VANCOUVER 2010 – Olympic Torch Design Unveiled

12 February 2009

olympic.org

Following the unveiling of its Olympic Torch Relay route last year, the Vancouver 2010 Organising Committee (VANOC) took advantage of the one-year-to-go mark to unveil its Olympic Torch design, the torchbearer uniform and the first two torchbearers to be selected for the event. IOC President Jacques Rogge was also present, along with a number of other dignitaries at the unveiling event in Whistler – site of the skiing and sliding events for the 2010 Games.

Feature Story

"Canadians now have the opportunity to impact the performance of our athletes by contributing to the Own the Podium (OTP) campaign and crediting themselves with helping our athletes reach the podium in 2010," says Veronica Brenner, Olympian and OTP project manager for the Vancouver area. looking for details.

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.
The List of venues are as under:

• Canada Hockey Place
• Pacific Coliseum
• UBC Thunderbird Arena
• Vancouver Olympic Centre/Vancouver Paralympic Centre
• The Whistler Sliding Centre
• Whistler Creekside
• Whistler Olympic Park
• Richmond Oval
• Cypress Mountain

Vancouver Attractions

Every city has its visitor must-dos. Vancouver boasts 12 top-rated, essential stops. Together they make up an unsurpassed lineup of cultural, historic and natural experiences.
Burnaby Village Museum & Carousel

• Capilano Suspension Bridge
• Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden
• Grouse Mountain
• Harbour Cruises & Events
• Hell’s Gate
• IMAX Theater
• Minter Gardens
• Science World
• Stanley Park Horse - Drawn Tours
• Vancouver Aquarium
• Vancouver Lookout

Vancouver - The City of 2010 Olympics

Vancouver is Host City of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games . Surrounded by spectacular natural beauty, the City of Vancouver is recognized as one of the world's most livable cities, renowned for its innovative programs and leading in the areas of sustainability, accessibility and inclusivity.

History

Archaeological evidence shows that coastal Indians had settled the Vancouver area by 500 B.C. British naval captain George Vancouver explored the area in 1792. Vancouver was founded as a sawmill settlement called Granville in the 1870s. The city was incorporated in 1886 and renamed after Captain Vancouver.

Population

With a population of about 600,000 (BC Stats estimate), Vancouver lies in a region of more than 2 million people. Vancouver is the largest city in the province of British Columbia and the third largest in Canada. It covers an area of 114 sq km.

Location and climate

Vancouver is located in the southwest corner of Canada in the province of British Columbia, at about 49° Latitude and 123° Longitude, next to the Pacific Ocean. Click to view map.
Vancouver is surrounded by water on three sides and overlooked by the Coast Range - mountains that rise abruptly to more than 1,500 m. Its climate is one of the mildest in Canada. Temperatures average 3°C in January and 18°C in July. Vancouver's average annual precipitation is 1,219 mm. Most rainfall occurs in winter.

Vancouver Open Invitation

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Video

Vancouver is Host City of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games . Vancouver 2010 is an open invitation for everyone to share in the Olympic and Paralympics journey, to find and step up to their own podium. It is about creating everyday champions, every day. From sport and the arts to technology. This is the great chance to see your best player in the great exciting event where you can see the a lot of world heros just in one tournament. Don't miss the chance to see your favourite player.

About Vancouver Culture, Education and Peoples.

Vancouver is known for many things: the beauty of its mountains, the ocean at its door, bike and walking paths that circle the city, golf courses galore. It’s a wonderful place for outdoor enthusiasts, but it is also much more.

Vancouver is home to a wide range of cultures and a vibrant arts scene. From Aboriginal and Asian dance to classical opera and avant-garde theatre, modern art to state-of-the art animation technology, some of Canada’s best performers and most creative minds live and work here.

For the sake of Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Vancouver Olympics management is going to organize some cultural events to boost Olympics memories in their peoples.

2008 Celebration
February 1 – March 21, 2008
2009 Celebration
February 1 – March 21, 2009
Olympic and Paralympic Arts Festival
January 22 – March 21, 2010

Thousands of interviews for Vancouver 2010

More than 3,600 phone screen and face-to-face interviews per month to begin in July

Facts and figures about Vancouver 2010 volunteer applicants to date:

Canadians make up 95 per cent of all applicants
Of the total number of Canadians who have applied to volunteer:
59 percent are from British Columbia
20 percent are from Ontario
8 percent are from Alberta
International volunteer applications have been received from 96 countries including Venezuela, Lithuania, Barbados and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
38 per cent of the volunteer applicants who can speak French fluently are from British Columbia
44 per cent of applicants are male and 56 per cent are female
22 per cent of applicants are between the ages of 18 and 24
Although the 2010 Winter Games are still 20 months away, VANOC currently has approximately 430 pre-Games volunteers actively engaged in planning the event

Cost of Canadian 2010 Winter escalate Olympics

A construction boom in western Canada has sharply pushed up the cost of preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, forcing organisers to ask for a 23 per cent increase in financial support from federal and provincial governments.

The organising committee said on Friday that it now estimated the construction budget at C$580m ($505m), up from its 2002 estimate of C$470m. Some of the Olympic venues are located in Vancouver and others in the ski resort of Whistler, a two-and-a-half hour drive to the north.
The amounts exclude infrastructure improvements, such as a new subway line to Vancouver airport and widening the highway between Vancouver and Whistler.

According to the Olympics committee, the budget overrun has been contained by C$85m in belt-tightening measures. Some venues have been redesigned, and the media broadcast centre has been shifted to a cheaper location.

Critics of the Vancouver bid contend that the extra costs should be borne by private businesses that will benefit from the Games, not by taxpayers. Mr Furlong said that “we are determined not to return to the taxpayers of Canada for additional public funds to complete the venue programme”.

Vancouver 2010 Olympics - Photos and Gallery