FLY ON THE WINGS OF IMAGINATION TO THE 2008 BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES

Visa Olympics of the Imagination art competition offers a child in Croatia a chance to attend the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

ZAGREB, 15th January 2008

Visa, a worldwide Olympic partner and the official payment system of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and its partners in Croatia - Zagrebacka banka and Avenue Mall - today announced the Visa Olympics of the Imagination (VOI) international youth art competition, which originally began in 1994 and will take place in Croatia for the second time.

Visa Olympics of Imagination is created for children aged 10 to 14 to learn about the Olympic movement while participating in an art competition. The children will be asked to use their imagination to create a drawing. As a new aspect of the program for these Olympic Games, children may either submit a computerised electronic drawing or they can use traditional two-dimensional art, if they prefer. All the art will be based on the theme of global unity: "Show how the Olympic Games connect different cultures and capture the Beijing theme - One World, One Dream." The winners of the program and a parent or guardian will attend the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as the guests of Visa in Beijing, China, from 7-12 August 2008. While at the Olympic Games, they will attend a number of Olympic Games events and activities, will participate in cultural activities and will have the opportunity to sightsee and explore Beijing.

Zagrebacka banka and Avenue Mall are partnering with Visa to support this unique art competition. During the period of the competition, young artists will be able to use their imagination in the Avenue Mall VOI drawing corner whilst their parents are shopping and maybe take their mom or dad with them to Beijing. In order to give children's inspiration a little "push", Zagrebacka banka will award all the children participating in the contest with a visit to the Cinestar multiplex. In addition, artists of the best ten artworks will be awarded with a trip to the place of incredible imagination - Gardaland.

Zagrebacka banka xx, Mirela Budojevic stated: "Zagrebacka banka is very proud to participate in this amazing project, which enables children to learn more about the values and meaning of the Olympic Games as well as about its long tradition and global importance. We feel that it's very important that every child is awarded for his or her participation signifying one of the main Olympic themes that it is not only important to win but also to take part."

Croatian schools across all regions will be invited to participate and to provide the children with the details about the competition. Children can receive their application form from their art teacher, follow the instructions and send their artwork to Visa. Children will also need to express what Olympic Games mean for them as they will be asked to write a short paragraph, explaining the ideas behind their artworks, which the judging panel will also take into consideration when deciding about the best artwork.

The programme is supported by the Ministry of Science Education and Sport as well by Croatian Olympic Committee and will run until 30^th April 2008, after which the winner will be announced by popular TV host and actress Iva Sulentic, who was honoured to repeat her role of VOI ambassador in Croatia. The judging panel coordinated by Professor Liljana Velkovski, head of Mala likovna radionica in Klovicevi dvori, will select the author of the best artwork.

Jean Marc Tonti, Vice President South East Europe for Visa, said: "I am very happy that this innovative, unique and exciting project will take place in Croatia for the second time enabling Croatian children to again show their imagination and talent. Visa is proud to be sponsoring this one-of a-kind art project. I am especially delighted that Croatia is one of the 18 participating countries, which demonstrates the importance of the Croatian market for Visa."

Croatian winning "young artist" will be one of 30 children from 18 participating countries. Other winners will be selected from Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

Iva Sulentic, who was honoured to be named as the ambassador of the Visa Olympics of Imagination for the second time in the row said: "I have been working for a long time with children and it is amazing how much imaginative and creative they are. I feel it is great that they will have a once in a lifetime opportunity of travelling to an Olympic Games and to meet other children from all over the world, and learn more about different cultures. I am just sorry that I am not younger so I can participate."

The program was launched at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. Over the past seven Olympic Games, VOI has seen over one and a half million school children submit an original piece of art based on selected themes. Since Lillehammer, two hundred and fifty-six young artists from 47 countries have attended the Olympic Games as guests of Visa.

Program information including artwork of past winners, and periodic updates on artwork submissions and classroom activity from around the world can be found at www.visa.com/visakids.

The young VOI winners will have their winning artwork displayed a number of locations throughout Beijing during the Games and featured on screen savers, postcards and other materials. Best Croatian artworks will also be displayed in Avenue Mall just at the end of school semester.

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Ana Kljaić/Inga Kirchbaumer
Mmd Croatia
Tel: +385 1 4882 860
Mail: ana.kljaic@mmdcee.com / inga.kirchbaumer@mmdcee.com

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