The countdown to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games is well underway, and soon the city will be ablaze with spirit, culture and the best athletes in the world. For those who are planning to be here as spectators - and for those who just love the Games - this preview of the Vancouver Olympic Games provides an essential breakdown: events held, competition venue descriptions and the top contenders. So even if you're a novice curling enthusiast, you'll know which athletes to watch and where to see them.

Canada Hockey Place
Events: Ice Hockey

Description: Holding a capacity of 18,630 people, Canada Hockey Place is home to the NHL's Vancouver Canucks and where hockey-crazed Vancouverites will be hanging out the most during the Games. See how players adjust to the smaller North American surface size rather than the larger international surface.

Athletes to Watch: NHL MVP Sidney Crosby of the Penguins will most likely be playing for team Canada (we still can't believe he didn't play in Torino), whose hopes for Olympic gold are, to put it mildly, monumentally huge.

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Pacific Coliseum
Events: Figure Skating and Short Track Speed Skating

Description: One of the most well-known event sites in Vancouver, the Coliseum features a $20 million renovation for the Games and holds some 14,000 guests. It's the same classic building but with a whole new facelift - expansion of the ice to fit international standards, a revitalized concession space and seating upgrades.

Athletes to Watch: American Evan Lysacek, who won the World Championship by delivering a nail-biting clutch performance, will be a strong contender for gold, as will the dynamic Johnny Weir, who finished fifth in Torino. On the women's side, Kim Yu-Nah of South Korea is a favorite with a record-breaking performance in the 2009 Worlds, while her rival, Mao Asada of Japan, is closest to catching her.

In short track, Apollo Ohno is on the way to nab a few more golds, but South Korea's Lee Ho-Suk - expected to be Ohno's top competitor - will undoubtedly reignite the American/South Korea rivalry from Torino. On the woman's side, South Korea and China dominate the sport and will be vying for gold.

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Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre

Events: Curling and Wheelchair Curling

Description: Completed in the fall of 2008, this centre is set to host a max crowd of 6,000 for the Olympic curling events with six to eight sheets of curling ice. Check out the original Aboriginal art that will be featured in the centre. Works include contemporary art from First Nations, Metis and Inuit cultures.

Athletes to Watch: Keep an eye on David Murdoch, a dairy farmer turned professional curler of Scotland, who led his team to a gold medal in the 2009 World Championships. Canada's Kevin Martin and company will want another shot at taking Murdoch down and snagging an Olympic gold.

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UBC Thunderbird Arena
Events: Ice Hockey and Ice Sledge Hockey

Description: This is Vancouver, so there's always room for more hockey. UBC Thunderbird Arena abides, featuring a capacity of 7,200 and major upgrades. Much of the arena's $38.5 million investment was designated to create an eco-friendly building that measures up to LEED Silver certification standards.

Athletes to Watch: It's all about Canada here. The men's team is on fire to prove themselves after a disappointing Torino finish, and the women's team, led by captain Hayley Wickenheiser and coach Melody Davidson will be defending their gold medal title, most likely against a strong American team, who topped Canada at the World Championships in 2009.

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Cypress Mountain
Events: Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard

Description: "Go big or go home" - a perfect motto for Vancouver's top freestyle venue. Only 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver, it features a unique view of both the city and the harbour. Athletes will get to try out the new in-ground super pipe for bigger, better and badder tricks.

Athletes to Watch: "The Flying Tomato" Shaun White returns to the Olympic Games to defend his 2006 Torino gold medal, but several others - American Kevin Pearce, Canadians Crispin Lipscomb and Brad Martin, and Japan's Ryoh Aono - are right behind him and have explosive routines to raise the bar a few notches higher.

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Richmond Olympic Oval
Events: Speed Skating

Description: The "bird's nest" of the 2010 Winter Games is the home to the ever popular speed skating events. Built specifically for the Games, the 33,750-square-metre facility features an impressive hardwood ceiling, constructed entirely of B.C. wood - much of it from reclaimed from pine beetle-infested timber - and a stunning 400-metre track.

Athletes to Watch: Keep an eye out for Canadian speed skaters Kristina Groves and Jeremy Wotherspoon, both poised to take home medals in 2010. But the favorites are Italy's Enrico Fabris and the Netherland's Sven Kramer.

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Whistler Creekside
Events: Alpine Skiing

Description: On the "Creekside" of the Whistler Resort will be Olympic alpine skiing, with the Dave Murray Downhill trail hosting the men's alpine skiing event. Franz' Run will host a brand-new women's course and Paralympic event. Athletes will enjoy fast terrain and terrific views from the top of the mountain.

Athletes to Watch: Competition is pretty stiff in alpine skiing, where the difference between gold and silver is determined by milliseconds. American Lindsey Vonn will probably take a medal, and international names such as Sweden's Anja Pearson and Swiss teen phenom Lara Gut will also be in the race. And guess what? Hermann Maier, the Austrian powerhouse, is back once again for another medal to add to his collection.

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Whistler Sliding Centre
Events: Bobsleigh, Luge and Skeleton

Description: Right on Blackcomb Mountain, this track cost a pretty $104.9 million and it shows. This track is so fast that the International Luge Federation's president Joseph Fendt objected to the 149 km/hr (92.5 mi/hr) top speed. Of course, speed is what it's all about, and it'll be exciting to see how the athletes handle the fast track.

Athletes to Watch: Watch American Steve Holcomb, who led his team to win the World Championship in March 2009. In the skeleton, competitors will have to try to catch Germany's Marion Trott, who has been breaking records left and right in 2009.

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Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park
Events: Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping

Description: With three separate stadiums, Whistler Olympic Park features an extensive 15 km of Nordic trails with 30 lanes and an electronic targeting system. Meanwhile, the Paralympic venue uses part of these trails in their biathlon and cross-country skiing events.

Athletes to Watch: Norway's Ole Einar Bjoerndalen will be shooting to be the most decorated biathlete of all time. On the woman's side, the Germans have the best chance for gold with Kati Wilhelm, Andrea Henkel and wunderkind Magdalena Neuner.