Executive Council
Tourism, Culture and Recreation
February 10, 2009Newfoundland and Labrador to �Make
Some Noise�
to Mark One-Year Countdown to the 2010 Winter Games
The Honourable Premier Danny Williams and the Honourable
Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, today
announced that Newfoundland and Labrador will be �making some noise� as
part of celebrations taking place on Thursday, February 12, to mark the
official one-year countdown to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter
Games in Vancouver.
�As one of the first provinces to sign on as a contributing partner, it
is only fitting that Newfoundland and Labrador is the first province
outside British Columbia to participate in the one-year countdown to the
2010 Winter Games,� said Premier Williams. �We are proud to do our part
to ensure the Olympic spirit travels from coast to coast to coast, and
touches the hearts and lives of the people in our province.�
Minister Jackman will be participating in the �make some noise� campaign
at the St. John�s harbourfront where, at 6:00 p.m., this province will
start a national sound wave with a performance of the Sound Symposium
Harbour Symphony.
The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic
Winter Games (VANOC) challenged contributing provinces across the
country to �make some noise� as a national celebration to commemorate
the official one-year countdown to the 2010 Winter Games� opening
ceremonies, to be held at 6:00 p.m., February 12, 2010. Provinces across
the country will be making some noise at their own events in each time
zone.
Minister Jackman said Newfoundland and Labrador is eager to share in the
special energy surrounding the countdown to the 2010 Winter Games.
�We want to show the country and the world that the Olympic spirit is
alive and well in Newfoundland and Labrador,� said Minister Jackman.
�The Sound Symposium Harbour Symphony event is a unique way to highlight
our commitment to helping to make the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter
Games a huge success, and to recognize that these games are, indeed,
Canada�s Games � and an unprecedented opportunity to inspire the pursuit
of excellence in all aspects of life.�
The harbour symphony plays original music written for the horns of the
ships in the St. John�s harbour and transforms the ships into an
orchestra on water. Each harbour symphony begins with a radio countdown
transmitted by the Coast Guard. Players stand at the helms of tugboats,
trawlers and ocean-going freighters to play an original score that fills
the streets of the city with music.
Newfoundland and Labrador will have a strong presence at the 2010 Winter
Games. Beginning on Wednesday November 11, 2009, the Olympic Flame will
arrive in Wabush/Labrador City and spend the next five days visiting 41
communities and involve 330 torchbearers in our province. Meanwhile,
concurrent celebratory events will take place in Vancouver and in the
province on February 26, 2010, to recognize Newfoundland and Labrador
Day at the 2010 Winter Games. In Vancouver, on that date, the province
will participate in and program the victory celebrations warm-up
segment, featuring some of the best entertainers and talent the province
has to offer.
On July 4, 2008, Newfoundland and Labrador announced it had joined
VANOC�s Contributing Province/Territory Program (CPTP), with a $1.5
million contribution toward Canadian athletes and the staging of the
2010 Winter Games. The investment includes $750,000 towards the Own the
Podium 2010 program, which supports Canadian athletes in their
preparation for the games, and $750,000 dedicated to ensuring the
province takes full advantage of a wide range of benefits and
opportunities designed to showcase this province, and all it has to
offer, on the national and world stage.
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Media contacts:
2009 02 10
2:50 p.m.
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