Bombardier burning with pride over Olympic torch

A team from Dorval-based Bombardier is proud they were able to play a role in raising the Olympic spirit for the 2010 Vancouver Games. They designed the Olympic torch that will be carried by select citizens across Canada starting in October. The official unveiling took place last Thursday in Whistler B.C., with a kick off to promote the carry-the-flame tour in Quebec held later that day at a Bombardier hanger near the airport in Dorval.

The 94-centimetre long mainly white torch, which weighs 1.6 kilograms, was designed to withstand the rigours of winter as well as represent trails left by skiers and the vast, natural beauty of the country. Bombardier officials said they enjoyed the challenge of designing the torch, adding they wanted to support Canada’s athletes to compete and win against the very best in the world. Bombardier transportation and aerospace staff teamed up to design and manufacture the torch.

Bombardier engineer Bruno Comtois, the project manager, said they started working on it in November 2007.

“We put a lot of passion into it, a lot of work and effort,” he said. “We tried to create a torch that will sit with the vision and the colour of the Olympics. We wanted to produce a torch we can all be proud of and at the same time will represent Canada. So we came up with the landscape of Canada, you got the limitless horizon and the snow all over the place in the winter. The shape is also inspired by nature and sports, like skates or snow trails.”

While he designs aircraft for a living, Comtois said working on the torch project was an amazing experience since it allows him to be part of the Olympic Games.

Quebecers, aged 13 and up, are being asked to participate in the Sogo Carry the Flame Tour sponsored by Coca-Cola. A shortlist of 7,000 people will be selected in May, they will then be asked to submit a brief word of why they want to participate.

“We will ask them what they do in their daily lives to be more active or green and they will tell us their story,” Coca-Cola rally spokesman Mickael Vinet said. “We want to use this opportunity to reward and inspire people.”

Of the 12,000 torch bearers to be selected across Canada, 4,500 will be chosen by Coca-Cola and about 1,500 people will carry the Olympic flame in Quebec, Vinet said, adding those selected will walk/run with the torch for about 300 to 400 metres each.

“People should get involved because it is an opportunity of a lifetime,” said Vancouver Organizing Committee spokesman Virginie Lamarche. “The program is designed so everyday Canadians can apply and really have their own Olympic experience.”

The torch rally is scheduled to traverse the West Island in December. Beaconsfield will be one of 27 municipalities in Quebec to host a community celebration for the Olympic torch run which will pass through the West Island municipality on Dec.8.

West Islanders hoping to have the chance to become an official torch bearer can fill out a form found at www.icoke.ca or www.sogoactive.com.