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DTE Hosts Olympics For Detroit Employees

DETROIT (WWJ) - As London prepares for the opening of the Olympic Games, the week-long, "Olympic-style" Live Downtown competition was wrapping Friday up at Campus Martius Park.

The competition, held on DTE Energy's grounds, pits employees of five Detroit companies against each other in games such as hula hoop competitions, Detroit trivia and volleyball. The games were designed to engage the employees of companies such as Quicken Loans and Blue Cross Blue Shield.

DTE Energy employee Cynthia Derden said her team is going for the gold – the Live, Work and Play Downtown trophy.

"We're gonna kick Quicken, Compuware and Blue Cross' butts," Derden said.

DTE Spokesperson Alejandro Bodipo-Memba said the games also create bonds between local companies outside of the business world.

"What this does ultimately is demonstrates that some of the corporations downtown and their employees really can work together for the benefit of the city of Detroit," Bodipo-Memba said. We think that this is just another way to engage."

Bodipo-Memba said he hopes his high-energy crew will beat out the other teams and win the trophy DTE had specially made.

"It was a trophy that we had customized for this specific event," he said.  "It was a Michigan vendor that we worked with, and we're really proud of it."

The competition closes with a trophy presentation late Friday afternoon.

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