The father of a local former Olympian will himself play a small role in the upcoming 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Safeway Canada selected Moose Jaw’s Len Mintenko as one of 12 company employees who will carry the Olympic torch on its way to the games.
“It’s such an honour to be involved and its something I’ll never forget,” he told the Times-Herald on Wednesday. The 53-year-old produce manager will carry the flame as it passes through Moose Jaw on Jan. 10, 2010.
This will be the third time Mintenko has seen the Olympic flame in person. He also saw it from the stands during opening ceremonies for the Sydney and Athens games. Mintenko attended those events, as his son Michael was a competitor, representing Canada on the swimming team.
“It’s such an honour to be involved and its something I’ll never forget." - Len Mintenko
Mintenko said his co-workers and the company probably selected him to carry the flame on behalf of Safeway, partly because he is the father of a former Olympian. However, he still campaigned for honour a little bit.
