TORINO, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 13, 2006--GE, a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games, and the City of Torino today unveiled an Olympic-themed monument dedicated to the residents and visitors of the city for the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Torino Mayor Sergio Chiamparino and President of GE Italy Giuseppe Recchi attended the event at the GE Ice Plaza in Piazza Solferino, in the heart of Torino's historic city center, where the structure will remain through the Games. The monument is a gift from GE's 300,000 worldwide employees to the city.
The monument was designed by Richi Ferrero and Carmelo Giammello to resemble an ice-covered mountain with vertical rock formations and a central spire. Affectionately named "Il Dente del Gigante," or the Giant's Tooth, in honor of the famous 4,014 meter mountain peak along the border of Italy and France, the structure is eight meters high and was constructed with 550 square meters of GE's Lexan* Margard* thermoplastic and GE lights. As part of the exhibit, GE employees will be able to send messages via the Internet during the Games that will be displayed on a digital messaging system at the base of the structure, which will emit colored lights and sounds periodically. A "webcam" will beam video images of the structure back to GE employees via the Internet.
"We are just under one month from the beginning of the Torino Games and we are thrilled with the commitment that Olympic sponsors like GE are showing to the city. This monument that celebrates the geography of our region in a beautiful and modern way will be a beacon and a meeting point during the Games," said Torino Mayor Sergio Chiamparino. "Piazza Solferino will be a great gathering place for Olympic fans in Torino."
Ferdinando Beccalli-Falco, President and CEO of GE International said, "We wanted to give our 300,000 employees around the world an opportunity to participate directly in the Games and now they have a real-time way to send their best wishes directly to the center of Torino for all to see."
After the Games, the monument will be moved to another location in Torino, where it will remain until February 2007.
About GE and the Olympic Games
As a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games, GE is the exclusive provider of a wide range of innovative products and services that are integral to a successful Games. Beginning with the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, GE's Olympic partnership is the company's first global sports sponsorship at the corporate level in recent years. From providing power, lighting, security and modular space solutions at Olympic venues to supplying ultrasound and MRI equipment to help doctors treat athletes, GE works closely with the Organizing Committees, local municipalities and other Olympic Partners to understand their needs and deliver solutions that only GE can. NBC Universal, a division of GE, is the exclusive U.S. media partner of the Olympic Games. The GE and NBC Universal partnerships extend through 2012.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work -- a diversified technology and media company focused on solving some of the world's toughest problems. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, media content and advanced materials, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide.
On the Web
* Lexan and Margard are trademarks of General Electric Company.
Contacts
On-Site Media:
GE
Jonathan Klein, +1 203 400 4613
[email protected]
or
Edelman
Lorraine DelliCarpini, +1 631 513 3958
[email protected]
or
Italian Media:
Burson Marsteller
Andrea Pometto, + 39 02 72143549
Mobile: +39 32 92170839
[email protected]