Rio News – Page 2

Olympic day activities celebrate the countdown to Rio 2016

June 21, 2016 by Admin

The BVI Olympic Committee (BVIOC) will be celebrating its annual Olympic Day event with multi-sport activities hosted at the Tortola Sports Club on Saturday, June 25th, 2016 from 2:30 pm – 6pm.

Based on the Olympic Day pillars of ‘Discover’, ‘Learn’, ‘Move’, activities kick off at 2:30pm with an opportunity for the public to discover a new sport and learn about Archery, Rugby, Taekwondo, Squash, and Sailing from the representative national federations and by taking part in the interactive demonstrations.

Other highlights include the announcement of confirmed athletes to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the Rio 2016 athletes’ slideshow, the unveiling of major Games uniforms, Rio ticketing information, tips and massages from Professionals for La Ambience Spa, the reading of the Olympic Day Message, and concluding with movement with the symbolic Olympic Day 2 mile run/walk through Road Town at 4:45pm.

The Virgin Gorda community will celebrate by assembling at the College grounds, Enid Pickering Building at the HLSCC Virgin Gorda Centre at 6:30am for the Olympic Day Run/Walk. Interested persons may contact Gloria L. Geoge at leolafoye@gmail.com and by mobile ‘phone on (284) 547 7404.

Free Olympic Day T-Shirts and Dasani water and Powerade, compliments of Road Town Wholesale (1975) Ltd., will be distributed to all participants.

Activities are open to adults and children of all ages and ability levels. Come out, take part and together let’s support the Olympic Movement!

For more information, please contact Cleave Farrigton, Executive Director, BVIOC by email at cmfarrington@bviolympics.org or by telephone on (284) 494 6920.

Filed Under: BVI Olympic Committee, Rio News Tagged With: BVI Olympic Committee, BVI Olympic Day, Olympic Day, Rio 2016, Rio 2016 tickets

Olympic flame arrives in Brazil

May 3, 2016 by Admin

The Olympic flame has arrived in Brazil. A special flight operated by LATAM Airlines landed in the capital Brasília early on the morning of Tuesday 3 May, carrying the flame from the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland to its new home in Brazil.

Over the course of the following 95 days, the Olympic torch will visit more than 300 towns and cities all over Brazil, before arriving in the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro for the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on 5 August. The flame was taken to a welcoming ceremony at the Pálacio do Planalto, the official workplace of the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff.

President Rousseff used the flame to light the Rio 2016 Olympic Torch before passing it to double Olympic volleyball champion. Fabiana Claudino to start the Brazilian phase of the torch. relay.

“Brazil is now the country of the Games. We will remember this day and it will go down in history,” President Rousseff said, before using the flame to light the Rio 2016 Olympic Torch and pass it to double Olympic volleyball champion Fabiana Claudino to start the Brazilian phase of the torch relay.

Ephraim Penn, president of the BVIOC along with presidents of all other NOC’s, was in attendance at the welcoming ceremony.

The flame was lit at at traditional ceremony in the Temple of Hera in Olympia in Greece, on 21 April. Following ancient custom, a parabolic mirror was used to light the flame with the sun’s rays.The same day, a torch relay began that took the flame all over Greece, before visiting the United Nations in Geneva and the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. On 5 August, the torch will be used to light the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony.When it travels by air, the flame is preserved inside special lanterns which sit on a dedicated seat inside the aircraft. Security forces guard the flame at all times to make sure it travels safely and never goes out.

Want to go to Rio? Click here to book your tickets and packages.

Filed Under: Buy Tickets for Rio 2016, BVI Olympic Committee, Rio News Tagged With: Olympic flame, Olympic torch, Rio 2016, Rio 2016 tickets

100 Days To Go to Rio 2016

April 27, 2016 by Admin

Wednesday 27 April marks a significant milestone in the build-up to the Olympic Games Rio 2016. Only 100 days now remain until the Opening Ceremony, the countdown has well and truly begun. Friends and fans of the BVI can buy their tickets and Rio 2016 packages online via the BVI Olympic Committee web site at bviolympics.org.

With the lighting of the Olympic Flame in Ancient Olympia last week and the start of the Olympic Torch Relay, there is a growing sense that the Games are just around the corner. Another milestone in the countdown was completed today as the Flame was officially handed over to Rio 2016 – on 100 days to go – at a special ceremony held at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, the venue for the inaugural Olympic Games of the modern era back in 1896.

Before embarking on its three-month journey around Brazil, which starts in Brasilia on 3 May and will see it being carried by 12,000 people through every state capital and over 300 towns en route to the Maracana Stadium in Rio, the Olympic Flamewill make a short stopover in Switzerland. Following a ceremony at United Nations in Geneva on Friday, it will briefly go on display at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.

In Rio, meanwhile, preparations are continuing apace. With the venues now 98-percent complete and most of them having been put through their paces at test events, the visual look of the Games is quickly taking shape, adding to the belief that the city is now ready to play host to the world’s finest athletes in August.

Though many have yet to qualify, a sizeable number of competitors have already made sure of their places at Rio 2016, with the likes of Jamaican sprinting icon Usain Bolt and British boxer Nicola Adams – a gold medallist in the women’s 51kg at London 2012 –set to grace the big stage in 100 days’ time. From the BVI, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott has secured her place in the 100m dash as has 200m runner, Ashley Kelly.

The qualification process is complete in a number of sports, however, namely artistic gymnastics, all the equestrian events, football, handball, hockey, rhythmic gymnastics, shooting, track cycling, trampoline gymnastics and water polo.

In particular, excitement is building among the home athletes. Speaking after Brazil’s women’s artistic team had sealed their place at Rio 2016 at the recent gymnastics test event, Brazilian gymnast Jade Barbosa said: “We all fought to the end and it was great. Now we’ve qualified we can train specifically in our events and with the Olympic Games in mind. This is a very talented team and we’re all focused. It’s all been worth it so far.”

As the final competition rosters start to take shape and the Olympic Flame makes its way around the host nation, Brazil’s dream of hosting the Games will become a reality. Check out www.olympic.org and www.rio2016.com for more ways to follow, as well as more information and the different ways you can take part in the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

Filed Under: Athletics, Buy Tickets for Rio 2016, BVI Olympic Committee, Rio News Tagged With: #100daystogo, Rio 2016, Rio 2016 tickets

Anderson/Brockbank competing in 49er World Championship to qualify for Rio 2016

November 18, 2015 by bvioc

By The BVI Beacon

Alec Anderson and Chris Brockbank re currently competing in the 49er World Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Olympics. Photo: Matías Capizzano

Alec Anderson and Chris Brockbank are currently competing in the 49er World Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Olympics.

The regatta is the second of three chances for the Virgin Islands sailors to qualify for the games. The regatta started on Monday and will wrap up on Saturday.

“Today was very much a learning day,” the sailors posted on Facebook after the first day of the regatta. “Three races, no keepers. Looking to get back on the horse tomorrow! Stay tuned!”

As of Monday, the top three teams are Croatia, Spain and Poland. Messrs. Anderson and Brockbank have been in Buenos Aires for the past three weeks preparing for the event. They recently competed in the “warm up” event, the 2015 49er South Americans, where they missed qualifying for the Gold Fleet by just two points.

They sat in first in the Silver fleet after two days of racing. Some of their best performances in the fleet included a fourth-place finish in the fourth race and several top 10 finishes.

“We have done a great job securing some top five races throughout the days leading up to Worlds, we need to limit our bad races to ones that we can keep the score, this will help us in achieving our best result yet at the 2015 Worlds,” Mr. Anderson said.

According to the sailors, the venue has been a difficult place to sail, with shallow brown water, very shifty conditions and steep choppy waves.

The World Championships feature 30 countries competing for just three Olympic qualifying spots. The sailors are some of the best competitors from around the world, including recently crowned International Sailing World Male Sailors of the Year: Blaire Tuke and Peter Burling from New Zealand. The duo took silver at the 2012 London Olympics.

After the World Championships, Messrs. Anderson and Brockbank will be back in the VI for three weeks to train before they head to Miami for the World Cup. This event will be the last chance for the sailors to qualify for the Olympics.

To follow the sailors’ progress, go to www.49er.org or visit Anderson/Brockbank Sailing on Facebook.

Filed Under: Rio News, Sailing Tagged With: #teambvi, Alec Anderson, Chris Brockbank, Rio 2016

BVIOC prepares for VI to experience Rio 2016 live

October 29, 2015 by bvioc

In the count down to the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, delegates of the BVI Olympic Committee (BVIOC) attended the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) workshops and forums hosted by the Suriname Olympic Committee.

BVIOC President, Ephraim Penn attended the 2nd Annual CANOC Workshop and General Assembly, October 10 – 11 where the main topic was the CANOC Broadcasting Inc (CBI) acquisition of broadcast rights for the Rio 2016 Olympics and the local scheduling of live broadcasts of events in which Caribbean national athletes will compete and local sponsorship opportunities.

CBI has hired ESPN to do the production, which, according to Larry Romany, CEO of CBI, “will not be doing a US production but a Caribbean production. This means you are not only seeing Caribbean sports but prior to the events Caribbean athletes will be interviewed.”

“This is a very welcome initiative,” said Penn. “It means that we can now follow the performances of our VI athletes as a live broadcast.”

The CANOC meetings were held in tandem with the Olympic Solidarity Forum 2015 which took place October 12-13. Stephanie Russ-Penn, the VI’s Chef de Mission for Rio 2016, and Cleave Farrington, executive director, BVIOC attended the forum which focused on the preparation of Chefs for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The forum followed on from the Rio 2016 Chefs de Mission Seminar which took place in Brazil in August of this year. Delegates included Russ-Penn and Mark Chapman, treasurer, BVIOC. Discussions covered accommodation, accreditation, arrivals and departures, doping controls, medical services, ticketing, and transport rate cards as well as the details needed by the Chefs to help prepare their teams when in Rio for the Games. Delegates also had an opportunity to visit sports specific venue sites including the Olympic Village.

“It is now less than 300 days to the Games and we are into our stride with preparations for the VI’s attendance,” said Russ-Penn. “The seminar and forums have been informative and helpful in making sure that we are appraised on what our athletes should and can expect as well as being reassured that the organisers are on track with their preparations of the venues and facilities for the participants.”

Tickets for Rio 2016 are now on sale only through the authorized ticketing resellers of National Olympic Committees. The BVIOC has purchased an allocation of tickets and is offering packages through its travel agent, Great Experience Travel.

“We would really like to see a strong contingent of VI residents and supporters in Brazil waving the flag for Team BVI,” said Chapman. “And while event tickets can be purchased individually, packages for the whole Olympic experience are very reasonable.

Sold in ‘waves’ of 3, 4 or 5 nights, prices start from US$2,325 per person and include event tickets and a ‘meet the team’ function, round-trip airport transfers, meet & greet at the airport, welcome drinks, hotel accommodation and breakfast.

David Gambler of Great Experience Travels was in Tortola October 15 – 17 and explained the ticket allocation and resale process. “The Rio 2016 event organisers release a number of tickets per event which in turn are allocated to NOCs for purchase based on a set of criteria including population size, number of anticipated athletes, and popularity of event.”

“We may not have tickets for all the events that you want to attend right off the bat but sometimes the event organisers will release a few more tickets closer to the Games,” Gambler said. “This happens, for example, if they make changes to a venue to increase the seating capacity or if another authorized ticket reseller has an allocation of unsold tickets that we then have access to.”

Gambler also cautions those who plan to book their accommodation independently. “During major Games, not only do hotel prices and car rentals go up, but inventory goes down as event organisers book 80% of the accommodation for participants, delegates and supporters,” said Gambler. This leaves only a small inventory which is contracted out to authorized ticket resellers or sold directly by the hoteliers or their consolidators.”

Gambler advises that since double bookings during major games are not uncommon when made through an online consolidator, travellers should use a credit card to make the booking or ensure that they take out travel insurance.

More information on tickets, accommodation, and travel for Rio 2016 can be received by completing the online Rio 2016 Ticket Request form.

Filed Under: Buy Tickets for Rio 2016, BVI Olympic Committee, Rio News Tagged With: Rio 2016, Rio 2016 tickets

Rio 2016 Live – presentations on tickets, travel and tours

October 7, 2015 by bvioc

With 300 days to go to the start of the 2016 Olympic Games, the British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee launches the Road to Rio 2016 with a presentation at the Tortola Sports Club at 6.00pm on Thursday, October 15 covering how to obtain tickets, transport, accommodation and tours for this once in a life time event.

The BVIOC’s official ticket and tour agency, Great Experience Travel Group, will be in the BVI from October 15 – 17, 2015 to share detailed information on the options available for residents and supporters of Team BVI to travel to Brazil and attend events at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

In addition to the presentation at the Tortola Sports Club, David Gambler of Great Experience Travel will be at Trellis Market from 5.30pm – 7.30pm on Saturday, October 17 for one-to-one conversations on packages to attend the Games. Interested persons can also contact the BVIOC by email at mchapman@bviolympics.org to schedule a meeting at the BVIOC office or off site to discuss packages and corporate, group or individual bookings.

Now you can easily and affordably experience Rio 2016 live as part of a trip of lifetime, a corporate event or as a special client invitation.

The British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee has purchased an allocation of tickets and is offering packages through our travel agent starting at just US$2,325 per person including round-trip airport transfers, meet & greet at the airport, welcome drinks, hotel accommodation (incl. breakfast), event tickets and a ‘meet the team’ function.

The packages can be purchased for one or more of the following waves:
Wave One – arrive into Rio on 4th August 2016, stay for 4 nights, and depart on 8th August
Wave Two – arrive into Rio on 8th August 2016, stay for 5 nights, and depart on 13th August
Wave Three – arrive into Rio on 13th August 2016, stay for 3 nights, and depart on 16th August
Wave Four – arrive into Rio on 16th August 2016, stay for 3 nights, and depart on 19th August
Wave Five – arrive into Rio on 19th August 2016, stay for 3 nights, and depart on 22nd August.

Event tickets also can be purchased individually.

To find out more in advance of the presentation, please complete the registration form and our Ticket Administrator, David, will respond with ticket purchase details and different hotel options available to supporters of the BVI Team.

First Name

Last Name

Home Address

Email Address

Full Daytime Telephone Contact Number, including dialling code

Additional Comments or Questions

If applicable, please indicate athlete and relationship to athlete

Filed Under: Buy Tickets for Rio 2016, BVI Olympic Committee, Rio News Tagged With: BVI Olympic Committee, Rio 2016 tickets

Request tickets for Rio 2016

July 2, 2015 by bvioc

Welcome to Rio 2016 Ticket Center for the British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee. In order to obtain tickets for Rio 2016, please fill out the form below and a ticket representative will get back to you shortly.

If you are interested in tickets for more than 5 disciplines, please indicate in the comments/questions box and we would be delighted to cater to those requirements.

Click Here for a link to the Rio 2016 Schedule

Please complete all the sections below. If you do not provide all the requested information, this will prevent us from processing your inquiry.

First Name

Last Name

Home Address

Email Address

Full Daytime Telephone Contact Number, including dialling code

Additional Comments or Questions

If applicable, please indicate athlete and relationship to athlete

Filed Under: Buy Tickets for Rio 2016, Rio News

Tickets for Rio 2016 now available through the British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee

April 29, 2015 by bvioc

When the greatest show on earth heads to the vibrant city of Rio de Janeiro in August 2016, the world will be watching on TV, but we would love it if you were able to be there, cheering on the athletes from our British Virgin Islands team.

We are looking to be well-represented in a number of different sports, including track and field, sailing and swimming, but the Olympic Games give you a great chance to experience many other events with which you might be less familiar, so we hope that you will take this wonderful opportunity to see lots more – and that’s before you start to explore all the famous sights of this incredible jewel of South America.

If you would like to find out more, please complete the registration form on our website at tickets4rio and our Ticket Administrator, David, will get back to you with details as to how to request tickets. He will also send you information about the different hotel options that are available to supporters of the BVI Team.

We’ll look forward to welcoming you in Rio in 2016.

Filed Under: Rio News

Suspended first day of racing at Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing Worlds causes frustration for VI’s 49ers

September 15, 2014 by bvioc

By: VINO

Alec Anderson and Chris Brockbank at Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds Championships. Photo: Provided

Virgin Islands’ Sailors and Olympic hopefuls, Alec Andersen and Chris Brockbank, had a frustrating start to the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) World Championships in Santander, Spain, today, Monday September 15, 2014, as light or no winds caused the opening day to be suspended.

Brockbank and Andersen, sailing the 49er class boat, have been traversing Europe in their bid to not only qualify for the Olympics in Rio, 2016, but also to make sure they are as competitive as possible and as the pair commented on the latest stop off in Spain.

“We will officially begin the quest to earn a berth at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games! It will be a long week, but we are ready for the challenge!” they said.

A large crowd gathered to witness the Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing Worlds Championships Opening Ceremony, which took place 48 hours before Brockbank and Andersen take to the water in the 49er class.

“We are very excited to represent the flag! With over 20 thousand people in attendance at the opening ceremony it was hard not to get pumped.”

The World Championship will also be a first chance for the pairs new Coach Robby Bisi from Argentina to see his charges in competitive race conditions, although he has seen them in action during the first week of his new role.

“We got out for a session and are very much looking forward to working with Robby for the Worlds. We did 3 races in a light sea breeze with a fleet of about 20 boats and, with continuous improvement throughout the day, took a 1st (by a solid margin) in the final race!” said the pair.

Brockbank and Andersen face 13 races over the next couple of days, once racing gets underway and the final Medal series is scheduled for Saturday 20th September.

The 49er is one of the newer one-design small sailing dinghies based on the Aussie 18s. The 49er was designed by Julian Bethwaite (son of Frank Bethwaite) who made several changes to add to the evolution of high performance sailing.

This is a double-handed twin trapeze boat sailed by a helm and a crew. The 49er is slightly unusual as crew does most of the sail control.

In September 1996, a group of top sailors traveled from around the world to Lake Garda, Italy for a trial of many different classes to see which would go forward as the new twin-trapeze skiff for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. After an intensive week of trialing various designs, the 49er proved to be the clear favourite with the sailors and by November 1996 it had been ratified as the new Olympic skiff.

The 49er made its debut at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and since its inclusion in the Olympic Games sailing programme, is experiencing ever increasing popularity worldwide.

Filed Under: Rio News, Sailing

Alec Anderson to return home to train for Rio 2016

July 17, 2013 by bvioc

The Virgin Islands’ Alec Anderson is wrapping up his college sailing career this weekend at the ICSA Nationals in St. Petersburg, Florida and is expected to return to the Territory shortly to begin his 2016 Olympics campaign.

The three-day Inter-Collegiate Nationals features individual competition and team competition.

Anderson is expected to compete on the ‘Flying Juniors’, representing Roger Williams University. He is seeking another All American title to make it a 4th year in a row.

Once Alec finishes up in St. Petersburg, he’ll be on his way back to the BVI to start training on a 49er with his partner, Chris Brockbank, preparing for the Florida Nationals this summer and ultimately starting their 2016 Olympic Campaign to go to Rio.

Anderson recently copped the All-New England Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association’s (NEISA) Sailor of the Year award. He also received the senior trophy and garnered a place as All-Neisa First Team Skipper.

Anderson’s accomplishments were among a slew of awards bagged by Hawks, who also had Alyssa Siefert chosen as All-Neisa First Team Crew.

He also recently collected his Bachelor’s Degree of International Business from Roger Williams University.