Support growing with countdown to Olympics
The countdown to the 2016 Rio Olympics has begun, with 14 sleeps until the opening ceremony on Friday August 5.
New Zealand’s athletes have now arrived in Brazil, and support can be seen in Taupo on a message board at Countdown supermarket.
Countdown manager Paul Wallace said customers were encouraged to write and post a message of support for on the board. Stickers and pens are provided by staff, and the poster is replaced every few days.
‘‘The poster will be shared with the New Zealand athletes through social channels and different mediums,’’ he said.
Wallace said that although the poster featured a big gold kiwi (Goldie), shoppers from other countries had sneaked in a few messages too.
‘‘Team Britain, South America, we’ve noticed those two.’’
Australia’s supporters hadn’t made an appearance yet, he said.
Countdown is sponsoring the New Zealand 2016 Olympic team.
The posters will be at Countdown Taupo until Sunday July 24, after which they will be shared with the Olympic athletes in the final days before the games begin, Wallace said.