A new license plate design will allow Michigan residents to show their support for Olympic Team USA and the United States Olympic Education Center.

The state had a previous design of license plates to support the USOEC but according to Brian Gaudreau, interim director of the USOEC, the remaining supply of the original design has dropped to less than 40, which prompted a redesign.

“I think it’s good timing the way this redesign came out,” Gaudreau said. “We were able to debut the plate shortly after the London Olympics and then capitalize on the winning spirit from the U.S. team performance in London.”

The cost of the license plate is $35 in addition to the regular price of registration. $25 of the $35 cost goes to the benefit of the USOEC.

When the time comes for the annual registration and license plate renewal, there is a $10 additional charge on top of the initial registration charge for the license plate, but the entire $10 goes to the benefit of the USOEC. The old plate had text reading “U.S. Olympic Education Center” beneath the Olympic rings, which has been removed on the new plate.

“The USOEC worked together with the S.O.S. (Secretary of State) to create the new design for the license plate,” Gaudreau said. “Quite a few states have an olympic training site and it’s hard for them to identify their own place, which led to it being standardized.

“Other states’ Olympic plates won’t look exactly the same as Michigan’s but they will share a similar look.”

According to Fred Woodhams, spokesman for the Secretary of State, Ruth Johnson, there are more than 3,000 of the updated Olympic license plates in circulation for the state of Michigan.

“People can either go in to their local Secretary of State office or send in their registration by mail and ask for the Olympic plate,” Woodhams said. “Once the S.O.S. receives their registration application or renewal, their plate will then be mailed back to them in a short amount of time.”

The original design came out in 1995 and there were 75,000 of the originals created. Currently, an Olympic license plate is available in 11 different states.

“The original set of plates generated more than $2 million in revenue for the (Olympic) center,” Woodhams said. “These new plates will continue to help the center and their release was at a good time, coinciding with the Olympics.”

For more information about how to purchase a Michigan U.S. Olympic license plate, call (888) 767-6424.