2010 WINTER OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC GAMES

 

The Winter Olympics will be held
from 12th to 28th February 2010, followed by the
Paralympics from 12th to 21st March 2010

On 2 July 2003 Vancouver learned that, following the withdrawal of the Swiss city of Bern, it had beaten its rival candidate cities, Peonyang and Salzburg, and was awarded the coveted XXI Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Organising Committee for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver is known as VANOC and is hard at work preparing all aspects of the forthcoming games, including pulling out all stops to try and ensure that Canadian athletes are given the support they need to try and come top of the medals board. Over recent years Canda has steadily improved its share of the Winter Olympic Medals

1988 Calgary - Canada 5 medals
1992 Albertville - France 7 medals
*1994 Lillehammer - Norway 13 medals
1998 Nagano - Japan 15 medals
2002 Salt Lake City - USA 17 medals
2006 Turin - Italy ?

The reason there were only 2 years between the Winter Olympics in Albertville and Lillehammer was that it was at this point that it was decided that, rather than hold the Summer and Winter Olympic Games in the same year, they would be held two years apart; each games still being held every four years.

Vancouver in British Colombia, Canada, a city of some two million people, is where many of the events will take place including the opening and closing ceremonies which are scheduled to be held in the BC Place, an indoor domed stadium able to seat some 60,000.

Vancouver has a number of facilities, such as ice rinks, which will be utilised as well as others which will be modified and updated, or built from scratch, in readiness for 2010. A modern highway will link Vancouver city with the snow slopes of Whistler resort some 100 kilometres away.

Whistler Resort is the largest ski area in North America and it is here where all skiing and tobogganing events will take place, including the Paralympics.

There will be two Olympic Villages, one at Whistler to house the athletes involved in Winter Olympic Events there and another at Vancouver itself for the rest of the competitiors and their organisers, coaches etc.

Whistler Resort is a popular ski holiday destination and features in many brochures and skiing magazines.

On 23 April 2005, in a high profile ceremony, VANOC unveiled their distinctive and eye-catching emblem for the 2010 Winter Olympics.