Olympic Spirit Toronto

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Main article: Attractions in Toronto

Olympic Spirit Toronto was an Olympic-themed attraction featuring the moments of high drama and emotion experienced by Olympians and fans throughout Canada’s history with the Olympic Games. It offered visitors a taste of what the Olympics are about through interactive sports activities that gave them a chance to try Olympic sports and engage in friendly competitions among themselves. The education-oriented attraction operated in a building at 35 Dundas Street East on Dundas Square in Toronto from August 2004 to August 2006. The building was purchased by Rogers Communications and is being renovated into television/radio studios for Citytv, OMNI Television and The Fan 590 (opening in March 2009).^[1]

Olympic Spirit won a number of prestigious awards, including the 2005 Thea Award of Outstanding Achievement, the Academy awards of the entertainment industry,^[2] and the 2005 Innovation Award presented by Tourism Federation of Ontario (TFO).^[3] The Calling, the High-Definition film produced for Olympic Spirit, was awarded the 2005 AMOVA Award at the 23rd International FICTS Festival in Milano, Italy. ^[4]

[edit] Future of the Olympic Spirit Attraction in Toronto

Mark Dzenick, Chairman of the Olympic Spirit Group, the master licensor of the Olympic Spirit concept together with the International Olympic Committee and the Canadian Olympic Committee, expressed his confidence in the city and optimism for the future. “I appreciate the effort that the local licensee and operator, PenEquity Management Corp. and Toros Entertainment Inc., put into the project. They believed in Toronto and in bringing the Olympic Spirit to its citizens. I have a great deal of faith and trust in the city. The Olympic Spirit is alive and well in Toronto, and we hope to announce plans for a more family-oriented location sometime soon.” ^[5]