OLYMPIC SPIRIT TORONTO - BACKGROUND

The countdown is on!  With construction well underway, this six-floor, 52,000 square foot facility at the southeast corner of Dundas and Victoria Streets will open in summer of 2004.

At a cost of more than $40 million, Olympic Spirit Toronto will feature state-of-the-art, Olympic-themed interactive entertainment that allows visitors to test their skills "vitually"in everything from the Track and the 100-metre sprint to Downhill Skiing and the Giant Slalom.  Plus they will actually be able to measure their performance against others, including the Olympians who hold the records.

Olympic Spirit Toronto is not only a premier tourist destination and a world-class Olympic showcase ... it is a trailblazer. That's because Olympic Spirit Toronto is the world's first permament Olympic Spirit facility, with others to open in key international centres over the next several years.

Olympic Spirit Toronto will also be a dynamic "one stop" entertainment and educational facility, combining the virtual experience with historical exhibits celebrating great Olympic moments and Canada's rich Olympic heritage, an Olympic-themed restaurant and sports cafe, and a retail outlet.

Along with the recent exciting opening of the new Yonge-Dundas Square, Oylmpic Spirit Toronto will play a key role in the ongoing revitalization of the Yonge/Dundas area of Toronto's downtown core.