Vancouver Warns of Fake Gear

With all the excitement of the 2010 Olympic Games, it's easy to see how a Canadian sports fan could get carried away and rush out to buy the first piece of merchandise with the Olympic logo slapped on it. But the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) for the 2010 games is warning Canadians to be on guard against fraudulent merchandise and tickets.

This Month, VANOC will be launching a nation-wide campaign to stress the importance of purchasing authentic merchandise and tickets. At the Annual Anti-Counterfeit Training Conference taking place in Vancouver from June 17 to 19, Vanoc will unveil a trademark enforcement manual which hopes to aid police and customs officers spot the fake merchandise.

Caley Denton, the vice president of ticketing and consumer marketing for VANOC, said, "By purchasing official Vancouver 2010 merchandise, consumers can feel confident that the product is safe, ethically sourced and supports both the staging of the 2010 Winter Games as well as Canadian athletes."

The authentic Olympic goods is easy for the public to spot. If a product is the real deal, it will have a unique hologram attached to it.

As for tickets, VANOC is strongly encouraging Canadian fans to purchase their tickets only through Vancouver2010.com or Jet Set Sports. The reason to avoid buying tickets from other places is obvious, as Denton explained, "[The tickets] may not be valid and may not be accepted for entry to 2010 Winter Games venues."

So if you plan on taking in some Olympic curling in 2010, make sure your tickets are legitimate. You wouldn't want to get excited to see some world-class sporting event only to get turned away at the door.

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