NBC sportscaster Mary Carillo to run in Iqaluit on Nov. 9 during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay

IQALUIT, Nov. 6 /CNW/ - Getting set to cover her seventh Olympic Games for NBC, American sportscaster Mary Carillo is first heading to Canada's North to run with the Olympic Flame in Iqaluit, Nunavut, on Nov. 9.

Carillo is an international torchbearer with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, presented by Coca-Cola and RBC and supported by the Government of Canada. In addition to her experience as an Olympic broadcaster, Carillo is a former professional tennis player and an award-winning tennis analyst.

"Mary Carillo has excelled in both sport and journalism, and I have no doubt she's up for the challenge, and the great honour, of running with the Olympic Flame in the Canadian North," says Michele McKenzie, CTC president and CEO. "We want her viewers to be inspired to explore the culture, people and beauty of Nunavut, a territory unique in the world."

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), in collaboration with the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), has selected 15 international torchbearers to participate in the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay International Media Program to maximize international media coverage of the relay and spread the excitement and Olympic spirit around the world.

The international torchbearers are from CTC's global markets and include former Olympic athletes as well as entertainers and media celebrities. Their journeys through Canada will be broadcast and shared in their home countries during both the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay and the 2010 Winter Games, all to inspire the world to travel to Canada.

About the CTC

The CTC is Canada's national tourism marketing organization. Our vision is inspiring the world to explore Canada. With our partners in the tourism industry and the governments of Canada, the provinces and the territories, we advertise and market Canada in 12 countries around the world, conduct industry research and studies, and promote product and industry development. For daily updates on CTC initiatives, subscribe to CTC News, available through RSS feeds and by e-mail.

Resources

    Torchbearer feature:
    http://mediacentre.canada.travel/system/files/carillo_en.pdf

For further information: Meaghan Benmore, Hill & Knowlton Vancouver, Tel: (604) 692-4228, Cell: (604) 340-5025, meaghan.benmore@hillandknowlton.ca; Jitka Licenik, Corporate Communications Advisor, Canadian Tourism Commission, Tel: (604) 638-2482, Fax: (604) 638-8438, licenik.jitka@ctc-cct.ca, www.mediacentre.canada.travel