Vancouver / Whistler has been chosen as the site for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Congratulations to Canada and the cities of Vancouver and Whistler!

Powder Skiers in Whistler Photo Credit: Tourism Whistler. (Greg Griffith)

• Olympic Winter Games: February 12 to 28, 2010 (17 days)
• Winter Paralympic Games: March 12 to 21, 2010 (14 days)

Where will the sporting events take place?

• The Alpine (downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom, combined), Nordic (biathlon, cross country skiing, nordic combined), Sliding (ski jumping, bobsleigh, luge, skeleton) and Paralympic events are proposed to be held in Whistler, which is located 120 km (74.52 miles) north of Vancouver in the Garibaldi Mountains.
• Ice events including hockey, short track speed skating and speed skating, as well as freestyle skiing and snowboarding events will be held in the city of Vancouver.
• Opening ceremonies for both the Olympic Winter Games and Winter Paralympic Games will take place at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver.
• Medal ceremonies will occur at both Whistler and Vancouver.
• Athletes' villages and media centres will be in both Vancouver and Whistler.

Location
The games will be held in Vancouver and Whistler, BC.

Maps of Vancouver - View Maps

Mountains
Located 120km (74.52 miles) north of Vancouver is the Village of Whistler, BC located in the Garibaldi Mountains.  This is going to be the main centre for the alpine events.

City
The City of Vancouver will hold all of the indoor sports (hockey, skating, curling, etc.) and will be held at venues throughout the city.

Vancouver is located on the mainland of North America, in the south west corner of British Columbia, which is the westernmost of Canada's ten provinces. Greater Vancouver is made up of 18 municipalities that occupy 2,930 square kilometres on and around the Fraser River delta. The City of Vancouver is one of them.

Vancouver City is on the western-most part of a peninsula that is a major extension of the Fraser River's delta. The delta juts into a part of the Pacific Ocean, separating Vancouver Island from the mainland, called the Strait of Georgia. Several self-governing urban areas called municipalities make up Greater Vancouver. Six of them - Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody - are east of Vancouver. Several more municipalities are to the north of Vancouver, separated from it by Burrard Inlet, which is the main waterway for Canada's largest western port. These five municipalities are West Vancouver, Lions Bay, North Vancouver, Belcarra and Anmore, and are collectively known as the North Shore. They are all nestled on the slopes of the majestic Coast Mountain range; mountains that form the northern edge of the Vancouver metropolis, and are a major part of its spectacular views.

The southern boundary of the City of Vancouver is the North Arm of the Fraser River, one of the largest rivers entering the Pacific. On the opposite shore of the Fraser River are the lowland Greater Vancouver municipalities: Richmond, Delta, Surrey, White Rock and Langley.

Thirty-eight kilometres (24 miles) south of downtown Vancouver is the Canada-US boundary.

Across the Strait of Georgia and 96 km (60 miles) to the south-west is British Columbia's capital city of Victoria, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Vancouver is almost exactly halfway between Western Europe and the Asia Pacific countries.

Quick Search:
- Vancouver Lodging
- Whistler Lodging

· It has come to our attention that there is a good deal on a "Canadian" vacation rental in Whislter for the Olymipic Games.  Click here to get booking details.  Book early because this deal is hard to pass by!!

2010 Winter Games Excitement in Whistler

by Lena Gilfled

One year ago, on July 2, 2003, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Vancouver-Whistler as hosts of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In Whistler, British Columbia, an early-morning crowd of 5,000 people erupted in cheers at the announcement. Competing against PyeongChang, South Korea and Salzburg, Austria, it was the culmination to five years of planning and hoping by the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation.

Long-renowned for the skiing and snowboarding on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, the "Sea to Sky" Winter Games present an unparalleled opportunity to showcase Whistler to a global audience. Why? During the 2000 Sydney Summer Games, it was estimated that the city received $6 billion US in worldwide publicity. During the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, two billion people watched event coverage on NBC.

More importantly, however, according to a recent economic study by the British Columbia Ministry of Competition, Science and Enterprise, hosting the Games combined with an expanded convention centre in Vancouver could generate up to $10 billion in economic activity, while creating up to 228,000 new jobs in the run up to the Winter Games.

The distinctive five rings of the Olympic logo are recognized by more than three billion people worldwide. Vancouver-Whistler expects more than 10,000 international media to cover the Games. It is this international exposure that will increase awareness of British Columbia and Canada, driving tourism development and economic benefits in the run-up to, and long past, the Winter Games.

Inspired by an Olympic Dream

The development of Whistler Mountain was inspired by an Olympic dream when, in 1960, four Vancouver businessmen envisioned Whistler as the site to host a future Winter Games. When the Bid for the 1968 Games was unsuccessful, the Garibaldi Lift Company was formed with the new goal of creating a ski operation. Whistler Mountain opened in 1966, near the shores of Alta Lake, in an area first known as a summer destination because of the abundant fishing. Bids were put together for the 1976 Winter Games (awarded to Innsbruck, Austria) and the 1980 Winter Games (awarded to Lake Placid, USA), prior to last summer's winning bid.

Today, the acclaimed Whistler and Blackcomb ski area is one of the few North American resorts to have hosted World Cup events in all alpine snow sports: freestyle, alpine skiing, and snowboarding. The resort hosted the 2001 World Freestyle Championships, and will stage the 2005 Snowboard FIS World Championships. But Whistler's in-depth experience and track record in hosting world-class events will be taken to another level with the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2010.

Sustainable Legacies

In 1994, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added environment as a third pillar of the Olympic Movement, along with sport and culture. The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) will look beyond environmental stewardship to champion social responsibility, economic opportunity, sport development, and health promotion. Promoting awareness and understanding of the Olympic movement, sport and culture across a broad range of youth and education programs is another key responsibility of the Organizing Committee.

Over the next six years, $600 million in highway improvements will occur on the scenic Sea to Sky Highway between West Vancouver and Whistler. When complete, the upgrades are expected to shave 25 minutes on the current two-hour drive time.

In the Callaghan Valley, 12 kilometres south of the resort, the Whistler Nordic Centre will be a world-class facility, hosting the cross-country skiing, biathlon, Nordic combined and ski jumping events. There, three temporary spectator areas will hold a total of 60,000 fans on competition days. The Whistler Sliding Centre will host the bobsled, luge and skeleton events on Blackcomb Mountain. The ice track will unfold over 1,350 metres, featuring 18 curves on a 124-metre vertical drop.

The famed Dave Murray Downhill on Whistler Mountain will be home to the alpine speed events of downhill and super giant slalom, while the technical events (slalom and giant slalom) are proposed for the slopes of Blackcomb Mountain. Even today, you can experience the thrill of skiing or snowboarding on these Olympic courses.

In the centre of the resort village, a temporary celebration and medal presentation stadium will be erected on the Whistler Golf Course driving range, hosting 10,000 people for cultural entertainment and concerts. Another legacy will be the Athletes Village, which will be converted into employee housing after the Games.

Aside from the opening and closing ceremonies in Vancouver, the entire competition schedule for the Paralympic Winter Games that follow in March, 2010 will be held in Whistler, including the debut sport of wheelchair curling.

A popular spot for visitors is the Whistler 2010 Information Centre, where more than 83,000 people have been welcomed since it opened in early 2002. Snapshots of people on the awards podium are a must, as are pictures of the authentic bobsleigh from the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.

More than Just Winter

From steeps and deeps to long chutes and high alpine bowls, if you're a skier or snowboarder, Whistler Blackcomb ski area is a slice of heaven. With the most terrain (7,071 acres) and greatest vertical (5,280 feet or one mile) in North America and an average annual snowfall of nine metres, these award-wining mountains also feature 200 marked trails, 30 lifts, and 12 alpine bowls. But there's more to Whistler than skiing and snowboarding. Located 120 kilometres north of Vancouver, B.C., the Resort Municipality of Whistler is centred around a European-style pedestrian village with a wide selection of restaurants, spas, boutiques, galleries, and a non-stop nightlife. Accommodation in the resort ranges from town homes to luxury home rentals, and five-star hotel rooms to three-bedroom condominiums, complete with gourmet kitchens and private hot tubs.

This diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents offers winter activities that range from cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, to snowshoeing, skating and heli-skiing. In the summer, there is everything from world-renowned golf and mountain biking, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. The adventurous can try back-country skiing and snowboarding, rock climbing, zip-trekking across steel cables in a harness, or bungy jumping from a 200-foot bridge.

To plan your summer or winter Whistler vacation now, or for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, visit www.tourismwhistler.com, www.vancouver2010.com and www.seatoskyimprovements.ca.

Vancouver 2010 Quick Facts

• The XXI Olympic Winter Games: February 12 - 28, 2010
  
• The X Paralympic Winter Games: March 12 to March 21, 2010
  
• Olympic Winter Games sports include alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, skeleton, luge, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined and ski jumping in Whistler. Freestyle skiing, snowboarding, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, speed skating and short track speed skating are in Vancouver.
  
• Paralympic Winter Games sports include alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, sledge ice hockey, wheelchair curling (debuting as a medal sport).
  
• 15 winter sports are represented with 2,500 competing athletes in the Olympic Games; 1,100 athletes in five sports will compete in the Paralympic Games.
  
• 1.8 million event tickets, ranging from $25 to $925.
  
• 900,000 tickets are available for opening and closing ceremonies, festivals and medal presentations.
  
• Ticket and accommodation pricing will be announced in late 2008, while sales will begin in 2009.
  
• The majority of Whistler-Blackcomb's terrain will be open to public while Olympic events are going on.
  $100,000,000 in legacy funding is set aside as an endowment to keep Olympic facilities operational after the 2010 Winter Games.
  
• An estimated 25,000 volunteers will be needed for the Games.
  All figures Canadian dollars.