Lani
06-23-2004, 10:42 AM
Walt Disney World Resort Salutes U.S. Olympic Team With Commemorative Pin Event at Downtown Disney Marketplace
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Pin trading is both an Olympic and Disney tradition, and with the 2004 Olympic Games right around the corner, Walt Disney World Resort is celebrating by unveiling a collection of commemorative Disney-inspired Olympic pins during an Olympic-themed pin event at Downtown Disney Marketplace.
In conjunction with the United States Olympic Committee's (USOC) exclusive pin licensee, Aminco International, a collection of pins and pin accessories featuring the world-famous Disney characters supporting the U.S. Olympic Team will be released during an 8-week event beginning July 3. More than 50 Olympic-inspired pins -- many of them limited edition pins -- will be released during the celebration. Disney's Pin Traders at Downtown Disney Marketplace is the central location for Olympic-inspired pin activity. By purchasing these special pins, guests will help support the U.S. athletes as they travel to Athens for this year's Olympic Games.
On select days throughout the event, current and former U.S. Olympians will be at Downtown Disney Marketplace to meet with guests, sign autographs and pose for pictures. Guests can also catch a glimpse of real Olympic medals, as Olympians will bring their medals with them to Disney's Pin Traders. Athletes are scheduled to appear between 1-4 p.m. on the following dates:
Bob Beamon (July 3) -- Won the gold medal in the 1968 Mexico City Games in the long jump. Beamon shattered the old mark by nearly two feet and held the world record for 23 years.
Sheila Taormina (July 10) -- Current member of the U.S. Olympic team competing in the Triathlon. Taormina won a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games and recently won the 2004 International Triathlon Union World Championship in Portugal.
Dennis Mitchell (July 17) -- Won the gold medal in the 4x100 m relay and bronze medal in the 100 m at the 1992 Olympic Games. Won a silver medal in the 4x100 m in the 1996 Games.
Dot Richardson (July 31) -- Won a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games as a member of the U.S.A. Softball Team. Richardson will be a TV commentator for softball during the 2004 Olympic Games on NBC.
The Olympic-themed pin event will culminate with a one-day pin extravaganza at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex on Aug. 14.
Pin trading started at Walt Disney World Resort in October 1999 as part of the Millennium Celebration and has become extremely popular with park guests. Pin trading adds another dimension to the theme park experience, giving guests an opportunity to interact with Walt Disney World cast members and share pin trading experiences with fellow pin enthusiasts. In five years, pin trading has become a Vacation Kingdom tradition with an estimated 105 million pins
traded between guests and Disney cast members during that time period.
Walt Disney World Resort is a contiguous 47-square-mile, world-class entertainment and recreation center featuring four theme parks; two water adventure parks; 32 resort hotels (22 owned and operated by Walt Disney World); 99 holes of golf on six courses; two full-service spas; Disney's
Wedding Pavilion; Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex; and Downtown Disney, an entertainment-shopping-dining complex encompassing the Marketplace, Pleasure Island and West Side.
For more information about the U.S. Olympic-themed pin event or Disney pin trading in general, guests should visit http://www.officialdisneypintrading.com.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Pin trading is both an Olympic and Disney tradition, and with the 2004 Olympic Games right around the corner, Walt Disney World Resort is celebrating by unveiling a collection of commemorative Disney-inspired Olympic pins during an Olympic-themed pin event at Downtown Disney Marketplace.
In conjunction with the United States Olympic Committee's (USOC) exclusive pin licensee, Aminco International, a collection of pins and pin accessories featuring the world-famous Disney characters supporting the U.S. Olympic Team will be released during an 8-week event beginning July 3. More than 50 Olympic-inspired pins -- many of them limited edition pins -- will be released during the celebration. Disney's Pin Traders at Downtown Disney Marketplace is the central location for Olympic-inspired pin activity. By purchasing these special pins, guests will help support the U.S. athletes as they travel to Athens for this year's Olympic Games.
On select days throughout the event, current and former U.S. Olympians will be at Downtown Disney Marketplace to meet with guests, sign autographs and pose for pictures. Guests can also catch a glimpse of real Olympic medals, as Olympians will bring their medals with them to Disney's Pin Traders. Athletes are scheduled to appear between 1-4 p.m. on the following dates:
Bob Beamon (July 3) -- Won the gold medal in the 1968 Mexico City Games in the long jump. Beamon shattered the old mark by nearly two feet and held the world record for 23 years.
Sheila Taormina (July 10) -- Current member of the U.S. Olympic team competing in the Triathlon. Taormina won a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games and recently won the 2004 International Triathlon Union World Championship in Portugal.
Dennis Mitchell (July 17) -- Won the gold medal in the 4x100 m relay and bronze medal in the 100 m at the 1992 Olympic Games. Won a silver medal in the 4x100 m in the 1996 Games.
Dot Richardson (July 31) -- Won a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games as a member of the U.S.A. Softball Team. Richardson will be a TV commentator for softball during the 2004 Olympic Games on NBC.
The Olympic-themed pin event will culminate with a one-day pin extravaganza at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex on Aug. 14.
Pin trading started at Walt Disney World Resort in October 1999 as part of the Millennium Celebration and has become extremely popular with park guests. Pin trading adds another dimension to the theme park experience, giving guests an opportunity to interact with Walt Disney World cast members and share pin trading experiences with fellow pin enthusiasts. In five years, pin trading has become a Vacation Kingdom tradition with an estimated 105 million pins
traded between guests and Disney cast members during that time period.
Walt Disney World Resort is a contiguous 47-square-mile, world-class entertainment and recreation center featuring four theme parks; two water adventure parks; 32 resort hotels (22 owned and operated by Walt Disney World); 99 holes of golf on six courses; two full-service spas; Disney's
Wedding Pavilion; Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex; and Downtown Disney, an entertainment-shopping-dining complex encompassing the Marketplace, Pleasure Island and West Side.
For more information about the U.S. Olympic-themed pin event or Disney pin trading in general, guests should visit http://www.officialdisneypintrading.com.