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Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 1st World Outgames will be produced by Sogestalt
Diane Dufresne and the Cirque du Soleil confirmed for the Opening Ceremonies!

Montréal, 24 May 2005 – Ms. Louise Roy, CEO of Montréal 2006, announced today that SOGESTALT TÉLÉVISION INC. has been chosen to produce the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 1st World Outgames, which will be held from 26 July to 5 August 2006. “We are extremely pleased and proud to have finalized this agreement which, we are certain, will guarantee the success of these major events that will be presented as part of the Outgames. We have no doubt that the ceremonies will be filled with excitement, surprises and pure magic,” said Ms. Roy.

“This will be an incredible challenge, just the kind we love,” said Mr. Guy Latraverse, president of SOGESTALT TÉLÉVISION QUÉBEC INC. “Thirty years after the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Montréal, we will have the Olympic Stadium moving once again to the rhythms and colours of the world for two unforgettable shows.”

Montréal 2006 and SOGESTALT TÉLÉVISION INC. are also pleased to announce that the internationally acclaimed Québec diva Diane Dufresne will perform during the Opening Ceremonies. As well, the Cirque du Soleil, whose international reputation needs no introduction, will also be lending its renowned artistic talents to the Opening Ceremonies.

The Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 1st World Outgames will be televised by Radio-Canada, which will be a worldwide first for an international event organized by the gay community.

SOGESTALT TÉLÉVISION QUÉBEC INC.
Mr. Guy Latraverse is one of the most sought-after entertainment and television producers in Québec and in Canada. His talent and experience, both in France and throughout La Francophonie (a network of 56 states and governments using French as a common language), have also made him one of the most well-known and respected producers in Europe as well. Recipient of the Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Québec, Quebec's highest conferred distinction, and made a Chevalier de la Pléiade, which is the order of the Francophonie and of the dialogue of cultures, Mr. Latraverse has earned numerous artistic awards throughout his career. At the 1999 Gemini Awards, he was honoured by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television with the Grand Prix Hommage for his outstanding body of work in television production.

In a career that has spanned four decades, Guy Latraverse has represented over thirty leading Quebec and European artists including Diane Dufresne, Léo Ferré, Robert Charlebois, Dalida, Charles Aznavour, Mireille Mathieu, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Raymond Devos, Johnny Hallyday, Michel Fugain and Julien Clerc. Co-founder of the FrancoFolies de Montréal with Alain Simard, he also produced the Opening Ceremonies of the IV Games of La Francophonie in Ottawa-Gatineau in 2001. Since it was founded in 1985, SOGESTALT has produced more than 1,000 hours of television, winning the admiration of audiences and critics alike.

DIANE DUFRESNE
“It will be a great thrill to return to the Olympic Stadium in 2006,” said Ms. Dufresne, ”The Stadium holds so many wonderful memories for me. In fact, it was Guy Latraverse who produced my Magie Rose show in 1984. My participation in this incredible gathering for the Outgames should be no surprise to anyone; gay audiences have always shown me so much love and support over the years.”

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL
The participation of the Cirque du Soleil in the Opening Ceremonies is a natural fit with the Outgames. This Montréal premiere of a major international event will showcase the extraordinary talents of Cirque du Soleil performers and artists. The show will strive to pay tribute to the athletes of all backgrounds and cultures that will be coming together for this marvelous celebration of human diversity, which mirrors the Cirque du Soleil’s own creative vision.

A TREAT FOR ALL MONTREALERS
The Mayor of Montréal, Gérald Tremblay, was thrilled to learn that the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 1st World Outgames, to be held next year, will be organized with all of the magnificence befitting games that will be the subject of broad international media coverage. “With international event professionals like Guy Latraverse, Cirque du Soleil and Diane Dufresne, it is not difficult to imagine that the 1st Outgames will benefit from the best in terms of artistic performance. We can already be sure that the people who will attend the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Montréal Outgames will be left with incredible memories. This is a can’t-miss event for all Montrealers.”

COMING SOON
Over the coming months, Mr. Latraverse and his team, in collaboration with Montréal 2006, will be developing the programs for the ceremonies, with an eye to creating high-quality shows that will be both memorable and replete with international appeal. We will have several big surprises to announce in the near future. Once the programs have been established, tickets for the ceremonies will be made available to the general public.

THE RENDEZ-VOUS, GOLD EDITION
We would like to take this opportunity to announce that our third annual fundraising activity will once again be held over the Labour Day weekend. This year’s “Gold Edition” activities will kick off with la Nuit d’Or, a gourmet cocktail dînatoire that will be held at the Chalet de la Montagne on Thursday, 1 September 2005. Funds raised will go to the Outgames bursary program to assist participants from both Canada and abroad attend the 1st World Outgames. It will be a unique opportunity for businesspeople and sport and cultural leaders to help spread the word about the Outgames throughout their respective communities.

The weekend will be a veritable sport and cultural festival in the Village, with Sainte-Catherine Street closed to automobile traffic between Amherst and Papineau Streets. The streets of the Village will come alive with a variety of sport and cultural activities and Village merchants will be installing open-air terraces just for the occasion. The Gold Edition Rendez-Vous activities will be organized in collaboration with Fondation Émergence, the Chambre de commerce gaie du Québec (Québec Gay Chamber of Commerce), Équipe Montréal, la Société de développement commercial du Village (Village Commercial Development Association) and the Borough of Ville-Marie.

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