The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) has announced the partners for its Maison Olympique du Canada, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games edition of the Canada Olympic House (COH). The house, which will open its doors in July, will be the gathering place in Paris for family, friends and fans of Team Canada to cheer on the athletes as they compete during the games. 

Canadian Tire is the presenting partner of the Canadian Tire Celebration Arena, a pop-up where fans will be able to watch the games, participate in daily programming and celebrate iconic Olympic moments. Bell will also set up stands and free charging stations, while Lululemon, as the official supplier of Team Canada, will sponsor a store selling Team Canada apparel and merchandise.

RBC and CBC will erect a studio to record the RBC Spotlight morning show, which features live interviews with Olympic athletes. A big change is the centralization of Canada’s media operations in the house – Paris 2024 will mark the first time CBC/Radio-Canada will broadcast from the house.

“It will feature a full scale media operation including two broadcast studios CBC/Radio-Canada, multiple content studios, a press conference room, and media workspace,” COC senior director, brand and digital marketing Colin Freeman tells MiC. “The goal is that this will make media operations more efficient and allow for more engagement from the athletes.”

Sobeys will run the Sobeys Family and Friends Lounge, a space filled with family portraits of athletes and notes of encouragement for them. Toyota will be present with the Start Your Impossible station, where visitors can create postcards and take photos.

Petro-Canada will roll out The Petro-Canada Living Leaf, a space where people can take photos and create content in support of the team. Canadians will also be able to upload content to Instagram and TikTok cheering on Team Canada for a chance to win daily prizes, including a trip to Milan Cortina 2026.

Other brands such as Air Canada, Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, and Molson will also be present at the venue.

“Canada Olympic House is one of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s flagship event activations, and thus provides Canadian partners a number of opportunities. Those include activation, hosting, and recognition opportunities throughout the house,” says Freeman. “Activating at Canada Olympic House allows marketing partners to have a presence at the Olympic Games and to add value to the experience of all key stakeholder groups of the Olympic movement in Canada.”

According to Freeman, there are other opportunities for more brands to do activations at the house. “At this stage of the planning process we’re focused on programming (i.e. live events and entertainment) and/or Canadian product integrations to improve the guest experience. Additionally, there are on-site recognition and media opportunities for brands to tell their unique Team Canada partnership story,” he says.

COH has traditionally served as the home of Team Canada at the Olympic Games. While it has evolved over the years, its main goal remains to allow fans to feel closer to the athletes with whom they feel represented, says Freeman. This year, the COC will continue to offer an experience based on eye-catching visual creative elements, entertaining programming and a typically Canadian food and beverage offering, as it has done for the past several editions since PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, according to Freeman.

“Canada Olympic House in Paris 2024 will build on the momentum from the most recent iteration in PyeongChang 2018, which was the first time the house was opened up to the general public,” he says. “Also, it will welcome more visitors than any previous iteration and will be the most integrated version of the house to date, serving as a hub for celebrations, media activities, and an operational hub for the Canadian Olympic Committee.”

One of the main differences from previous iterations is the location, which will boost attendance, says Freeman. It will be located in La Villette Park near other nation houses such as Club France and Team NL House. “This will make for a world fair energy and will no doubt lead to a more international mix of visitors to each of the houses,” he says.

According to him, the facility will attract around 4,000 visitors per day. The COC will rely on Team Canada’s digital channels to promote the facility. They will also offer media access and venue tours to Canadians. Their in-house team is handling media buying and Mosaic North America is managing the experience.

The house will be open to the public daily starting July 27 and throughout the games.