ITALY: CURLING - Danish curler Maria Poulsen hopes to raise the profile of her sport in her home country

Record ID: 332014

  • Title: ITALY: CURLING - Danish curler Maria Poulsen hopes to raise the profile of her sport in her home country
  • Date: 10th February 2006
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) POULSEN SAYING: "I am very proud to be here. It is something you dream about to be an Olympian. To be at the Olympics is the biggest thing you can ever reach in sports. I am really proud to be here." WIDE OF POULSEN TALKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) POULSEN SAYING: "I think the pressure we feel is the one we put on ourselves. We are the only athletes from Denmark, we want to do well and to put our sport in to focus in Denmark, get some media attention. We don't get that much media attention, only around the Olympics. So we want to get people out to curl. There are not a lot of curlers (in Denmark)." POULSEN TALKING TO REPORTER, VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC AND SECURITY (SOUNDBITE) (English) POULSEN SAYING: "Our worst enemy is, like I said it is a very tough field, but Sweden and Canada they are always good. We have to play our best to beat them." POULSEN TALKING TO REPORTER OUTSIDE OLYMPIC VILLAGE
  • Embargoed: 25th February 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVABUMNOHABUK346RG1BSIAVA8DZ
  • Story Text: Danish curler Maria Poulsen said in Turin on
    Thursday (February 9) that competing at the Olympics is a
    dream come true.
    The 21-year-old faces tough opposition in the women's
    curling tournament, the Danes face the reigning Olympic
    champions Great Britain in their first match on Monday
    (February 13).
    For Poulsen, participating in the Olympics is an honour.
    "I am very proud to be here. It is something you dream
    about to be an Olympian. To be at the Olympics is the
    biggest thing you can ever reach in sports," she said.
    Despite being part of a small team of just five curlers
    and five officials, Poulsen is hoping to raise the profile
    of her sport in her home country.
    "I think the pressure we feel is the one we put on
    ourselves. We are the only athletes from Denmark, we want
    to do well and to put our sport in to focus in Denmark,
    get some media attention ," she said. "We don't get that
    much media attention, only around the Olympics. So we want
    to get people out to curl."
    The 10 Danes will not have extra security despite the
    outrage across the Muslim world over cartoons first
    published in Denmark depicting the Prophet Mohammad.
    While about 10,000 Danes are expected to cancel trips
    abroad heeding security advice from the foreign ministry,
    the Danish Olympic Committee chief and International
    Olympic Committee member Kai Holm said there would be no
    added security for the athletes as Turin is currently one
    of the most secure places in the world.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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