COC officially opens Rio 2016 Canada Olympic House

The purpose of COH is, first and foremost, to act as a haven for the family and friends of Canadian Olympic Team athletes and coaches – allowing Olympians to focus on competition when it matters most, knowing their loved ones are well looked after. It is also home to Team Canada support staff, corporate and government partners and special guests.

Download photos from COH ribbon cutting

The concept for COH in Rio is to create a patriotic oasis of “Canadiana” within the Olympic host city that can be a social hub for those linked with the Canadian Olympic Team – a comforting Canadian experience where memories are made.

At COH, guests will have access to a multitude of products, information, services and resources. Operations will consist of the following:

• Comfortable viewing areas for sport and medal celebrations, provided by Canadian Tire Corporation, perfect for watching the Official Canadian Broadcast of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games via a special CBC feed
• High speed WIFI connectivity throughout COH, as well as product specialists making the experience better in the Bell Lounge
• A Team Canada Store with replica gear provided by Official Team Outfitter HBC, with products also available from adidas, Oakley, and Team Canada licensees
• Complimentary event tickets courtesy of the Petro-Canada Canadian Athlete Family Program – delivered at the ticketing and concierge desk
• Interactive experiences and event programming from RBC, Deloitte and Samsung
• Personal product bundles including favourite brands like Crest, Pantene, and Gillette for all Canadian athletes and support team from P&G
• Snacks and beverages throughout the day, compliments of Molson Coors Canada, Mondelez, and General Mills
• Competition information and news services presented by The Globe and Mail
• Reception desk presented by Hilton
• Premium event space for government, National Sport Federations and partner events
• Dedicated special events for athletes and their family and friends, including Opening and Closing Ceremony celebrations
• COC corporate operations headquarters

Digital Interactive activations at COH include:

• Facebook Live booth where Team Canada athletes can contact with their fans, friends and families directly from their Facebook page or Team Canada Facebook page
• Team Canada Twitter Mirror, lighting up with every #TeamCanada mention
• Canadian Tire’s Red Door from Rio is a physical door structure that enables a full-size, digital experience facilitating a real-time video/audio interaction that connects families, friends and fans of Olympians in Canada with athletes in Rio at COH – across a distance of more than 8,000km. Throughout the Olympic Games, Canadian Tire’s Red Door to Rio will activate 13 times at 10 different locations across the GTA and Southwestern Ontario
• Bell and Samsung Lounge will allow fans to interact with the latest Samsung mobile technology with the support from Bell representatives, and will include: Samsung Gear VR (3D technology), and Galaxy View
• The world-famous Molson red beer fridge will make its sophomore appearance and will open when guests say: “I am Canadian” in six different languages out of a possible 40.
• P&G Selfie Shed where guests can take photos and add fun frames to the final image before sharing to their social accounts
• The Olympic Experience – at the Richmond Olympic Oval, has provided a one-of-a-kind, state of the art, bobsleigh simulator for Canada’s Olympians, guests and partners to test their piloting skills against the medal-winning track times of the best Olympic bobsleigh teams in the world

The design team, led by George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg of Canadian design firm, YabuPushelberg, is honoured to work with the COC pro bono in supporting Team Canada in their pursuit of Olympic excellence and bringing its ‘comforting Canadiana’ concept to life. This was achieved through residentially-inspired spaces that are relaxed and welcoming. The transformation of simple, readily available objects into spectacular sculptural installations, paired with the repetition of honest materials and bold colour provide continuity within the interconnected rooms.

Yabu Pushelberg collaborated early in the design phase with the COC’s corporate partners, whose financial support make COH possible, to integrate them in a unique and authentic way. An example of this collaboration is with Canadian Tire Corporation. Canadian Tire and Sport Chek have provided product and furniture to make the space feel like home with some of the product being transformed into stunning design installations.

The COC would like to thank the following partners for their generous contributions to the Rio 2016 COH: RBC, Bell, Canadian Tire Corporation, Hudson’s Bay Co., Petro-Canada, Deloitte, General Mills, Molson Coors Canada, Mondelez, The Globe and Mail, adidas, Hilton, Oakley, P&G, Samsung and the Richmond Olympic Experience.

The COC would also like to thank Yabu Pushelberg’s vendors, Moss and Lam art studios who designed and built the incredible, Canadian-inspired art installations, as well as Saint Damase and Quality and Company for their significant donations of creativity, energy, and materials to bring the design of the house to life.

COH is a private facility that requires pre-registration and accreditation for entry. Guests will need to pre-register online. Onsite, a team of access staff, security staff and volunteers will monitor traffic and access to COH. It is located on the Lagoa at AABB-Rio (Associação Atlética Banco do Brasil), Avenida Borges de Medeiros No. 829, Leblon, Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Hours of operations are from August 6 – 21; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

QUOTE

“Our Rio 2016 Canada Olympic House is a small slice of Canada right here in Rio. It’s iconic design features our most activations ever to create an amazing home away from home for our athletes, their families, and our partners. It gives Canada’s Olympians peace of mind that their families will be taken care of in a spectacular and friendly fashion. We are proud to roll out the welcome mat to offer our guests all the amenities they need to enjoy a front row seat to the Games.”

Derek Kent, Chief Marketing Officer, Canadian Olympic Committee