Two former Olympic skaters will be the star performers when Bermuda’s first ice skating rink is officially opened in St George’s tomorrow.

Now retired, Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn competed for the United States at the Winter Games in 2002 in Salt Lake City.

They have been invited by St George’s Skates, the company which has built the synthetic rink in Somers Garden. It will remain open until early January.

Cher Przelomski, of local event management company Planning Factory Bermuda, the creators of the event, said the grand opening would feature lots of “family-friendly fun and excitement” as well as an appearance by the two former Olympians who will put on an exhibition at 2pm.

“Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Butterfield Bank, we were able to bring down two world-class Olympic skaters to entertain the crowd,” she said.

“This component has added a new dimension to the grand opening of St George Skates and allowed us to take this community event to the next level.

“Saturday’s event serves as a kick off to the holiday season and will bring residents and tourists a fun winter time activity that’s never been offered before on island.”

Tickets for an hour of skating, priced $20, are already on sale at www.ptix.bm. However, with the purchase of gas from any RUBiS station on the island, people can get an additional $5 discount coupon.

Graham Redford, managing director of RUBiS, said he was “extremely happy” to see the event come to life.

“We would like to thank Cher Przelomski and Kathryn Massa, of the Planning Factory, for all of their hard work putting this together, as well as Erica Smith, Raymond Lambert and the exceptional team at Bermuda Economic Development Corporation for the support,” he said.

“We would especially like to thank the Mayor and Corporation of St George for sharing the vision necessary to make an event like this happen.

“I’d like to encourage residents of Bermuda to take full advantage of this opportunity brought to you by RUBiS and Bermuda Gas and come on down to the East End and get your skates on.”

Butterfield Bank’s Sean Lee, the executive vice-president and head of retail banking for Cayman and Bermuda, said he was pleased to welcome Ms Scott and Mr Dulebohn to Bermuda to open “this exciting attraction”.

“St George’s is a great place for a family outing during the holidays, and Butterfield has helped celebrate Christmas in St George’s with our support of the Walkabout for years,” he said.

“With the addition of the rink in Somers Garden, there’s even more reason to make the journey to the East End and experience the hospitality of the Old Towne.

“It’s our hope that seeing Tiffany and Philip perform will inspire Bermudians who’ve never tried ice skating before to give it a go — especially the kids.”

The skating rink will be open for the public on scheduled dates until January 2.

•For more information, visit sgs.planningfactory.com