(ATR) There were cheers near the shores of Rio de Janeiro's Leblon neighborhood when Canada edged Germany in the teams’ final opening round women’s football match on Aug. 9 in Brasilia.
That’s because Canada Olympic House, at Associação Atlética Banco do Brasil, hosted its first "I Heart Canada" open house of Rio 2016. Anyone with a Canadian passport was invited for the live viewing party, which featured television feeds from CBC, TSN and Sportsnet in the Canadian Tire/SportChek-sponsored Celebration Lounge with its Molson Canadian Bar.
The facility is normally a home away from home for Canadian athletes’ families and friends, as well as COC sponsors. It includes an interactive corner, with a Facebook Live studio, Twitter mirror, P&G Selfie Shed and bobsleigh simulator loaned from the Richmond Olympic Experience. The latter is North America’s only IOC-sanctioned museum, at the former Vancouver 2010 speed skating venue in the Richmond Oval.
Attendees included the Dimm family from Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Cliff and Ronda Dimm said they were inspired to travel to the Olympics by Canada’s 4x100m relay gold medal performance at Atlanta 1996 and have attended all the Games since then.
"We were hooked," Cliff Dimm said. "It’s a neat way to see the world, it’s two weeks out of every couple of years when everyone gets along and it’s a great atmosphere."
They now attend with their daughters, Holly and Maddie. The highlight so far included sitting with 200 other Canadians at Lagoa for rowing. They’re looking forward to trampoline on Friday. Rosie MacLennan will defend her London 2012 gold medal, the only one Canada brought home four years ago.
Cliff Dimm said the family has had a wonderful Rio experience so far, except for the hour it took to buy tickets for and finally receive bottles of water at Olympic Park on the weekend.
Canada Olympic House was designed pro bono by George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg and includes a Bell-sponsored WiFi lounge, complimentary event tickets for athletes’ families from Petro-Canada, an HBC-Canadian Olympic Team Store, Hilton concierge desk and COC’s corporate operations headquarters during the Games. COC expects 20,000 visitors during Rio 2016.
Written by Bob Mackinin Rio de Janeiro.
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