Team Canada launches ‘Be You’ pop-up store in support of Pride 2018
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TORONTO (June 22, 2018) – Addressing a busy Friday afternoon crowd at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Olympic champion Eric Radford helped launch the Canadian Olympic Committee’s first-ever ‘Be You’ pop up-store in celebration of Pride 2018. Radford delivered a powerful speech about his journey to become one of Canada’s most accomplished figure skaters and the first openly gay man in history to win a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games.
‘Be You’, a brand extension of Team Canada’s bold Be Olympic platform, was created in support of LGBTQ+ inclusion and respect in sport communities across the country. Fans have the opportunity to get a custom t-shirt with their choice of ‘Be Proud’, ‘Be Olympic’, ‘Be Excellent’ or ‘Be Awesome’ printed on them, in exchange for a minimum $10 contribution to You Can Play.
You Can Play, an organization dedicated to ensuring equality and safety for all athletes, is a proud partner of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s #OneTeam initiatives. In collaboration with Egale Canada, a tri-party Memorandum of Understanding was signed on December 2, 2014 taking steps to protect and support LGBTQ+ athletes, youth, and coaches in sport and schools by updating its anti-discrimination language within the Canadian Olympic Committee Articles and introducing LGBTQ-specific educational resources for its Canadian Olympic School Program.
“I was the first openly gay man to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics, but I won’t be the last,” said Radford. “The work the Canadian Olympic Committee is doing this weekend will help ensure that sport is a safe place for individuals of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions. Who you are attracted to in life should never impact your participation in sport.”
The pop-up store is scheduled to be open on Friday, June 22 until 9:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, June 23 from noon to 9:00 p.m. ET and on Sunday, June 24 from noon to 7:00 p.m. ET. The Canadian Olympic Committee would like to thank national partner Cadillac Fairview for their contribution to the ‘Be You’ project at CF Toronto Eaton Centre.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Josh Su, Coordinator, Communications
Cell: 647-464-4060
Email: jsu@olympic.ca
Photi Sotiropoulos, Director, Communications and Media Relations
Tel: 416-324-4298 / Cell: 416-476-9174
Email: psotiropoulos@olympic.ca