My team's final pre-Games deliverable was revealed today at a large press conference in downtown Vancouver. In addition to the prettiest podium ever, the world was given a sneak peak at the
beautiful flowers, costumes, ribbons, and trays that will play a key-role in the Victory Ceremony presentations that are now just days away. I am particularly proud of the flower arrangements and was extremely honoured to have been a contributing member of the planning committee.
It was a bitter sweet day. Sadly, once again, Leo could not be with us to share in the occasion. We sincerely missed his schoolgirl grin and that magic twinkle he used to get in his eye when he simply could no longer contain his excitement. It was a look he reserved for those moments when he knew we'd done exactly what we came here to do. That we'd truly "touched the soul of the nation and inspired the
world" by creating and delivering something extraordinary. Cheers Leo! I hope you are drinking bubbles in the sky.
Victory Ceremony podiums at 2010 Winter Games a testament to the
mountains athletes have climbed en route to Olympic and Paralympic
success.
Unique design echoes peaks and ridges of mountains in
Vancouver, Whistler
Custom-made ceremony
costumes youthful and organic to reflect Canadian culture
Vancouver,
BC ― Vancouver and Whistler’s rugged snow-topped mountains are
the inspiration behind the dynamic sculptural podiums where the world’s
best athletes will stand before the world to receive their hard-won
medals at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
The
natural wood and acrylic glass podium design for the Vancouver 2010
medal presentations, known as Victory Ceremonies, was unveiled today in
downtown Vancouver, along with the dramatic “haute-couture-meets-sport”
costumes medal presenters and athlete escorts will wear. All the
ceremony elements are designed to complement each other and have a
youthful, modern and West Coast style reflecting the Host Region and
Look of the Games.
The individual and team podiums ― 23 in all ―
have a fluid and organic design, echoing the undulating peaks and ridges
of the Coast Mountain Range. Each one is assembled from more than 200
pieces of precision-cut wood hewed from the forests of British Columbia,
renowned internationally for their towering red cedars and Douglas
firs.
“When the best winter athletes in the world step onto these
magnificent podiums in mere days, they will also be standing on the
shoulders of countless people who’ve helped them achieve their dreams,”
explained John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for
the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).
“Hundreds
behind-the-scenes have been involved ― communities
across British Columbia who donated the wood, designers who envisioned
the look, and dozens of newly trained wood workers in Vancouver’s inner
city who carefully constructed these podiums with pride at the RONA
Vancouver 2010 Fabrication Shop,” he continued. “Their work will make
each Victory Ceremony at the 2010 Winter Games truly memorable for the
athletes, their families and the millions watching here in Canada and
around the world.”
The podiums range in size from 4.8 metres to
15.3 m in length, 1.7 m to five m in depth and half a metre tall at
their highest point ― the spot reserved for gold medallists. The
lightest podiums, built of Western Red Cedar, weigh approximately 200
kilograms while others range up to 260 kg. They will be used in 86
Olympic and 64 Paralympic Victory Ceremonies and are easily accessible
for all athletes.
Wooden trays, matching the design aesthetic of
the podiums, will showcase the Vancouver 2010 medals as they are
presented to the athletes by the 51 volunteer flower and medal bearers.
The ergonomic trays have a non-slip surface to protect the undulating
medals, which all feature a unique hand-cropped portion of larger
Aboriginal artworks. The trays and podiums were designed by VANOC’s late
design director Leo Obstbaum and Vancouver-based industrial designer
James Lee.
“Built from wood donated by communities, First Nations,
businesses, and individuals across the province, each one of these
podiums has a story to tell about the people and places that make up
British Columbia and about the forest industry that is the heart of so
much of our culture and history,” said the Honourable Gordon Campbell,
premier of British Columbia. “We hope all the athletes feel this
connection and are inspired by this close connection to the people of
British Columbia when they step up to receive their medals on these
incredible platforms.”
The donated rough lumber was converted into
panels and then cut into hundreds of complex jigsaw puzzle-like shapes
using sophisticated computer controlled machinery at the University of
British Columbia’s state-of-the-art Centre for Advanced Wood Processing.
These pieces were carefully assembled into the podiums at the RONA
Vancouver 2010 Fabrication (Fab) Shop.
“RONA is extremely proud of
our 2010 Winter Games partnership and the carpentry trainees from our
Fab Shop. They’ve really done themselves proud with their workmanship
and attention to detail on these amazing podiums,” said Claude Bernier,
RONA’s executive vice president of marketing and customer innovations.
“Our involvement in the podium project is a good example of our shared
commitment with VANOC, to ensure that all Canadians feel part of the
2010 Winter Games.”
During the Vancouver 2010 Victory Ceremonies,
which will take place in competition venues, as well as at nightly
ceremonies held at BC Place (Olympic only) and Whistler Medals Plaza, a
highly choreographed celebration will take place in the athletes’
honour.
Flanking the podiums will be members of the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police (RCMP) in their famous red serge uniforms and Stetson
hats. Carrying the medals and athlete bouquets on trays, as well as
escorting the athletes, will be volunteers dressed in dramatic
custom-made costumes in an organic palette of blues representing the Sea
to Sky Games.
The three costumes, which fuse high fashion with
the functionality of sport apparel, were designed by Yumi Eto and
produced by leading fashion boutique Aritzia in collaboration with
VANOC.
“The Vancouver 2010 Victory Ceremony costumes are designed
with great style, are functional and dramatic. They add to the
excitement of these historic events while paying respect to the
athletes,” said Brian Hill, president and CEO of Aritzia LP, an official
licensee of the 2010 Winter Games. “Our design team worked closely with
VANOC to choose a colour palette and aesthetic that reflects who we are
as Canadians ― youthful, modern and multicultural ― and we think this
look will be embraced by all who are watching.”
The medals
will be presented to the athletes by officials from their respective
international sport federations and then the staggered flags will rise
as the national anthem of the gold medallist triumphantly plays.
Afterwards, the athletes will be feted during rock concerts by some of
the top bands and solo acts in North America at the nightly Victory
Ceremonies held at BC Place and Whistler Medals Plaza.
http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/victory-ceremony-podiums-at-2010-winter-games-a-testament--to-the-mountains-athletes-have-climbed-en-route-to-olympic-and-paralympic-success_264996fr.html
Recent Comments