Vancouver 2010: The success story of the Red Mittens

Olympics

Thu, Dec  31, 2009 - By FIS

Who would have thought that one of the best selling items this Christmas would be a pair of red mittens? But the truth is, a pair of red mittens is a hit in Canada with the Vancouver 2010 Games set to begin in just 43 days.

These knitted mittens have a white Maple Leaf in the heart of each palm and the Olympic Rings and Vancouver 2010 on the outside. They match those that are worn by the 12,000 torchbearers who are carrying the Olympic flame in the torch relay since 30th October 2009.

Launched by VANOC, the organizing committee for the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, this fall, a million pairs of red mittens had already been sold by the middle of December. Anyone who tried to buy the red mittens to give as gifts this holiday season had a hard time getting their hands on them. But apparently, several hundred thousand more pairs are being made available in the period leading up to the start of the Olympics on 12th February.

The proceeds from the mittens go to support a program known as ‘Own The Podium‘ which is a five year program designed to fund world class training and equipment for Canadian athletes. For more information, check out this clip on the Vancouver 2010 website!