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Organizers hope Paralympic goods are a hit
By Peter Thunell
Deseret News staff writer
During the 2002 Winter Games the lure of official merchandise brought crowds to places such as the Olympic SuperStore, where fans and visitors happily plunked down large amounts of money for memorabilia.
Organizers of Salt Lake's Paralympic Games hope a little merchandising magic rubs off on them as they roll out Paralympic goods to the public.
"It's obviously a much smaller program, but that doesn't necessarily mean low sales," said Susan Summers, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee's director of licensing. "The fans for these events are a lot more committed."
While the Olympic Games spawned every kind of souvenir product possible — from boxer shorts to expensive vases — the Paralympic merchandise is scaled back.
Merchandise available includes T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, coffee mugs and, of course, pins.
The item most out of the norm is the $24.99 official Paralympic cowbell, a sound that is inextricably tied to most winter sport competitions.
During the Olympics, the navy Team USA beret was the toast of the town, leading some people to wait in line more than four hours to buy one.
Summers said organizers can never tell what the must-have keepsake will be. "You can plan and plan and never be right."
The doll of the Paralympics' mascot — Otto the otter — has the best shot at being the breakout item, she said.
Paralympic merchandise will be available at sporting-event venues — the E Center, Soldier Hollow and Snowbasin, said Gregg Murray, SLOC's general merchandise manager.
Persuading Utah retailers to carry Paralympic merchandise has been a little tough, however.
"Carrying Olympic merchandise is a no-brainer for stores," Murray said. "With the Paralympics, though, we've had to bring a video and a power-point presentation to explain to a lot of people what it is and that it is a real program."
So far, Albertson's stores across Utah have agreed to carry Paralympic merchandise. Murray said he thinks many others will soon follow suit. Merchandise also is available at the Web site www.saltlake2002.com.
Murray thinks retailers will be surprised at the interest in the Paralympic merchandise once the Games start.
"They were very successful in Sydney with the Paralympics and the merchandise," he said, "and I think it will be very successful here, too."
E-MAIL: pthunell@desnews.com
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March 6, 2002
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