icenetwork.com

All of the torchbearers for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic flame will wear red mittens. (Getty Images)

By Lois Elfman, special to icenetwork.com

(11/02/2009) - As the Olympic torch relay gets underway on Oct. 30 each of the 12,000 torchbearers will be sporting a bright accessory -- special Vancouver 2010 red mittens. Canadians and Olympic supporters all over the world can purchase the same mittens, with a percentage of the proceeds going to support Canadian athletes with top equipment and training for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games.

"The torch relay uniforms are largely white, so the red mittens certainly stand out. With their hands grasping the torch, it's such an iconic shot," said Dennis Kim, director of licensing and merchandising for VANOC. "A red mitten is something people have been identifying with. It's playful in nature and maybe a bit of a reminder of our own youth. It brings a bit of a fun component to the Games. It's an easy way for people to engage with the Olympic movement."

The mittens are sold at Zellers, the Bay and Home Outfitters stores in Canada and online at www.vancouver2010.com for international buyers.

"The response has been overwhelming," Kim said. "We launched it on Oct. 1, and sales have exceeded expectations." To date, over 125,000 pairs of mittens have been sold and another 500,000 are arriving in stores this week and next as the Olympic torch arrives in Canada and the torch relay begins. Given the tremendous response, the Hudson's Bay Company is re-forecasting the number upwards. Expectations are that more than one million units will be sold.

One of the most prominent residents of Drumheller, Alberta, a town a couple of hours outside of Calgary (host of the 1988 Winter Olympics), has been photographed wearing the mittens. Drumheller, which is on the torch relay route, is home to the world's largest dinosaur. Tara Semchuk of the Drumheller Downtown Merchants Association climbed aboard the tower ladder of a local fire truck with a specially created pair of red mittens and placed them on the hands of Tyrannosaurus Rex.

"That T-Rex is massive," said Kim. "They were really engaged in getting behind the red mitten concept. The mayor got involved. It turned out to be a really neat attraction and something this small town of Drumheller really rallied around. It's become somewhat of a roadside attraction meets red mittens."

Jeff Lee of the Vancouver Sun wrote a piece about how the mittens have captured the attention of Canadians internationally.

"It is a very tangible way for people to get involved," Kim noted. "I hear anecdotal stories all the time and experience them myself of people you see walking down the street with these red mittens. We heard the other day of people wanting to buy them and donate them to school kids. It's really become the 'it' item so far. They're easy to wear. You can wear it with anything and it's quickly identifiable."

The mittens are knitted with a fleece lining. They have both the Maple Leaf and the Olympic rings. They're perfect to wear when skating.

As the torch relay begins and with it the final countdown to the start of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 12, excitement is mounting.

"It is really coming to fruition." Kim said. "Once people see and experience the Olympic flame for themselves and how it is actually touching virtually every person in Canada from coast to coast to coast, it's really going to increase the momentum and the excitement for the Olympic Games. That can only help our athletes and as well the athletes that are coming here to compete.

"We hope to host an amazing Games and the athletes and the visitors and those watching at home feel very positively and warmly about Vancouver 2010."