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 My Site News: Toronto Bingos pitcher Dave Bedford |
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Sunday, November 27
Toronto Bingos pitcher Dave Bedford
The following article is reprinted with thanks to John Kernaghan of the Hamilton Spectator.
The article is about Dave Bedford who pitches for the Toronto / Etobicoke Bingos masters team.
Bedford takes on Olympics marketing
Burlington native will work with commercial partners and the COC on the 2010 Games
By John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
(Nov 23, 2005)
David Bedford may have caught the wave the 2010 Olympics has created, but it is not necessarily an easy ride or one that has a soft landing in four years.
The Burlington native's challenge will be to take the commercial partners of the Vancouver-Whistler Games and keep them hitched to the Canadian Olympic Committee into the future.
That's the subtext of his COC title of executive director, revenue generation, brand management and communications.
He calls it a, "confluence of his vocation and avocation," that takes his skills in marketing the Olympics and Paralympics worldwide with the International Management Group and combines them with his background as a COC volunteer.
Bedford was chef de mission of the Canadian team at the Athens Olympics last year and is a member of the COC's board of directors, sitting on several committees as well as serving on the mission staff for the 1996 Olympics and 1998 Winter Games.
Chris Rudge, CEO of the COC, described Bedford as, "a passionate supporter of Canadian athletes through his numerous volunteer positions in sport and he also brings an extensive background in the field of sports sponsorship and marketing," in announcing his role.
He said Bedford will be a key member of the COC's senior management team charged with developing and implementing strategic business plans. The former president of Water Polo Canada will work closely with VANOC, the organizing committee for 2010 which has the marketing rights to Olympic trademarks and affiliations.
He'll also be in charge of finding new fundraising avenues to give Canadian athletes better support.
As a long-time volunteer and board member, he's no opportunist leaping aboard what looks like a newly aggressive COC.
"We may be a bit ahead of the curve with countries like Norway and Germany in pushing excellence, but this has been in the works for some time."
Bedford reckons the COC is just doing a better job of telling its story and showing how serious it is with the Own the Podium program, a plan to put Canada atop the medal standings in 2010.
He said the push for medals is backed by the public wanting better Canadian performance and politicians understanding the value of better global results.
By John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
(Nov 23, 2005)
jkernaghan@thespec.com
905-526-3422
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