Town of Banff

Karen Percy Named as Banff Torchbearer

September 23, 2009

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Karen Percy Named Vancouver 2010 Community Torchbearer for Banff

Olympic Flame to arrive January 20th

Banff, Alberta – When the Olympic Flame arrives in Banff's Central Park January 20, 2010 it will be proudly carried by Karen Percy, nominated as our community torchbearer to light the celebration cauldron for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.

Percy, 43, was one of the top women's alpine competitors in the world. At the height of her career she was a double medalist at the 1988 Olympic Winter Games and placed 4th in Downhill and 3rd in Combined events in World Cup standings in the same year. Raised in Banff she has also been inducted into the Banff Sports Hall of Fame.

"We're so pleased to announce Karen Percy as Banff's torchbearer for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games," said Mayor John Stutz.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Percy, who is one of 12,000 Canadians chosen to carry the Olympic Flame on the longest domestic torch relay in Olympic history! On January 20, 2010 we want everyone in our community to join together with other Canadians and show the world how inspired we feel by the Olympic Flame and its message of peace, brotherhood and friendship."

To celebrate the arrival of the flame, the community is planning a torch relay celebration that will begin at 6 p.m. and is sure to please crowds of all ages.  The entertainment line-up is top-notch – Banff Lake Louise Tourism announced just last week that the Canadian Tenors will headline this two-hour celebration.  The Banff Centre and The Town of Banff have worked together to bring Bomba, a renowned Canadian, Latin-Jazz ensemble to the stage that night as well.

Other event details are being kept under wraps, said Stutz who knows a little more than most about the community celebration.  Though he won't tip his hat on the details he says the entertainment is unique and will be like nothing he's seen in this community before.

Midway through the two-hour celebration program, Percy will carry the Olympic Torch on its final 300 metres to the stage where she will light the 1.3-metre high celebration cauldron, in a move similar to the dramatic highlight of what will occur during the Opening Ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The 106-day Olympic Torch Relay, which is presented by Coca-Cola and RBC and supported by the Government of Canada, will visit more than 1,030 communities and places of interest in every province and territory. On February 12, 2010, the Olympic Flame will make its way to downtown Vancouver to light the Olympic Cauldron in a magical and awe-inspiring moment before a television audience of three billion people worldwide, signalling the kick off to the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

For more information on the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay:

• www.vancouver2010.com/torchrelay

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

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For information:

Janice Carson
Communications Coordinator, Town of Banff
T: 403.762.1227

Or

Michelle Gurney
Manager of Marketing and Communications, Town of Banff
T: 403.762.1207