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February 09, 2010
New demonstration sport unveiled
Just days before Vancouver's opening ceremonies, Offsetters, the Official Carbon Offsetter of the 2010 Winter Games, launched a fictional demonstration sport called bobwheeling. It’s what bobsledding would be in a world of higher temperatures. The message: Without winter, there’s no winter games.
Working with Rethink Communications, the bobwheeling team caused quite a commotion racing down the streets in their sleek blue contraption and their full-body spandex suits. When the vehicle was stopped, crowds swarmed the two-man team for photos.
Local and international press covered the emergent sport— from The Washington Post, to the BBC, to ESPN China, to Belarus TV. Reporters from Germany, Italy, Belgium, Russia, Japan and Korea also covered the fledgling sport.
“The purpose of this stunt was to use the spotlight of the Games to highlight the issue of climate change and to educate spectators about their Games-related carbon emissions,” says Kari Grist, VP Marketing and Client Engagement at Offsetters. “Spectators could then go to offsetters.ca to calculate their emissions and find ways to take steps within their own lives, such as offsetting.”
According to Jason Perdue, writer at Rethink, the timing was perfect. “With all the focus on Vancouver for the Olympics, this was a great opportunity to remind the entire world what could be lost if we don’t take action.”
Fans of bobwheeling can follow the action on Twitter (@bobwheeling) and Facebook. A demonstration video is available at bobwheeling.com.
Posters and print ads featuring a variety of winter sports taking place in deep slush instead of snow are part of the campaign as well.
Links to more media coverage: