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Monday February 8, 2010
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More Olympians to join Usain Bolt in Toronto for track event
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
 | | | Michael Chambers photos - Geoff Arnold speaking at the press conference of the Festival of Excellence at Varsity Centre, University of Toronto on Tuesday, May 5. | |
Neil Armstrong
TORONTO, Canada:
Several Olympians will join the “world’s greatest athlete” Usian Bolt in Toronto in June for the inaugural Festival of Excellence at the University of Toronto’s Varsity Centre. Canadian hurdlers Perdita Felicien and Priscilla Lopes-Schliep as well as decathlete Bryan Clay, are confirmed for the June 11th world-class track and field meet.The event, hosted at Varsity Centre’s state-of-the-art facilities, will be broadcast live nationally on TSN.
“We had the crown jewel but didn’t have the crown facility to put it in. This is more than just a 100m race, this is a world-class track and field event,” said Geoff Arnoldi, of The Arnoldi Group, a sports branding and partnership company that helps sports assets grow in order to meet expectations.
Arnoldi said Bolt was intrigued and really interested in the plans to build athletics from the grassroots level up and the involvement of students from the elementary to university level. Bolt, Olympic triple gold medallist and gold record holder will headline the marquee event of the evening, the men’s 100 metres.
last competed
It has been six years since Bolt last competed in Canada in the IAAF World Youth Championship in Sherbrooke, where, at 16, he won gold in the 200m and broke the Championship Record.
Speaking at a press conference on the tarmac of the Varsity Centre on May 5, David Peterson, Chancellor of the University of Toronto said the event is bringing back athletics to the university. Bruce Kidd, Dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Health says the plan is to bring high performance leadership back to Toronto.
Priscilla Lopes-Schliep captured a bronze medal in the 100m at the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was the first medal for Canada in athletics at the Summer Olympics since the 1996 Games, and the first for a Canadian woman in Olympic track and field since the 1992 Games.
Two-time world champion and seven-time Canadian champion Perdita Felicien became Canada’s first-ever female world gold medalist when she won the 100m final at the 2003 world championships in Paris, France. She set a Canadian record in 2004, defeating three-time hurdles world champion Gail Devers in 60mH at the 2004 IAAF world indoor championships. She also took silver in the 100m at the 2007 world championships. Down with an injury for the 2008 Olympics, Felicien was a guest commentator with CBC.
champion
Bryan Clay is the reigning Olympic decathlon champion, having won gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Clay won by an amazing 240-point margin, the largest since 1972, to finish with 8,791 points and claim the title of “world’s greatest athlete.” Clay also won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics, gold at the 2005 world championships and finished first in heptathlon at the 2008 world indoor champions. Clay was ranked number one in the world in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
Key events for the Festival of Excellence include 800m women (wheelchair), pole vault (triathlon), high jump women, pole vault women, high jump men,400m women, 400m men, 110m (triathlon), mile men, 800m men, mile women, 400m men (triathlon), 100m women and 100m men.
“The roster of athletes slated to compete at this event is just outstanding,” says Liz Hoffman, U of T’s director of athletics. “The Festival of Excellence promises to be an incredibly exciting day of world-class competition.”
Tickets for the general public range in price from $75 to $250 and are available now through www.ticketbreak.com. There are 7,000 seats available. Varsity Centre’s permanent stands hold 5,000 and temporary bleachers holding an additional 2,000 fans will be set up on Devonshire Place.
The Festival of Excellence is part of a series of track and field events celebrating Varsity Centre’s IAAF-certified track and the new throws area that makes its debut in June. Other key events include the OFSAA track and field championships, Ontario’s biggest high school athletics event, which takes place June 3-5, and the 2009 Canadian senior track and field championships June 25-28.
 | | Left-right: Bruce Kidd, Dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Health, University of Toronto; Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, 100m hurdler; Liz Hoffman, U of T’s director of athletics; and David Peterson, Chancellor of the university. | |
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