team have put a lighter to the approaching snow. The future of local information is online, and GolfMississauga.com is showing golfers the way. So, next time you need directions to a local golf course, or you want to treat yourself to that driver you didn’t get for Christmas – get the information right at the source with GolfMississauga.com
SOURCE: Turnfire Marketing