GM IN PARK CITY-Have Fun
FOR RELEASE: February 5, 2002The 10 Greatest Winter Olympians Of All-Time To Be Honored In Park City
Series of "Countdown" Celebrations Will Reveal Bud Greenspan's Selections
PARK CITY- While every Olympic Games features outstanding athletes, there are a few Olympians just a cut above -- those who have captivated worldwide audiences and have become timeless heroes.
In celebration of those all-time greats, and to mark his legacy to the Olympic Winter Games, award-winning Olympic historian and filmmaker Bud Greenspan has partnered with General Motors -- the official domestic automotive partner of the 2002 U.S. Olympic Team -- to recognize the world's best with a program entitled, General Motors Presents Bud Greenspan's 10 Greatest Winter Olympians.
During the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Greenspan will reveal and honor his choices for the 10 Greatest Winter Olympians at a series of "countdown" celebrations. Those events, hosted by General Motors, will take place at the Chevy Hot Zone at the Kimball Art Center in Park City, UT, and are open to the public. Admission is free.
At each of the 10 celebrations, Greenspan will reveal one of his selections with a short film premiere on that day's athlete. In addition, the athletes, most of whom are expected to attend the ceremonies in their honor, will be presented with a replica of the GM Eternal Flame Sculpture, which was commissioned by GM to symbolize the Olympic Spirit and is on display at the Chevy Hot Zone.
Special commemorative Olympic pins, designed to reflect the likeness of each Top 10 athlete, will also be unveiled at each celebration, with a limited supply shared with the public in attendance at the Chevy Hot Zone.
"Throughout the 50 years I have been documenting the Olympic Games, I have been privileged to witness thousands of great athletes compete, who in doing so have honored us all with their courage," said Greenspan, who is producing the Official Film of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. "But as in all things, there are always those few who stand above the rest, men and women who have inspired us on and off the playing field. They have become legends for all-time."
Greenspan announced his final 25 Greatest Winter Olympians in January, culled from the more than 20,000 athletes who have competed in the Olympic Winter Games.
The GM Presents Bud Greenspan's 10 Greatest Winter Olympians celebrations are scheduled at 3 p.m. on the following dates:
Olympian #10: Sun., Feb. 10
Olympian #9: Tues., Feb. 12
Olympian #8: Thurs., Feb. 14
Olympian #7: Fri., Feb.15
Olympian #6: Sun., Feb.17
Olympian #5: Mon., Feb. 18
Olympian #4: Wed., Feb. 20
Olympian #3: Thurs., Feb. 21
Olympian #2: Fri., Feb. 22
Olympian #1: Sat., Feb. 23
"These events will honor some of the greatest athletes ever to perform on the Olympic stage," said Steve Tihanyi, Director of Marketing Alliances & Regional Operations, General Motors. "We're proud to be part of this celebration of Olympic history, and to be working with the incomparable Bud Greenspan, whose work truly captures the Olympic Spirit."
Revealed in early January, Bud Greenspan's selections for the 25 Greatest Winter Olympians of all-time are:
Myriam Bedard, Canada, Biathlon; Bonnie Blair, United States, Speed Skating; Dick Button, United States, Figure Skating; Lee-Kyung Chun, Republic of Korea, Short Track Speed Skating; Deborah Compagnoni, Italy, Alpine Skiing; Bjorn Daehlie, Norway, Cross Country Skiing; Peggy Fleming, United States, Figure Skating; Gillis Grafstrom, Sweden, Figure Skating; Eric Heiden, United States, Speed Skating; Sonja Henie, Norway, Figure Skating; Dan Jansen, United States, Speed Skating; Jean-Claude Killy, France, Alpine Skiing; Johann Olav Koss, Norway, Speed Skating; Andrea Mead Lawrence, United States, Alpine Skiing; Eugenio Monti, Italy, Bobsled; Irina Rodnina, Russia, Figure Skating; Birger Ruud, Norway, Ski Jumping; Toni Sailer, Austria, Alpine Skiing; Vreni Schneider, Switzerland, Alpine Skiing; Lydia Skoblikova, Russia, Speed Skating; Alberto Tomba, Italy, Alpine Skiing; Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Great Britain, Figure Skating; Vladislav Tretiak, Russia, Ice Hockey; Ulrich Wehling, Germany, Nordic Combined; Katarina Witt, Germany, Figure Skating.
Bud Greenspan has been called the foremost writer/producer/director of sports films and one of the world's leading sports historians. He has received a George Foster Peabody award and a Director's Guild of America award for lifetime achievement, seven Emmy Awards, and the Olympic Order from the International Olympic Committee. Both the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the United States Track & Field Association have honored him with Lifetime Achievement Awards for his commitment in capturing the humanity of sport on film. Greenspan will produce the Official Film of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, and this will mark the seventh in a series of Official Olympic films, which include the Nagano, Lillehammer and Calgary Olympic Winter Games and the Sydney, Atlanta and Los Angeles Olympic Games.
General Motors, the world's largest vehicle manufacturer and official domestic automotive partner of the U.S. Olympic Team through 2004, designs, builds and markets cars and trucks worldwide. By providing transportation solutions for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games through its significant commitments to the USOC and the SLOC, General Motors is helping bring the Olympic Spirit to communities everywhere.