Nike Canada Corp. and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) announced that Nike has been named the Official Supplier of high performance sporting goods for the upcoming Games and introduced Team Canada 2010 hockey jerseys.
Under the Official Supplier agreement, Nike will have exclusive rights to market and promote within the high performance sporting goods manufacturer product category for the 2010 Winter Games and rights to associate with the Canadian Olympic Teams competing at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the London 2012 Olympic Games. In return, Nike will make a financial investment in the Games and provide a number of Team Canada replica 2010 ice hockey jerseys to the Organizing Committee as part of its merchandising program.
“Nike has a long and proud history of supporting athletes and we're very pleased by the opportunity to partner with the 2010 Winter Games,” said Maria Montano general manager, Nike Canada Corp. “We are very proud to unveil the new Team Canada hockey jerseys that our hockey athletes will wear to help bring back the gold. We expect fans will love it, especially since they will be able to see it in action on home ice.”
Nike, in collaboration with Musqueam artist Debra Sparrow, designed a unique jersey that incorporates several icons and cultural symbols of Canada's history. The dominant imagery depicted inside the Maple Leaf crest includes smaller maple leaves representing the gold medal counts for Canada's men's, women's and ice sledge hockey teams, as well as a thunderbird and eagle.
The jerseys also include the official Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games' emblems – a first for a Team Canada hockey sweater – and the official logos of the COC and CPC. With a suggested retail price of $135 for a replica jersey, Team Canada 2010 jerseys come in red or white. The jerseys are available today in Nike stores across Canada and at Hudson's Bay Company Bay stores. Later this fall, they will be available at Olympic Stores in Vancouver, Whistler, at the Vancouver International Airport and online at www.vancouver2010.com. They will also be sold at the Olympic Superstore at the Bay Downtown Vancouver and hockey venue concession stands operated at Games time by VANOC's merchandise concessionaire, XP Canada ULC.
“We're pleased to welcome this global athletic brand leader to the Vancouver 2010 team,” said John Furlong, VANOC's Chief Executive Officer. “Nike is a fitting addition to our sponsor family because of the company's dedication to excellence and quality and their partnership helps us exceed our domestic sponsorship goals for delivering great Games in 2010. It's very exciting to see the 2010 jersey brought to life as a result of creative collaboration between Nike, Hockey Canada, the COC, the CPC, and our team here at VANOC.”
