LAUSANNE, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that the official Olympic badge and check-in locations are now available on foursquare, the mobile, location-based social networking site. This integration extends the IOC’s commitment to making social media an integral part of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, which take place July 27 – August 12, 2012.
The foursquare integration comes just one month prior to Olympic Day on June 23, a day that is celebrated in over 160 countries by promoting fitness and overall well-being regardless of age, gender or athletic ability. Olympic Day was first introduced in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games, during a meeting at the Sorbonne in Paris on June 23, 1894.
The IOC is encouraging people to get active by checking into sports venues around the world on foursquare – including past, current and future Olympic stadiums and training centers. When users check-in to at least two affiliated venues and follow the IOC on foursquare, they unlock the official “Get Fit for Olympic Day” badge and will be directed to enter a contest to win a trip to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
The IOC’s page on foursquare, located at http://foursquare.com/Olympics, features historical facts about the Olympics, information about Olympic stadiums and facilities, and will soon feature locations where athletes have trained and places that might have inspired them.
“Our integration with foursquare and the ability to leave location-based tips from the athletes is one more way to serve highly engaged fans of the Olympic Games and to integrate social media directly into the Olympic fan experience,” said Alex Huot, head of social media for the International Olympic Committee. “We wanted to do something fun and thank our fans who make an effort to stay fit by offering them a chance to win a trip to the Olympics.”
The foursquare integration comes just a few weeks after the IOC launched the Olympic Athletes’ Hub, a social media platform that aggregates Facebook and Twitter updates of Olympians. The latest integrations with foursquare underscores the IOC’s continued efforts to socialize the Olympic Games and create a better, more engaging experience for fans around the world.
To follow the Olympics on foursquare, visit https://foursquare.com/olympics. To begin following your favorite Olympic athletes and accumulating points, visit the Olympic Athletes’ Hub at www.olympic.org/hub.
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