Deal to bring torch north, create Yukon Day

More than $166,000 for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics will come from the Yukon government.

More than $166,000 for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics will come from the Yukon government.

The money will help put the territory in the international spotlight when the Games are underway, speakers said this morning at a news conference held to announce the contribution.

Half of the $166,667 - totalling $83,333.50—will be put toward funding the nations’ athletes through the Road to the Podium program.

The other half will be put toward staging the Games, Premier Dennis Fentie told those gathered this morning.

“Our objective here in Yukon is to extend the benefits of the Olympics to Yukon people and to make a contribution to this very significant event,” Fentie said.

While the exact activities set to benefit the territory will be confirmed over the next few months, there are already plans for a Feb. 20 Yukon Day to be celebrated in Vancouver during the international sporting event.

The next year, the premier said, will see announcements on the territory’s participation in the Olympic torch relay and the cultural Olympiad, along with other initiatives around the Games.

“Yukon people are proud of their heritage, their culture and their contribution to the Canadian identity,” Fentie said, noting the traditionally strong support from the territory in sports.

Like each speaker who came forward, Fentie was quick to note the accomplishments of Yukon Olympians weightlifter Jeanne Lassen (who was at the press conference) and cyclist Zach Bell, who each competed this summer at the Beijing Olympics.

While neither won medals, it was noted each represented the territory and their country well at the Games.

“I know that Jeanne has worked so hard day-in and day-out, certainly towards not only her future success, but she has put Yukon on the map and certainly put Yukon on the international stage, and for that we are really grateful,” said Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor.

She went on to note there will be a number of upcoming opportunities to make sure the territory is ready for its part in the Games.

The date of Feb. 20, 2010 for Yukon Day at the Olympics, Taylor said, was chosen because it falls in the middle of the Games with important medal ceremonies and other events happening that day.

It’s expected more than 40,000 people will jam the B.C. Place Stadium throughout the day, giving the Yukon exposure to many people from around the world.

Recalling the 2007 Canada Winter Games hosted in Whitehorse, Taylor commented the national event left the territory with a “renewed sense of pride of place in the Yukon and in the North - Canada’s North.”

A renewed confidence and a sense of strength in what the territory can do was also left from the Canada Winter Games, she said.

“Today, with this announcement, I believe the North is about to embark on another exciting adventure,” Taylor said.

With the Olympics, Taylor said, the territory will have the chance to showcase itself as a wonderful place to visit, invest and, as she sees it, the best place to live.

Meanwhile, Taleeb Noormohamed of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOCs)  was on hand to welcome the contribution.

“With three billion people watching the opening ceremonies in 2010, we are going to tell a story that captures the essence of Canadians - our love for winter, our passion for sport, our respect for diversity, our commitment to bilingualism and our rich aboriginal history,” Noormohamed said.

The territory’s assistance will also be sought in seeking out volunteers and in learning from the experience the Yukon had in hosting the Canada Winter Games, he said.

“And today, as you join us as a partner, we are one step closer to telling the complete Canadian story.”

The contribution will also go toward the goal of seeing Canada take the most medals in 2010.

“Let me tell you, that’s a far cry from our track record thus far,” Noormohamed said. He pointed out Canada is the only country to have hosted an Olympics (previously in Calgary and Montreal) where it hasn’t won a gold medal during its host year.

“We’re hoping that in 2010, athletes like Jeanne will change that and that Canada will be number one in the standings.”

While Lassen didn’t medal in her event at the Beijing Olympics, she ended up in the top 10 among the world’s best, it was noted prior to her addressing the press conference.

It’s wonderful, she said, to see her birth province and home territory working together to support the nations’ athletes.

She’s felt first-hand the impact support can have and recalled envisioning Yukoners crowded around their computers in the early-morning hours “lifting the weight with me in spirit.”

That gave her even more determination when she went up to lift the weight herself, she said.

“I didn’t get a medal like many had hoped, but Yukoners have really made me feel like a rock star since I’ve come home,” Lassen said, noting she’s been lucky enough to benefit from the Road to the Podium program.

The initiative shows the support to athletes in their goals and dreams, she said.

“Today’s announcement shows the commitment of the Canadian people to our athletes and brings us one step closer to being number one in the medal count,” Lassen said before thanking the territory for its support.

The territory’s contribution is the fifth to come from a province or territory under the Contributing Province/Territory Program. Also on board are Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba.

In an interview following the press conference, Noormohamed said similar agreements are in the works for other jurisdictions that haven’t signed on yet.

While the Olympics will be held in Vancouver, he noted, the goal is to make them “Canada’s Games”.

Later today, Noormohamed and the three Olympics mascots who were also on hand to welcome the announcement, were set to visit the Whitehorse and Selkirk elementary schools.

The Olympics will be held from Feb. 12 to 28, 2010, with the Paralympic Games to follow from March 12 to 21, 2010.