Editors: Experts Discuss 2010 Games at UBC Student Olympic Conference

Media and the public are invited to join Olympic leaders, anti-poverty advocates, politicians, academics and athletes at the UBC Student Olympic Conference (SOC 2010) on Jan. 31, 2009.

Speakers include Vancouver Councillor Suzanne Anton, PIVOT Legal lawyer David Eby, Olympic gold medallist Ben Rutledge, the International Paralympic Committee’s Patrick Jarvis, UBC Vice-President Stephen Owen and professors such as Michael Byers.

Date/Time: January 31, 2009 (9 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.)
Place: UBC Life Sciences Centre
Address: 2350 Health Sciences Mall
Map: www.maps.ubc.ca?529

Editors: To interview a conference spokesperson, contact Basil Waugh, UBC Public Affairs, or Meena Sharma, SOC 2010.

The event will encourage lively, respectful dialogue around 2010-related issues, including: economic and social impacts, security and civil liberties, sustainability, media and branding, sports science and anti-doping, transportation and infrastructure and the Paralympics.

“The theme of the conference is ‘Think, Discuss and Act,’” says Meena
Sharma, a UBC student organizer. “Our goal is to raise awareness of the 2010 Games and their impacts, to find communal solutions through dialogue, and to encourage delegates to go out and act on the topics in a positive manner that will benefit the Games and the city of Vancouver.”

SOC 2010, which is being supported by UBC’s 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games Secretariat, is one of many upcoming UBC 2010 learning opportunities, including a public symposia series, course curricula, volunteer and co-op placement opportunities and cultural events.

For more information on the SOC 2010, visit: www.soc2010.ca. For more information on UBC and the 2010 Winter Games, visit: www.ubc.ca/2010.

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