Panel data provided by Madison's Canadian Lumber Reporter.

City Resident Flies Off to Prepare For 2006 Winter Olympics

By 250 News

P.G.'s Jeff Young will oversee the Olympic Hockey Venue for Coca Cola


Jeff Young is jetting off to Italy tomorrow to fulfill a lifelong dream of being involved in the Olympics.

While his participation may differ somewhat from those childhood sports-related aspirations, it's nonetheless a noteworthy achievement.

Young is a District Sales Manager with Coca Cola, here, in Prince George and was hand-picked back in August as one of only two Canadians for the Company's initial contingent in Italy in preparation for the Torino Winter Games.  

"I got the call at four o'clock in the afternoon and I had to give them a decision by nine the next morning.  So I got on the phone with my wife and made the decision it was a good move to go, and that was it."

Young will spend the first two months setting up venues and hosting test events.  Once the Games begin, he will be overseeing the Athletes' Village, right in Turin, and the hockey venue.  "Having the hockey venue is pretty exciting.  It's certainly what I've wanted from day one when I found out I was going.  I play hockey, and it's all-Canadian, and having that venue is very, very cool."

The opportunity of a lifetime does come with a downside for the city resident.  Young says being away from his wife, Paula, and daughters, Kailey and Lauren, will be difficult.  He will be home for a few weeks at Christmas, then gone until the Olympics wrap up.  Paula's parents have offered to come and stay with the girls, so she may make the trip over at some point.

If all goes according to plan, Italy will be just the start of Young's Olympic legacy with Coca Cola, "the plan, right now, is I would go to the Summer Olympics in Beijing (2008).  And then, we're not sure what the roles are going to be in Vancouver or whether we'll use the same structure, but that's certainly the intention -- Beijing and then move on to Vancouver (for the 2010 Winter Olympics)."



Previous Story - Next Story



Return to Home