Largest Bear Hug - Ottawa, Ontario
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Weathervane
N 45° 25.241 W 075° 41.057
18T E 446464 N 5029912
The largest group hug ever took place along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Ontario, on 7 May 2010.
Waymark Code: WMDA28
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 12/11/2011
Views: 25
The largest group hug consisted of 10,554 people in an event organized by Bear Hug III at the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on 7 May 2010.
"The previous record was held by city officials in Alba Iulia, Romania who set a new world record in 2009 when 9,900 people formed a human chain around the city's citadel.
Bear Hug III was organized to get the record back once and for all and raise more than $500,000 for various cancer related charities in the process.
The organizers learned from the deficiencies of 2008, and made sure that there were no gaps in the chain. They also invited five more high schools, bringing the total number of schools involved to 15 and the total number of participants to more than 10,000.
In order to authenticate the record, they had a team circling overhead in a helicopter taking still pictures as well as a video which they sent into the Guinness World Records offices in England.
The Ottawa Catholic School Board found out on Wednesday that the event had indeed set a new world record of 10,554 participants. The board will be presented with a Guinness World Record certificate during their next meeting."
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