2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

On July 2, 2003, the International Olympic Committee selected Vancouver as host city for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Athletes and spectators from around the world gatheredin Vancouver and the alpine resort of Whistler in February and March, 2010 for 17 days of thrilling athletic competitions, amazing displays of sportsmanship and magical moments whenlifelong dreams were finally realized on the podium. The 2010 Winter Games, along with the region’s spectacular natural playground and its vibrant state-of-the-art venues, put Vancouver in thespotlight as a premier sporting destination.

• The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games: By The Numbers
• Vancouver 2010 Olympic Venues
• The Symbol of Vancouver 2010 – Inukshuk
• Vancouver: A City of Olympic Firsts
• Olympic Fun Remains in Vancouver

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games: By the Numbers

• February 12 to 28, 2010
• 17 days of thrilling competition and athletic accomplishments
• 15 Sport Disciplines
• 9 Sport Venues
• 86 Medal Competitions
• 615 Medals Awarded
• 1,055 athlete bouquets presented
• 82 participating National Olympic Committees (NOCs)
• 2,632 registered atheletes
• 50,000 workforce members (including 18,500 volunteers)
• 10,800 media representatives
• An estimated 3.5 billion worldwide television viewers
• Approximately 24,000 hours of TV coverage worldwide
• 1,500 appearances by the Vancouver 2010 mascots: Quatchi, Miga and Sumi
• 1.6 million tickets available for the 2010 Winter Games
• Over 3.3 million pairs of Vancouver 2010 Red Mittens sold
• More than 4,000 artists at 600 events, over 60 days in 60 venues in the Cultural Olympiad
• More than 450 racks of costumes, 4,100 pairs of shoes, 18 kg of glitter, 10,000 green sequins used in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies
• 275 million visitors in total to www.vancouver2010.com

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Venues

• BC Place: Opening and Closing Ceremonies
• Pacific Coliseum - Figure skating and short track speed skating
• UBC Thunderbird Arena - Ice hockey and Paralympic sledge hockey
• Vancouver Olympic Centre/Vancouver Paralympic Centre - Curling
• Canada Hockey Place- Ice hockey
• Cypress Mountain- Freestyle skiing and snowboarding
• Richmond Olympic Oval - Long-track speed skating

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THE SYMBOL OF VANCOUVER 2010 – INUKSHUK

The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) selected a contemporary interpretation of the inukshuk as the official emblem of the 2010 Winter Games. Inukshuks are stone sculptures traditionallyused by Canada's Inuit people as directional landmarks across the north, but have become adopted as a symbol of hope, friendship and hospitality throughout Canada. The emblem was unveiledin 2005 and named “Ilanaaq,” the Inuit word for friend. Vancouver’s most photographed inukshuk can be found at English Bay Beach.

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Vancouver: A City of Olympic Firsts

Vancouver was unique as an Olympic host city. How unique? Here are the top five ways

• With a population of about 600,000 and a metropolitan area over two million, Vancouver was one of the largest cities ever to host a Winter Olympic Games
• Vancouver has one of Canada’s mildest climates and the warmest average temperatures of any previous Winter Olympic host.
• The Vancouver 2010 Winter Games marked the first time in history that Indigenous peoples had been recognized as official partners in hosting the Olympic Games. The Four Host First Nations (Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations people) were involved in virtually every aspect of the Games. www.fourhostfirstnations.com
• Vancouver, the birthplace of Greenpeace, has long been a leader in environmentalism. The 2010 Winter Games were the first Olympic Games to use a rigorous set of environmental criteria called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for any new construction.
• The 2010 Winter Games were among the most accessible Games ever held. Vancouver is already one of the world’s most accessible cities, and the Games took that one step further, ensuring barrier-free access for persons with a disability at all venues and facilities.

Olympic Fun Remains in Vancouver

Now that the athletes have gone, it's your turn to walk, skate, ski, snowboard, eat and enjoy Vancouver in many of the same spots the world's best athletes recently did

• Skate at the Richmond Olympic Oval. The Olympic speed skating venue has since been transformed into a state-of-the-art public recreation facility with multiple skating rinks, ball courts and a first class fitness centre are open to the public.
• Ski and snowboard the Olympic runs on Cypress Mountain. Home of Canada's first gold medal of the 2010 Games, Cypress offers big mountain terrain just a short drive from downtown Vancouver.
• Swim at the Vancouver Olympic Centre. Home to the Olympic and Paralympic curling events during the Games, the Vancouver Olympic Centre was transformed into a new community aquatic centre. Some curling sheets remain.
• Pose for a photo at the Olympic Cauldron or Inukshuk. The Olympic and Paralympic Cauldron remains at Jack Poole Plaza in downtown Vancouver. The stone inukshuk statue at English Bay, which became the symbol of the Games, remains in its pre-Games spot overlooking the bay.
• Watch a hockey game. You'll feel just like you're at the 2010 Winter Games when you attend an NHL Vancouver Canucks hockey game at Rogers Arena(renamed Canada Hockey Place during the 2010 Winter Games). For a less expensive hockey night out, catch the Vancouver Giants at Pacific Coliseum (venue for Olympic figure skating and short track speed skating) or the UBC Thunderbirds at Thunderbird Arena (venue for Olympic women's hockey and Paralympic sledge hockey).
• Discover an Olympic neighbourhood. The first tenants of Vancouver's newest neighbourhood were the Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. Millennium Water at Southeast False Creek was the site of the Vancouver Olympic Village. Walk the False Creek seawall from Science World towards Granville Island and check out the new community centre, inviting public spaces and historic Salt Building which will soon become a casual restaurant.