Brazilian Olympic champion César Cielo to run at New Brunswick's Hopewell
Rocks during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay

HOPEWELL CAPE, NB, Nov. 20 /CNW/ - One of Canada's most iconic maritime spots will soon be hosting one the world's best swimmers. Brazil's César Cielo, Olympic gold medallist and current world-record holder in the 100-m freestyle will run with the Olympic Flame at the stunning Hopewell Rocks, on the coast of New Brunswick's Bay of Fundy, on Nov. 24 .

Cielo is an international torchbearer with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, presented by Coca-Cola and RBC and supported by the Government of Canada . Brazil's most successful swimmer, Cielo won a gold and a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. At the 2009 world championships, Cielo won two gold while setting a world record and becoming just the third swimmer in history to win both the 50-m and 100-m distances at a single world championship.

Before and after his torch run, Cielo will take in some Maritime culture in New Brunswick , including feasting on famous seafood chowder and enjoying local Acadian music. Cielo will then tour around Toronto , home of the 2015 Pan American Games.

"César Cielo thrills Brazil and the world with each new victory in the pool," says Michele McKenzie, CTC president and CEO. "It's fabulous that he's coming to New Brunswick to carry the flame at The Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Fundy. I'm hoping he'll take it all in and tell his fans about this special place where the rock formations are created by the highest tides in the world."

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), in collaboration with the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), has selected international torchbearers to participate in the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay International Media Program to maximize international media coverage of the relay and spread the excitement and Olympic spirit around the world.

The international torchbearers are from CTC's global markets and include former Olympic athletes as well as entertainers and media celebrities. Their journeys through Canada will be broadcast and shared in their home countries during both the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay and the 2010 Winter Games, all to inspire the world to travel to Canada .

About the CTC

The CTC is Canada's national tourism marketing organization. Our vision is inspiring the world to explore Canada . With our partners in the tourism industry and the governments of Canada , the provinces and the territories, we advertise and market Canada in 12 countries around the world, conduct industry research and studies, and promote product and industry development. For daily updates on CTC initiatives, subscribe to CTC News, available through RSS feeds and by e-mail.

Resources

Torchbearer profile

For further information: Meaghan Benmore, Hill & Knowlton Vancouver, Tel: [phone], Cell: [phone], [email protected]; Jitka Licenik, Corporate Communications Advisor, Canadian Tourism Commission, Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone], [email protected], www.mediacentre.canada.travel