Ottawa, March 20, 2012 – The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, issued the following statement congratulating OMNI Television on Canada’s first-ever broadcast of an NBA game in the Mandarin language:
This coming Friday, NBA sensation Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks return to Toronto for the second time this year to play the Raptors in a sold-out venue. The last time these teams met in Toronto, ‘Linsanity’ swept the Air Canada Centre, blurring fan distinctions as the stadium collectively erupted in celebration of Lin’s game-winning shot.
The initiative by Canadian multilingual broadcaster OMNI Television to broadcast Friday’s game in the Mandarin language is a very creative idea. I am pleased that Chinese and Taiwanese Canadians, young and old alike, will have the opportunity to watch this sport in Mandarin. I applaud the efforts made by OMNI to deliver content tailored to a diverse customer base.
The excitement Jeremy Lin brings to the game of basketball has been especially well-received by members of the Chinese and Taiwanese communities in Canada. I have no doubt they will appreciate a live repeat performance, this time in Mandarin.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Ana Curic
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
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