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General Mills Canada & Canada Post connect Canadians with Olympians

Meet Olympic Gold Medalist Ashleigh McIvor & Olympians Patrick Chan & Chris Del Bosco

What:       As Official Suppliers of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, General Mills and Canada Post are proudly giving Canadians an opportunity to share in the Olympic Spirit by meeting some of Canada’s top Olympians, including 2010 Ladies’ Ski Cross Gold Medal Winner Ashleigh McIvor.  McIvor is the first Canadian to win an Olympic medal in Ski Cross, earning her place on the podium on Tuesday.  McIvor will be joined by fellow Olympians Chris Del Bosco and Patrick Chan. Del Bosco had been positioned to win bronze in Men’s Ski Cross, and after a spectacular crash trying to charge through for Gold, finished fourth. Three-time Canadian Champion Patrick Chan earned a fifth place position in Men’s Figure Skating.

This autograph-signing session celebrates the Olympians’ commitment to their sport and marks the pinnacle of the CHEER campaign, a cross-Canada outpouring of support and enthusiasm mounted by General Mills Canada in partnership with Canada Post.  The CHEER campaign invited Canadians to write messages of encouragement on postcards, pre-paid courtesy of Canada Post, found on specially-marked Cheerios boxes.  Overall, 13,000 CHEER cards were collected from across the country and delivered to Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic Teams by Canada Post prior to the Games, and 7,000 have been collected during the Games.  The Olympian autograph signing session will take place in front of Canada Post’s main Vancouver postal outlet, where a selection of the CHEER postcards will be displayed for the duration of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Who:        
Photo and interview opportunity with:

• Ashleigh McIvor, Ladies’ Ski Cross, Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Gold Medalist
• Patrick Chan, Figure Skating, Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Fifth Place Finish
• Chris Del Bosco, Men’s Ski Cross, Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Fourth Place Finish
• Representatives from General Mills Canada and Canada Post about the importance of building support for our athletes

When:  Friday, February 26, 2010

• MEDIA AVAILABILITY: 2:30 pm for all three athletes
• Autograph Signing Sessions:

1:00 - 3:00 pm:  Ashleigh McIvor and Chris Del Bosco
2:30 - 4:30 pm:  Patrick Chan

Where:  Canada Post’s Vancouver Mail Processing Plant (in the retail parking lot facing Georgia Street, under the “Let’s Go Canada” banner)
349 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC

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For more information or to secure an interview, please contact: