VANOC is hoping sales of red mittens designed to match those of the Vancouver 2010 torchbearers will help make up the final gap in funding for the Own The Podium program.

Own The Podium is a five year program designed to fund world class training and equipment for athletes in an effort to see Canada top the medal haul at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. Own The Podium is funded in part through special programs like the Red Mitten campaign.

"As an athlete, it's incredibly motivating to see the support of Canadian fans in the crowd at the Games," said Veronica Brenner, a silver medalist in aerials at the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. "The Red Mittens campaign takes that support even further - it's a visible reminder that the wearers of the mittens believe in you as an athlete and are supporting your efforts to fulfill your dreams in 2010 and beyond."

For athletes, the funding from Own The Podium can make a very real difference in the training and equipment each athlete has leading into the 2010 Olympic Games.

"Own The Podium has been a huge support for the big blocks at Alpine Canada like coaching, physio and medical teams," said alpine skier Kelly VanderBeek. "We've also got money for programs that would never see it otherwise, like the materials our suits are made of, the machines that sharpen our edges. We're ahead of the curve in some places, where other countries are trying to learn from us. It's a great position to be in."

The knitted red mittens sport a white maple leaf stitched onto the palm, with the Olympic rings and Vancouver 2010 stitched on the back. 

"I'm envisioning looking up from the finish line at a sea of red mittens," said VanderBeek. "It will be wonderful to know that all Canadians will be behind us across Canada." 

Alpine skier Erik Guay shares VanderBeek's opinion.

"We (the athletes) hope this initiative can bring Canadians together from coast to coast," says the skier from Mont Tremblant.

"We don't want to see anything but red when the time for the Vancouver Games comes. The public will feel like a partner in our adventure."

In an effort to make sure the stands at Olympic competitions are filled with fan sporting the mittens, fans will be able to purchase the mittens for $10 at the Bay, Zellers and Home Outfitter stores as well as Olympic stores in both the Vancouver International Airport and Whistler. Red mittens will also be available in a selection of communities scheduled as part of the torch relay.

Any funds raised beyond the needs of Own The Podium will be put towards sports programs across Canada.