2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver

Paralympic Winter Games
March 12-21, 2010
The Paralympics which shortly follow the Winter Olympics will have some 1700 athletes and officials from 40+ Countries participating.

2010 Games events tickets 1.8 million
Estimated number of media 10,000
Estimated number of volunteers: 25,000

2010 Winter Games Venues
The venues for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games stretch over a 120-kilometre zone from the shores of Richmond, just south of Vancouver, through Vancouver’s downtown centre north to the snowy peaks of the mountain resort of Whistler.

Building new and updating existing facilities, the 2010 Winter Olympics venues will be spectacular theatres for sport that provide top conditions for athletes and a welcome place for spectators to capture the excitement of competition.

Whistler Creekside – The alpine skiing schedule follows the traditional Olympic calendar of speed events such as downhill, Super G and super combined in the first week to allow for weather contingencies. The second week will include technical events such as slalom and giant slalom.

Whistler Olympic Park  – Nordic and biathlon events run all 17 days and proved to be the most challenging with scheduling to accommodate two International Sport Federations and four sport disciplines.

The Whistler Sliding Centre  – Luge, skeleton and bobsleigh will run through the Games period in this order respectively (lightest to heaviest sled) to maintain optimum sliding conditions on the track.

Cypress Mountain – Freestyle and snowboard events run 16 of the 17 days and include the new ski cross event.

Pacific Coliseum – Short track speed skating and figure skating run 16 of the 17 days and include the figure skating exhibition on the final Saturday night.

Richmond Oval – Speed skating events run from the first to the last day of the Olympic calendar.

GM Place and UBC Sport Centre – The women’s ice hockey tournament opens on the first day of the 2010 Winter Games with the finals on Thursday, February 25. The men’s competition starts on Tuesday, February 16. The men’s gold medal game is the final event on Sunday, February 28.

Hillcrest, Nat Bailey Stadium Park  – Both men’s and women’s curling tournaments start on Tuesday, February 16. The women’s finals are on Friday, February 26 and the men’s finals are on Saturday, February 27.

THE CLOCK IS TICKING

Wondering how you can experience Olympic excitement during a visit to Vancouver? Some ideas for Olympic-sized fun this summer are included below.
Summer Suggestions

• Visit the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games countdown clock in the courtyard of the Vancouver Art Gallery. The clock, presented by Omega, logs the hours, minutes and seconds remaining until the Winter Games begin.

• Take a mini ferry ride to Science World  past the construction site for the Athlete's Village in False Creek South to see where future Olympic athletes will reside.

• Take a self-guided venue tour in a floatplane. Map out the venue locations in advance and then ask your floatplane guide to point out the sites. To book a floatplane tour, contact West Coast Air or Harbour Air.

• Go to a BC Lions football game to check out BC Place Stadium will be the venue for the Opening and Closing ceremonies in 2010.

• Head out on the water to learn about First Nations culture with Takaya Tours. First Nations culture forms a large part of British Columbia's heritage and will play a major role in both the cultural component of the Winter Games as well as partially comprising the team of Canadian athletes who will compete.

• Walk around Canada Place pier to see the Vancouver Convention Center  (VCEC) expansion. The VCEC will be the future home of the Main Media Centre in 2010. Vancouver is expecting over 10,000 journalists to visit over the 17-day period.