Torino 2006 Olympic Games

2005-12-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

Not Topic Related:

As a google experiment, I am posting a blog entry about my professor's sisters website. She runs a shop in the UK called KidsCorner. Currently, her website is ranked 11th on google for the keyword search, outdoor trampolines chester. However, we are trying to see if we can increase her ratings on google for this specific search.

The url address that goes to the KidsCorner website is www.kidscorner.uk.com, which can be found at the following link: outdoor trampolines chester.

2005-12-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals:

The Olympic Medals for the 2006 Torino Olympics have been designed and created; however, they are not in their complete phase yet. The Gold, Silver, and Brozne Medals will be complete when they are awarded to and hanging around the very dedicated and deserving athletes who won first, second and third place, respectively.

Moreover, the idea for the 2006 Winter Olympic Medals was a concept put together by Ottaviani International and the TOROC graphics team. Quatrini, who works with Ottaviani International, came up with the design for the medals. Quatrini bainstormed the Medal design by incorporating views and ideas from the Italian history, along with tradition of forms and designs of the Olympic rings, ancient coins, and ornaments. In its final form, the Olympic Medal is a unique shape embedded by the town square, the arena, the victory ring, and a circle with a space at the center that reveals the heart.

The open space at the centre of the Olympic Medal is a symbol of life itself, revealing the place where the heart beats. Another uniqueness of the2006 Olympic Medal is how the Medal and ribbon are joined together. The Olympic Medal has been created and developed as a single object; therefore, the ribbon is not sewn at the top of the Medal. Instead the ribbon is knotted to the ring around at the top of the Medal, to make an unusual and intimately a unique whole.

2005-11-28T14:38:00.000-08:00

The Olympic Flame:

On November 27th, five-ring Olympic Flag was raised and began waving in the winter winds again. Plus, on this morning, in the Plains of Olympia in Greece, the Lighting Ceremony of the 2006 Torino Olympic Flame was held. This marked the first official acts of the 2006 Olympic Torch Relay, which paved the way to the opening events of the XX Olympic Winter Games.

One of the many notable figures at the Torch Lighting Ceremony was the president of the TOROC, Valentino Castellani. He was quoted saying, "The Flame is one of the most concrete testimonies sent down to us from the ancient Games. The Flame which travels from one city to the next announces the arrival of the XX Olympic Winter Games. This event includes, 17 days of sports events and competitions with athletes coming from all over the world who will loyally face each other under the banner of sportsmanship and reciprocal respect".

Moreover, the Olympic Torch Relay will travel for 10 days in Greek territory and will arrive at the Panathinaykos Olympic stadium in Athens on December 6th. The following day, in an official ceremony the flame will be passed on to the delegation of Torino 2006 who will bring it to Italy on board a C-130 cargo plane made available by the Ministry of Defence. Then the Olympic Flame will be welcomed to Rome by a delegation of the Presidency of the Republic. Next, the Flame will depart for its final destination to the city of Torino, where on February 10th it will light up the Olympic Cauldron during the Opening Ceremonies of the XX Olympic Winter Games of Torino 2006.

2005-11-25T13:57:00.000-08:00

An "Olympic Steeple": for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games

Today, the official poster for the 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Games was presented on a sports TV network. The symbolic Olympic poster will be featured on all the Torino 2006 sites. In addition, the poster will be displayed at all venues during the Olympic event. After the Games, it will become a souvenir that will keep the memories alive.

Moreover, the poster was conceived, designed, and developed by the Armando Testa Agency. Furthermore, the TOROC has also entrusted the Armando Testa Agency with the task of creating the Olympic mascot characters and putting the overall nature of these Olympic Games into illustrations.

Marco Testa, president of Armando Testa Agency, has centered the design for this years poster around the “Mole Antonelliana”(the Steeple of Antonelli), which is a well-know symbol in Torino. The Mole, which is also a mountain range, is located right before the Alpines. Through the use of a multicolored interpretative style and symbolic gestures, the poster represents the idea of the Olympic tracks. Therefore, the poster supports the logo and the slogan of the 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Games, “Passion Lives Here". Overall, Marco Testa created this poster as an identifying symbol of the 2006 Games; which represents, power, liveliness, and dynamism, like the Olympic Games will be, and like the city of Torino is.

2005-11-15T18:53:00.000-08:00

A LOCAL LINK:

As we near closer and closer to the opening day of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, athletes across the world are preparing to travel to compete in Torino. However, for now, the U.S. Olympic team is being determined as athletes compete at Nationals in their various sporting events. Moreover, I thought that I would provide a closer look for you at some local Olympic hopefulls in this area.

First, is Eric Bernotas, who is 33 years of age and located in Avondale Pennslyvannia. Eric is listed as one of the top 25 Olympic hopefulls, and if he makes the U.S. Olympic team, he will be competeing in the skeleton. Eric has a long and outstanding record competeing in the skeleton which includes winning the last three U.S. National titles, and breaking the Lake Placid track record in 2004. In addition, Eric also placed eighth last year in the 2005 World Championships.

Next is Kimberly Meissner, a sixteen year old, figure skater from Baltimore Maryland. Kimmie is also a 2006 Winter Olympic hopeful for the U.S. Olympic team, who is young but has a credible track record. Last year, Kimmie finished third at the 2005 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships behind Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen. Plus, she became the first U.S. women to land a triple axel at the U.S. Nationals since Tonya Harding in 1991.

Lastly, but definately not the least by any means, is Johnny Weir, a 21 year old figure skater from Coatesville Pennslyvania. Johnny, like the other two athletes previously mentioned is also a 2006 U.S Olympic Team hopeful. He has won the men's title at the U.S Nationals Championship for the past two years, 2004 and 2005. In addition, they are hopeful that Johnny will win the 2006 men's title at the U.S. National Championships which will be held in January of 2006. Also, in 2004, Johnny finished first in four out of nine major international and national competitions that he competed in.

2005-11-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

Preparations-Nearing closer:

With only 90 days left until the Opening Ceremonies for the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics, the excited and anticipation continues to build. Moreover, the city of Torino and the Piedmont region are in the final stages of there preparation as Olympic Teams are being determined and athletes are hard at work training for the event of a lifetime. When you think of the Winter Olympics, what is the first thing that comes to mind?? Snow, ice, sports, athletes, preparation, dreams, success, competition, unity, teams, countries, passion, or maybe even for the love of the sport. Well within a few short months, athletes and their Olympics Teams will fly from all over the world to Torino to fulfill their Olympic dreams and possible even win a medal.

The Winter Olympics is an amazing event filled with fierce competition and phenomenal athletes from all countries united by the Olympic spirit. However, the Winter Olympics requires years of planning and preparations. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Torino Olympic committee (TOROC) have been designing, organizing, and working to set up the 2006 Olympics for close to five years now! The Olympics takes a lot of hard work and effort from thousands of people in order to carry out the wonderful event that viewers watch from around the world. The city of Torino had to redesign infrastructures, build new resorts and stadiums, set-up additional means of transportation and lodging, while mapping out a series of events. In addition, the IOC and the TOROC have been revising procedures and forming new policies to ensure that the Winter Olympics will be a safe and pleasant even that everyone will enjoy. Now, this is only a glimpse of the work that has gone into preparing for the upcoming event, but I hope it gives you a better idea of the time, hard-work, and detailed planning that goes into preparing for the Olympic Games.

Less than 90 days to go, the Winter Olympics is almost here!

2005-11-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

A NEW LOOK:

Today (November 1), the TOROC, Torino Organizing Olympic Committee, launched a new version of their 2006 Winter Olympics Website. The new website was developed to ensure that people would be able to get the information that they needed in order to be part of the 2006 Winter Olympics experience. In addition, the site contains a new layout, new design, new graphics, and much, much more content. The new website now guarantees continual and up-to-date information on the winter sports, the athletes, and the TOROC organization.

The new website has now been structured around five key areas: Come to Torino 2006; Competition and Schedules; Sports and Athletes; The Olympic Spirit; and Behind the Scenes. First, the Come to Torino 2006, provides visitors with information on ticketing, transportation, accommodations, maps of the venues, and all the necessary data that they would need to attend and make plans to get to the Winter Olympic Games. Secondly, the Competitions and Schedules section is geared toward any and all information on the sporting events; such as, the latest news, schedules, and general information about the specific events. Next, the Sports and Athletes area is devoted to the history, rules, and records of each and every Winter Olympic Sport. Fourth, the Olympic Spirit section provides visitors with insight into the values and culture of the Olympic Games, as well as information on the 2006 Torino Volunteer Program. Lastly, the Behind the Scenes portion of the newly designed website allows visitors to learn more about the TOROC, and the Olympic movement in general.

Moreover, the website was specifically redesigned to accommodate all visitors and provide them with the necessary and important information leading into February and throughout the Olympic Games. The website was built upon a new infrastructure, which will enable the site to substain the 30 million visits that are expected during the Winter Games. In addition, the website was designed to accommodate some of the various cultures, and is offered in English, Italian, and French.

2005-10-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

ZERO TOLERANCE:

On October 27th, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), announced its new anti-doping strategy to combat the drug issues that have been seen throughout the Olympics in the past. This strategy will include a 45% increase in the number of drug tests performed during the Olympics as compared to the number that were performed during the Salt Lake City Olympics. In total, there will be 1,200 drug tests completed, begininning with the opening of the Olympic Villages in Janurary, and finalizing with the ending ceremonies on February 26th. These drug tests will be conducted for all substances present on the 2006 List of Prohibited Substances issued by the World Anti-Doping Agencies (WADA).

In addition, a control force involving the IOC, WADA, the Torino Organizing Committee, and TOROC (Torino Olympic Committee) has been set in place. TOROC will implement the drug tests performed within the Olympic Venues; whereas, WADA, under the supervision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will conduct any of the drug tests performed outside of the Olympic Venues. Moreover, to accommodate for the numerous increases in the number of drug tests performed this year at the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics, a new laboratory with the lastest technology has been opened in Orbassano, a neighboring town, at their hospital premises. This facility will be WADA accredited during the Olympic Games, and they have brought in many Specialist world-wide to assist in efficiently implementing the new drug testing policy for the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics.

2005-10-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

A Glimpse: The U.S Olympic Team

As you all know, the Winter Olympics is a world-wide event where top athletes compete in various sports involving ice and snow, while defining the laws of speed and gravity. An overview of the various sports invovled in the Winter Olympics includes:

Biathlon-which began in 1960, is a sport that combines cross-country skiing with target shooting using a small calibre rifle.
Bobsleigh- which began in 1924, involves teams of two or four people traveling downhill on an ice luge built for the event. The team success is based on the initial pushing phase and then continued control of the sleigh and blades
Nordic Combined-consists of two different disciplines: ski jumping and cross-country skiing.
Curling-which began in 1924, is a team sport which takes place on a sheet of ice. The objective is to deliver a smooth granite stone across the ice and get your teams stones closer to the center target than your competitors.
Freestyle Skiing-is made up of two various parts, which include moguls and aerials.
Ski Jumping- which is based on the length of your jump and includes phases such as: your launch, take-off, flight, and landing
Alpine Skiing- which includes downhill, slalom, super-slalom, Super-G, and combined.
Cross-country Skiing- which as a sport, skiing began as an Olympic sport in 1924.
Snowboarding- which includes: the parallel giant slalom, half-pipe, and snowboard cross.
Skeleton-which has athletes lying on their stomachs, heading downhill with their arms by their sides. The only way for them to downhill is through the thrust force and gravity of their bodies.
Luge- which began in 1964, is a sport that consists of the athlete laying on their back with their feet pointing downhill. The key is the strong push off from the starting gate at the beginning of the race.
Ice Hockey- which began as an Olympic sport in the 1920's, and WILL be seen in the 2006 Olympics, despite the recent past lock-out of the event.
Figure Skating- which entered the Olympics in 1908, and includes four separate events, such as: pairs skating, ice dancing, and singles for men and women.
Speed Skating- which includes various track lengths and the Short Track.

In this time leading up to the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics, competitions are taking place throughout the various countries worldwide to help each country find their top athletes to represent them in the wide range of sports fields. The U.S has been and will be holding these competitions starting now and up through January to find the top athletes that will best represent us in each event. As of now, the U.S Olympic committee has pin-pointed the top 25 Olympic hopefuls that are expected to represent the United States in the 2006 Olympic Games.

2005-10-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

Promotional Campaign for Torino 2006: Celebrate Humanity

As the 2006 Winter Olympic Games continue to near closer, the
International Olympic Committee continues to scramble to prepare for the upcoming event. One of their lastest efforts was protrayed on October 12, 2005 when the IOC launched its 2006 promotional campaign. The campaign, Celebrate Humanity, focuses on the Olympic values of hopes, dreams, inspirations, friendships, joy in effort, and fair play.

The Celebrate Humanity Campaign consists of two television commercials, each produced in four different languages. Additional, in the commericals you will see appearances from two inspirational spokepeople whom include: the former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela, and secondly, Italian Tenor Maestro Andrea Bocelli.

This Campaign has been developed with specific intentions, focusing on the 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Games. Moreover, the campaign was produced to follow on the sucess of the three previous campaigns for Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games and Athens 2004 Olympic Games. The Celebrate Humanity Campaign will be made available to the International Olympic Committee's global broadcasting partners with the aim of raising awareness of the upcoming Winter Olympic's. Additionally, the campaign will also assist in spreading the positive message of Olympic spirit and demeanor, while encouraging the public's interest in the Olympic Games.

2005-10-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

Highlights:
On September 3oth, tickets were once again on sale, and on the rise. Purchases of tickets for the Olympic Games had temporary been postponed so that seat assignments could be given out to the lucky people who had already bought tickets to various events. Over half a million tickets have already been sold, and that number is expected to rise dramatically over the next few months as the 2006 Olympics approaches. The Winter Olympics is comprised of seven different sports, and fifteen different disciplines. These various events will take place at the eight different competitions sites, hosting nearly 2,500 athletes and 650 judges.

The final count has been made, with a total of 25,500 volunteers set to work during the 2006 Olympic Games. Of the volunteers, the data shows that 55% are men and 45% are women. Out of all the volunteers, 63% are between the ages of 18 and 35, 18% are between the ages of 36 and 54, and 19% are over 55. Nearly 57% and over 22,000 of the total volunteers are from Torino and its surrounding valleys. The other couple thousand is comprised of 27% located throughout the rest of Italy, and 16% from abroad (mainly Canada and the United States).

While everyone would love to have the opportunity to be participating in the Olympic Games in some way, only 5,500 of the volunteers will actually have the chance to assist with the Opening and Closing ceremonies. The volunteers helping out with the ceremonies will be divided into two groups, 'performers' and 'production assistants'. Moreover, as it seems fit, the 'performers' will be spread throughout parts of the choreography with roles such as, dancing, gymnastics, skating, models, acrobats, and musicians. On the other hand, the 'production assistants' will be behind the scenes assisting with make-up, hair, props, costume production, translators, and athlete escorts. As for the rest of the volunteers, they will be helping in various areas such as: transportation, sports, spectator services, numerous jobs throughout the city of Torino and the mountains.

2005-09-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

The Arch:
During the night between Saturday, September 24th and Sunday, September 25th, numerous cranes lifted an arch walkway up and over the railways. The Arch is a total of 69 meters tall and represents a unique and symbolic structure of the 2006 Winter Olympics. The magnificent Arch walkway unites the Olympic village of Torino to the Lingotto Direction Centre, which would otherwise be two divided cities. The goal of the Arch is to create a significant and powerful memory of the Olympic games and for the future of Torino.

Also, in the news:
During a press conference on Monday, September 26th, the Italian State Railway System announced itself as an official sponsor of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. The entry of the State Railway into the group of Olympic sponsors, demonstrates the Italian's support and honor of hosting the XX Winter Olympic Games. Moreover, this will also guarantee efficient means of transportation to and from the various Olympic site locations, while being environmentally safe. In addition, the use of the railway systems will help to make the Olympic games enjoyable for all spectators by dramatically reducing the overall amount of traffic flow and providing reliable transportation services. Purchase Tickets

2005-09-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

142 Days to Go:

The 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy will include 17 days of competition spanning from February 10th to the 26th. Additionally, there will be seven various competition sites located throughout Italy. They include: Torino, Bardonecchia, Cesana, Pinerolo, Pragelato, Sauze d' Oulx, and Sestriere. Moreover, Torino, Bardonecchia, and Sestriere will also serve as sites for the Olympic villages. Olympic Area

The Olympic Torch relay is set to begin December 5, 2005 in Rome. There will be more than 10,000 torch barriers who will travel a 11,000 kilometer trail passing through every region and province. On February 10, 2006 Torino will welcome the arrival of the flame with an inauguration of the XX Winter Olympic Games.

The 2006 Winter Olympics mascots Neve and Gliz, who have become the icon of the upcoming event. She is shaped as a snowball and he an ice cube, which portray the two most vital elements of the winter Olympic games, snow and ice. On a deeper level, they represent the Italian and Olympic values of friendship, enthusiasm, loyalty, fun, design, and capacity of innovation.

2005-09-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

Overview:

This blog has been created for a course that I am currenly taking about Information Technology Applications in Marketing.
My blog is particularly focused on the 2006 upcoming Olympic Games. My blog will include the following, and much more: current events revolving around where the Olympics will be hosted, what special events are being planned, and talk about particular athletes we can look forward to watching.

2006 Olympic Games

2005-09-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

Introduction:

My name is Jodi, and I am a senior in college, majoring in Management and Marketing at the University of Delaware UD.