Vancouver Olympic committee protests Imperial Oil contest
By Adnews Staff
The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is protesting a promotion by Imperial Oil of Calgary called the "Cheer On Canada" contest. The contest's grand prize package includes tickets to men's and women's hockey games at the Torino, Italy Olympic Games next year. Permission to use Olympic tickets in promotions or advertisements must be obtained in advance from Olympic Winter Games Torino 2006, which, according to the committee, has not been done. The committee furthermore maintains that, even though the symbols of the games are not used in its promotional materials, the contest is an attempt to create an unauthorized association between the Olympics and Imperial Oil. The company is not an official sponsor of the Olympic Games or the Canadian Olympic teams. "Attempts to make such false associations with the Olympic Games undermine the rights of Canadian companies that have committed significant financial resources to become Olympic sponsors and support the ambitions of Canadian athletes," said John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver committee. "We cannot expect Canadian corporations to continue to support our Games and our athletes if their competitors are allowed to derive the benefit of their investments. I cannot believe that Esso would intentionally put at risk funding for Canadian athletes, sport and cultural legacies for all Canadians and the 2010 Winter Games. I think they have made a serious mistake and we're asking them to correct it by withdrawing the marketing campaign immediately." As of press time, Imperial Oil has not responded to the committee.