Biggest event ever in Bjerringbro DK

This is the sixth time the games are held but never before have there been so many participants. What is new this year is that staff from Grundfos’ purchased companies will participate.

- It will be a unique opportunity for staff to meet for sports and being together. In addition to the sports activities, our foreign colleagues will meet their Danish colleagues as they will be lodged at the homes of Danish hosts, said Kim Nøhr Skibsted, Vice President, Corporate Communications.

Olympic dimensions
The participants will arrive during Thursday 2 June and in the evening of that day there will be a magnificent opening ceremony with a really Olympic opening procession outside the Grundfos Centre. The citizens of Bjerringbro are invited to attend this ceremony. On Sunday 5 June the participants will leave Bjerringbro for home.

- The topic of this event is sustainability and so every effort is made to make the games as environmentally friendly as possible. For instance, there are t-shirts made of recycled plastic bottles, electric cars will be used and an Olympic forest will be planted to contribute to the reduction of carbon emission, Mr Skibsted said.

The largest tent in Denmark
The largest tent ever put up in Bjerringbro and Denmark will be the venue of the Grand Finale Party on Saturday evening 4 June, at which the participants, after the hardships of the past days on the sports arenas, will party until the small hours of the morning.

-This party will be both happy and sad, for it is also a farewell party, as the foreign participants are going home on Sunday, leaving an overwhelming sense of emptiness in the large number of Danish officials, helpers and committee members who have been fully occupied with Grundfos Olympics for weeks or, for some of them, even months.

Facts about Grundfos Olympics 2011:

• The first Grundfos Olympics were held in 1989.
• There will be participants from 55 countries.
• The participants from outside Denmark will be lodged at the homes of their Danish colleagues.
• 28 sports disciplines will be carried out.
• There are tents for a large number of activities and entertainment arranged by the regions of the Grundfos Group.
• 1,200 sports bags have been packed in advance with t-shirts in individual sizes and other items.
• It took 13 men 60 hours to put up the 2000 sq m party tent for the Grand Finale Party.
• The tent has aluminium frames and is the biggest of its kind in Denmark.
• 1,244 wood boards were used for making a floor in the tent.
• A 675 sq m tent has been put up for the kitchen for the party.
• Large amounts of food have to be made during the days, for instance, 5000 pieces of asparagus had to be peeled manually.
• The food is prepared by the entire Grundfos staff of cooks, led by Klaus Rask Mortensen, Head of Grundfos’ guest house, Frisholt.
• 10 busses will shuttle between the airports of Jutland and Grundfos on the arrival day, 2 June.
• During the games busses will shuttle between the sports venues and the Grundfos Centre.
• 13 busses will take the participants to the airports in the course of Sunday, 5 June.