Thumbs up to the new video celebrating Canadian Olympic athletes headed to Rio

In April, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) launched the “Ice in our Veins” campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to drum up support and excitement for the upcoming 2016 summer Olympic games in Rio.

The centrepiece of the campaign is the “Ice in our veins” video that features great Canadian athletes including diver Jennifer Abel, kayaker Mark De Jonge, and tennis star Milos Raonic.

Visually, “Ice in our Veins” is surprising and captivating. Summer athletes are shown training and competing in an Arctic landscape amongst iconic Canadian wildlife like elk and wolves. The imagery captures the beauty of our winters as well as the competitive spirit required to succeed at the Olympics. And the message is clear: “Winter makes us who we are.”

The voice-over is powerful with its simplicity, authenticity, and depth: “All we feel is the fire in our heart and the ice in our veins.” It speaks to the intense burning passion that drives Canadian Olympians, as well as the obligatory ability to stay cool under pressure.

Another clever twist is that “Ice in our Veins” re-appropriates the summer games. From the heat and humidity of Rio, the video brings the summer Olympic back to a space and environment that we Canadians understand, and own.

But what really makes me give the video a thumbs-up is that when I showed the video to my son and his friends, they were unanimous. “This is really cool” was the verdict.

Go Canada!