2010 Olympic Winter Games
The XXI Olympic Winter Games will be held from February 12-28 2010 in Vancouver and the ski resort region of Whistler. After the Summer Olympics in Montreal in 1976 and the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Vancouver will be the third time an Olympic Games has been held in Canada.
Unfortunately they hold the title of being the only country to host a Games and never win a home gold. However they are expected to win many gold in 2010 and may challenge for the top of the medal tally.
Whistler is the Host Mountain Resort of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and located on British Columbia Highway 99, also known as the "Sea-to-Sky highway, 125 km north of Vancouver. Whistler is the fastest-growing municipality in British Columbia and has been recognised as the Top Ski Resort in North America for the last decade.
Venue Clusters
Competition for the 86 gold medals across the 15 sports disciplines will take place at nine venues from four regions. They are Vancouver Downtown, West Vancouver (30 mins from downtown), Richmond (30 mins from downtown) and Whistler. All of these venues are listed below:
Vancouver:
• Canada Hockey Place (Hockey)
• Vancouver Olympic Centre (Curling)
• Pacific Coliseum (Figure Skating and Short Track Speed Skating)
• UBC Thunderbird Arena (Hockey)
West Vancouver
• Cypress Mountain (Freestyle Skiing, Snowboarding)
Richmond
• Richmond Olympic Oval (Speed Skating)
Whistler
• The Whistler Sliding Centre (Bobsleigh, Luge, Skeleton)
• Whistler Creekside (Alpine Skiing)
• Whistler Olympic Park (Biathlon, Cross Country Skiing, Nordic combined, Ski Jumping)
The Torch Relay
The Olympic Flame and Torch is one of the strongest symbols of the Olympic Games. The Vancouver 2010 Torch Relay will touch all Canadians and attract global attention to the Games.
The Olympic Torch for Vancouver 2010 was lit at Olympia on the 22nd of October in Ancient Olympia, Greece. Eleven women, representing the roles of priestesses, performed a ceremony in which the torch was kindled by the light of the Sun. After travelling around Greece for eight days a ceremony is held in Athens before flying to Canada for the 106 day domestic Olympic Torch relay route. This interactive map shows you where the torch relay will travel.
http://www.vancouver2010.com/more-2010-information/olympic-torch-relay/olympic-torch-relay-interactive-map/
Who will light the cauldron in BC Place on the 12th of February 2010 will be one of the biggest surprises of the Games.
