MATTHEW SEKERES
OTTAWA — From Thursday's Globe and Mail Published on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008 10:18PM EST Last updated on Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2009 9:30PM EDT
Bob Nicholson says there are almost a dozen design options for the hockey sweater to be worn by Canada's teams at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
But the president of Hockey Canada vows that the uniform will not feature the Olympic-sanctioned crest of the Canadian Olympic Committee. Nicholson, who was in Ottawa yesterday for the world junior hockey championship, said the committee's logo will not appear on the sweaters after a design he called a compromise was rejected by the COC.
"We're not putting on a COC crest," a miffed Nicholson said. "This is our lifeline, and this is what the COC doesn't get. We're running a business."
International Olympic Committee rules prohibit national teams from wearing sport federation logos.
Yesterday, Nicholson said Hockey Canada developed a jersey that featured a large COC crest, which is allowed by IOC rules, in the middle of the sweater, and a Hockey Canada logo on the shoulder. The COC rejected it.
"We might walk out with a blank jersey," Nicholson said. "We have that option."
Nicholson has been critical of the COC for its unwillingness to support Hockey Canada's request for an exemption. Nicholson said he has received "unbelievable co-operation" from the Vancouver Olympic Games organizing committee and that he would explore using a VANOC logo before revisiting a COC crest.
He said Hockey Canada has almost a dozen options for a sweater design, including simply removing the hockey player silhouette from the organization's logo and going with a simple Maple Leaf and "Canada" text. He also said Hockey Canada would consider paying a $1-million fine to use its logo because it might make business sense given the merchandising dollars at stake in a home Olympics.
Nicholson intends on meeting with René Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, who is scheduled to arrive in Ottawa today.
In the past three Olympics, Hockey Canada has been able to use its logo, but the IOC is cracking down for the Vancouver Games and made that known long ago. COC chief executive officer Chris Rudge has said his organization would not support an exemption for Hockey Canada.
"They want us to win gold, but if you're running a company, you have to protect your asset," Nicholson said, adding that Nike, the sweater manufacturer, has been pressuring his organization to settle on a design so that official 2010 sweaters can be shipped to retailers.
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