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mr.x Jul 17, 2008 3:45 AM

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Store Grand Opening at YVR

VANCOUVER, July 16 /CNW/ - The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the
2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) and Vancouver Airport
Authority are hosting a special event at the new Olympic Store at the
Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The Olympic Store is the first of six
that will be opening over the coming months at YVR.

<<
What: Olympic Store grand opening

When: Thursday, July 17, 2008
10:00 am (Pacific Time)

Where: YVR, International Terminal: Departures Level 3
(beside food court)
3211 Grant Mcconachie Way, Richmond

Who: Caley Denton, Vice President, Ticketing and Consumer Marketing,
VANOC

Tony Gugliotta, Senior Vice President of Marketing and
Commercial Development, YVR
>>

Photo opportunities: 2010 mascots - Sumi, Miga and Quatchi; Olympic and
Paralympic merchandise; VANOC/YVR executives and partners.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/a.../16/c5321.html

mr.x Aug 3, 2008 4:48 AM

Some details:


Opening Ceremony: Day 1, Friday, February 12, 2010, 18:00–21:00 (BC Place and Whistler Olympic Celebration Plaza)

Closing Ceremony: Day 17, Sunday, February 28, 2010, 17:30–20:00 (BC Place and Whistler Olympic Celebration Plaza)



The Opening Ceremonies are scheduled to be 3 hours long and the Closing Ceremonies will be 2 hours and 30 minutes. Both ceremonies will simultaneously be at BC Place and Whistler Celebration Plaza.

ravman Aug 3, 2008 9:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.x2 (Post 3711363)
Some details:


Opening Ceremony: Day 1, Friday, February 12, 2010, 18:00–21:00 (BC Place and Whistler Olympic Celebration Plaza)

Closing Ceremony: Day 17, Sunday, February 28, 2010, 17:30–20:00 (BC Place and Whistler Olympic Celebration Plaza)



The Opening Ceremonies are scheduled to be 3 hours long and the Closing Ceremonies will be 2 hours and 30 minutes. Both ceremonies will simultaneously be at BC Place and Whistler Celebration Plaza.


and the best part is that i will be there... thank god for my sponsorship tickets from the prov govt!

SpongeG Aug 25, 2008 1:45 AM

2010 Winter Games Countdown Clock for your Computer

The best way to count down the days to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver is with a computer clock for your desktop.
Omega, the official timekeeper for the Games events offers not only a countdown clock on their website, but provides both a Mac Gadget and a Windows Gadget download. When you are clocking winners in 100's of a second you better be sure you have a dependable timekeeping device and the Olympic Committee has entrusted Omega with that responsibility since 1932.

That's over a half century of measuring ski races where that hundredths of second determines who gets a lifetime of Gold.

http://z.about.com/d/skiing/1/0/B/H/-/-/omega.jpg

http://skiing.about.com/b/2008/08/23...r-computer.htm

mr.x Aug 25, 2008 7:10 AM

Here's the NBC Vancouver 2010 broadcast logo from the Beijing 2008 broadcast closing credits:
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/9837/dscf2426er5.jpg.

See You From
VANCOUVER

- VANCOUVER
2010 -

IN 18 MONTHS

MistyMountainHop Aug 25, 2008 7:18 AM

More like "See you from The Bomb!" :D

SpongeG Aug 26, 2008 4:07 AM

this was posted at ssc by nova9

salt lake city channel did a report on Vancouver and its upcoming games...

see the video: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4078815

Denscity Aug 26, 2008 5:21 AM

That was pretty cool to watch although i think they mentioned Banff as having a venue.

NetMapel Aug 26, 2008 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denscity (Post 3758877)
That was pretty cool to watch although i think they mentioned Banff as having a venue.

What what ? Those stealthy Albertans are stealing our games now ? :haha:

SpongeG Aug 26, 2008 10:28 PM

at least the "tax payers waste" pavillion got some press coverage

mr.x Aug 27, 2008 8:30 AM

From no-fun city to party central
Vancouver, Whistler step into the global spotlight

Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun columnist
Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008

BEIJING - There are so many differences between the Olympics that have just ended and the Vancouver Winter Games in 2010 that it's hard to extrapolate what they will be like.

It's especially hard since this is a city and country where spontaneous eruptions by the masses usually end badly and where security was pleasant but so tight that even sunscreen was suspect.

However, there's also a near world of difference between Summer and Winter Games. The Summer Games have 28 sports with 38 disciplines and about 300 events, while the Winter Olympics include seven sports with 15 disciplines and about 80 events.

In Beijing, the venues are not only spectacular looking, they're on a scale scarcely seen before at any other Games. In Vancouver, only a few venues are new and some of the older ones are small enough that getting tickets to popular events like curling, hockey and figure skating will be difficult.

Plus, Beijing is a city of more than 17 million. Metro Vancouver has just over two million and Whistler has fewer than 10,000 people.

So, differences aside, what can people in Whistler and Vancouver expect? For a few months and weeks before the Games, every wart and problem in Canada, British Columbia and Vancouver will be dissected and disseminated by journalists from around the world, causing much consternation among the politicians, organizers and the civic-ly proud.

There will be disruptions and traffic snarls.

There will be lots of security. Even though Vanoc's president John Furlong repeatedly says protest is a right in Canada, the International Olympic Committee doesn't view protests so benignly. Its views on dissent are closer to China's and it requires that demonstrators be kept as far away from the Games as possible. The IOC doesn't like the placidity of its bubble disturbed.

And there will be a whole lot of fun. It will be a bit like fireworks night combined with a really short Expo 86 even if you don't get tickets.

For some Olympic visitors, that will be more important than the events themselves. Certainly, that's the view of most Olympic Family members, who prefer to party and schmooze than use the sporting events seats designated for their use only.

Because Vancouver and especially Whistler are so much smaller than Beijing, the Games - banners, bands, theme song and all - will literally be in many people's neighbourhoods.

There will be free entertainment and medal ceremonies within walking distance of venues, hotels and homes. There will be lots of chances to meet people and celebrate. In Beijing, that was sadly lacking because of the tight security.

There will be no escaping the funny hats, wigs and faces painted in the colours of countries you won't even recognize. Everywhere people will be wearing T-shirts, jackets, scarves, hats and pins imprinted with their country's name or swaddled in their flags.

There will be lots of crazy Eastern Europeans, Brits and Aussies drinking and roaring with laughter. And lots of puzzled people staring at maps.

Unless you've got good connections, it's unlikely you'll rub shoulders with celebrities, superstars or the super rich. You might spot a few. The Sun's editor-in-chief Patricia Graham saw Cindy Crawford at the Forbidden City. Hockey star Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and David Schwimmer of TV's Friends were glad-handing at a reception promoting the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.

A China Daily photographer spotted former United States president George H.W. Bush shopping at the Silk Market, which is famous for its knock-offs of trademarked goods. The paper rather cheekily put his photo in its English-language edition, but refrained from any comment about the hypocrisy of Bush shopping there when the U.S. has been one of the most vociferous countries pursuing China to clean up its intellectual property laws.

But don't expect too many celebrities bundled up and tromping their feet at the finish lines of obscure events or even the early rounds of hockey.

The place to see them will be the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. David Beckham, Sarah Brightman, Lang Lang, Placido Domingo and Jackie Chan were on stage here. In the stands were Canto-pop star Andy Lau, actresses Carina Leung and Zhang Ziyi, Bill Gates, Princess Anne and, of course, the heads of state for dozens of countries (Canada being one of the exceptions).

Some stars will also be on a busman's holiday. Brightman and Andrea Bocelli gave concerts in Beijing during the Games.

Dozens of theatres, museums and art galleries put on special exhibitions both of Chinese works and the best from other countries so visitors had things to do when they weren't at events.

There will be lots of culture lite at corporate pavilions. Coca-Cola's pavilion at the main Olympic site was hugely popular and had line-ups nearly three blocks long most days. At one of Coke's two "live sites" downtown, there were terra cotta warrior replicas dressed in Olympics colours. But despite a stage where young women in gold lamé twirled ribbons, the real purpose was selling Coke Olympic pins and commemorative Olympic Coke bottles. Yet, bizarrely, it also had a sign that read: Please do not stay.

Of course, there will be world and Olympic champions all over the place.

The Olympics is one the rare opportunities where, while waiting for a bus, you can meet people from Mongolia, Latvia, Trinidad and Moose Jaw. The person you ask to take your photo might be a coach or a competitor, an athlete's mom or some guy who is at his ninth Games and has a thousand pins to prove it.

The Olympics are coming and so is the world.

So, complain if you want. But if you want to enjoy the Games, brush up on your geography and some languages. Take up pin collecting. And be prepared to meet some interesting people.

Oh, and be prepared too for your brain, unbidden, to assimilate the ubiquitous theme song in both official languages.

dbramham@vancouversun.com
















The heat is on

Forget Beijing's bucks and let the good times roll

Miro Cernetig, Vancouver Sun columnist
Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008

BEIJING - Now comes the pressure. How can Vancouver, any city for that matter, possibly match the Beijing Olympics, a $50-billion mega-show? And does anyone really want to?

China's Olympic fireworks, the Beijing Games' Opening and Closing ceremonies and promotions costs alone probably added up to more than Canada's entire operating budget for the 2010 Olympics. Beijing's fireworks were so massive they raised the temperature in the Bird's Nest, the stadium China's leaders ordered up for the Games.

"Beijing has given us a lot of pressure," Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan acknowledged in Beijing the other day.

He's right about that. But when it comes to the question of topping China, however, the answer for Vancouver and B.C.'s leaders is not to even think about emulating Beijing in terms of 2010's theatrical scope. It's simply impossible to match.

There won't be another country in our lifetime that can carry off the nationalistic, regimented extravaganza we saw in Beijing over 16 days. Do you really think we're going to get soldiers to dress up in Christmas lights and Lycra to play acrobats in the Opening Ceremony, as China's army did? Our PhDs and future astronauts aren't going to be volunteering to hold doors or serve Big Macs to the masses as they did in Beijing.

We do have an edge over China in 2010, though. If we think ahead, we can distinguish the city by doing something that China's government didn't do: Throw a real party.

China's Olympics unquestionably ran like clockwork. But it was ultimately an event staged by an authoritarian government. Predictably, it often felt like something of a security event surrounded by sports. It lacked spontaneity.

The opposite needs to happen at the 2010 Olympics - staged in Vancouver, Whistler and Richmond - say Canadian organizers. The trio of cities will need to create a feeling of intimacy and the feel of a winter festival during the Games.

But how to do that?

One of the goals of John Furlong, head of the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee, is to create a collective eagerness to hold the Games within the cities involved.

It's not an easy task. There are many Vancouverites who plan to use the Games as a stage to protest urban and aboriginal poverty. There also will be inconveniences, when access to bridges and roads is restricted.

Given that backdrop, Furlong believes it's essential to make as many Vancouverites as possible feel a part of the event. Citizens have to understand that they will in many ways be ambassadors for the city when visitors arrive and create the atmosphere that will pay long-term dividends for British Columbia, and Canada.

Transportation is going to be crucial. One of the notable elements of Beijing is that special Olympic lanes were set aside, to ensure no major traffic delays. Similar systems will be in place in Vancouver - bridge traffic will be restricted at times - and Vanoc and Metro Vancouver's mayors will have to convince commuters to accept the delays.

Another element is public transit. In Beijing it was free for the thousands of journalists, athletes, officials and ticket holders. TransLink, the provincial agency that handles public transit around Metro Vancouver, needs to do the same thing to help keep congestion down. During the Games, it might even be wise to give the general public a free, or reduced rate, to get people out of their cars.

Another major issue for Vancouver is what might be called "the flavour" of the security in 2010. The security apparatus will be massive, since the Olympics represent a terrorist target. But the staff at the security gates can be trained to make it a relatively smooth experience. Beijing's organizers were for the most part able to offer easy access.

More importantly, though, is that the Olympic party shouldn't just be inside the security bubble, as it was in Beijing. It needs to be brought into the city proper, where the majority of people will be.

There will be live sites to watch the events, and the nightly ceremonies at BC Place to celebrate medal victories. But the Olympic party should be extended around the city, possibly to the waterfront around English Bay and Kitsilano Beach. Vancouver has gotten used to handling major crowds in these areas, thanks to the summer fireworks. The concept can easily be extended into the winter of 2010.

Perhaps more importantly, though, is how Vancouver's Olympics will look. Let's face it, we didn't build a Bird's Nest or other buildings that are going to set the world on fire (though I bet the views from the convention centre will be a hit). So there has to be another way of dressing up the city.

Behind the scenes, Vancouver's organizing committee, as well as Premier Gordon Campbell, are now giving the issue of how to "drape the city" some serious thought. A major part of how the Olympics will be regarded around the world will be based on how Vancouver looks to the television cameras. How much esthetic whimsy can we come up with on a budget that by Beijing standards will be limited?

Here are some ideas being tossed around:

. Put the Olympic rings on the Lions Gate Bridge, atop one of the North Shore mountains or perhaps on a barge in the middle of English Bay.

. Ask Vancouverites to keep their holiday lights on past New Years, to give the city a festive air.

. Keep bars and restaurants open for longer hours - perhaps around the clock - to give the Olympics a party atmosphere.

. Use lasers and lights to illuminate the North Shore mountains, to give the city a stunning backdrop.

. Buy into new technology that will allow the projection of images throughout the city. Most people forget it, but one of the hits of Expo 86 was the nightly laser show.

It's far too early to say how Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler will look in 2010. But the ideas need to start now.

mcernetig@vancouversun.com
















Early birds test Olympic waters

Vancouver, Whistler welcome a host of elite competitions fans can catch on the cheap

Gary Kingston, Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Demand will far outstrip supply when it comes to tickets to the 2010 Olympics.

And the lottery allocation system will almost certainly leave a large segment of the Vancouver-Whistler public on the outside looking ... well, looking, at their television sets.

But fear not luge lovers, bobsleigh bunnies and all you winter sport enthusiasts who just can't get enough of nordic combined.

Assuming our always fickle winter weather co-operates, the Vancouver-Whistler area will be awash in elite level biathletes and 'boarders, sliders and sledge hockey players this winter as several sports hold pre-Olympic and pre-Paralympic World Cup, world championship and other competitions.

The events may not come with the hype and the bells and whistles that accompany the five-ring circus, but the quality of competition will be high and the ticket prices reasonable - if there are even tickets required.

"It's going to be a wonderful opportunity for the public to get in to see the venues ... and probably 98 per cent of the athletes coming here will be Olympians and Paralympians," says Cathy Priestner Allinger, executive vice-president of sport and venue management for Vanoc. "It's going to be the world's best."

It starts in late October with an ISU short track speed skating World Cup at the Pacific Coliseum and then really picks up steam early in 2009.

From the Jan. 15-18 FIS Nordic Combined World Cup at the Callaghan Valley outside Whistler to the March 12-15 ISU world single distance speed skating championships at the Richmond Oval, there is only one weekend without a major event at the Olympic/Paralympic venues.

Speed skater Denny Morrison, a Fort St. John native who is the reigning world champion at 1,500 metres, says he's already pumped at the prospect of defending in front of a big crowd at the oval, even if a large chunk of them will be the orange-clad fanatics from the Netherlands.

"The fans from Holland always follow their skaters around for worlds, so there's going to be a big crowd of them," said Morrison. "And hopefully the Canadian fans show up and we get a full crowd and get a real feel for what it's going to be like in there during the Olympics."

The Canadian team is scheduled to try out the ice for the first time in mid-September. The national championships will go Dec. 26-Jan. 3 and will follow a schedule very similar to that being used at the Olympics.

"The exciting thing for me is that when the world championships start, we're going to own all the track records [at the venue] and it's going to be a challenge for the top Canadians to hold onto those records and not let them go to someone else before the Olympics," says Morrison.

One of the most closely watched of the pre-Olympic test events will be the freestyle skiing World Cup Feb. 5-7 at Cypress Mountain. At a daytime World Cup on the North Shore hill last February, a nasty weather stew of rain, sleet and fog forced cancellation of the men's and women's moguls and turned the aerials into a one-jump event.

This time, however, the competitions will be run during the evening, when skies are generally clearer. The Olympics will also be contested at night.

"It's unfortunate what happened last year ... but it was a part of understanding the snow conditions, knowing what we can expect and how we can prepare for delays," said moguls skier Kristi Richards of Summerland.

While there is a world championships in Japan next March, Richards said she'll be gearing up to peak for the Cypress World Cup.

"That will be a benchmark event. We want to feel like it's our hill, feel like we can own it, own the Olympics."

Priestner Allinger said indoor events such as the speed skating, the ISU Four Continents figure skating championships Feb. 2-8 and the Four Nations sledge hockey tournament Feb. 23-March 1 will require tickets. But Vanoc has yet to decide whether it will require tickets to the cross-country and freestyle skiing, snowboarding and the ski jumping competitions, which traditionally have been free for World Cups.

"We'll have to make some prudent decisions on whether we test access control in those events," she said, noting it will be crucial testing ground for all manner of Vanoc operations, including volunteers. "[But] we want to make these events very accessible and let the public get to know the athletes."

gkingston@vancouversun.com

Delirium Aug 27, 2008 2:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.x2 (Post 3761400)
Behind the scenes, Vancouver's organizing committee, as well as Premier Gordon Campbell, are now giving the issue of how to "drape the city" some serious thought. A major part of how the Olympics will be regarded around the world will be based on how Vancouver looks to the television cameras. How much esthetic whimsy can we come up with on a budget that by Beijing standards will be limited?

Here are some ideas being tossed around:

. Put the Olympic rings on the Lions Gate Bridge, atop one of the North Shore mountains or perhaps on a barge in the middle of English Bay.

. Ask Vancouverites to keep their holiday lights on past New Years, to give the city a festive air.

. Keep bars and restaurants open for longer hours - perhaps around the clock - to give the Olympics a party atmosphere.

. Use lasers and lights to illuminate the North Shore mountains, to give the city a stunning backdrop.

. Buy into new technology that will allow the projection of images throughout the city. Most people forget it, but one of the hits of Expo 86 was the nightly laser show.

here are some visuals;
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/ol.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/ol1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/ol3.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/ol4.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/ol5.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/ol6.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/ol7.jpg

lightning Aug 28, 2008 9:43 PM

and the clock gets vandalized again

Quote:

Olympic Countdown Clock hit by vandals

Thursday, August 28 - 12:01:12 PM

Renee Bernard
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Vandals have once again hit Vancouver's Olympic Countdown Clock. Just after midnight, Vancouver Police got a call that three people had doused the clock with paint.

VPD Constable Jana McGuinness says the suspected culprits (with paint on their clothes and hands) were tracked down on Robson Street shortly afterwards. "There's two 19 year old men and a 20 year old woman that were arrested. They are facing mischief charges."

There is no cost estimate of the damage yet. Anti-Olympics protesters have vandalized the clock with paint in the past, but it's not yet known if the current suspects are tied with protest groups.

mr.x Aug 28, 2008 10:14 PM

^ again???? how original. what is this, the third time now right? I hope it's repairable.

At least they got caught.

twoNeurons Aug 28, 2008 10:37 PM

That location is not on the approved list of protest parks.

crazyjoeda Aug 29, 2008 5:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.x2 (Post 3765124)
^ again???? how original. what is this, the third time now right? I hope it's repairable.

At least they got caught.

This was actually only the second time. I am actually surprised it has only been vandalized twice. I'm glad they go caught. I wonder what the Chinese would have done to punish them?

mr.x Aug 29, 2008 7:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyjoeda (Post 3766730)
This was actually only the second time. I am actually surprised it has only been vandalized twice. I'm glad they go caught. I wonder what the Chinese would have done to punish them?

Third time.....first time, it was "FUCK 2010" written all over it. Second time, it was paintballs.

subdude Aug 29, 2008 7:28 PM

Taken today by me:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3264/...8bfb3290_o.jpg

mr.x Aug 29, 2008 7:39 PM

It appears that the damage on the clock is permanent to an extent, until they fix it. A simple paint wash isn't gonna do the trick this time:


CLOCK VANDALIZED
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/ph...vandalized.jpg




AFTER CLEANING CREW MAKES REPAIRS, still damaged (photo by subdude)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3264/...8900acbc_o.jpg

mr.x Aug 29, 2008 8:07 PM

IAN BAILEY
From Friday's Globe and Mail

August 29, 2008 at 4:47 AM EDT

VANCOUVER — Maryke Bruin and Jelle Groot, tourists from Holland, were taking a few holiday snaps of the Vancouver 2010 Countdown Clock yesterday, and figuring the timepiece on the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery looked pretty good.

Then they walked around the steel, glass and red-cedar structure that is counting down the days to the start of the Games - and stared in astonishment.

There were streaks of white paint across the steel of the six-metre-high structure, which weighs in at 1,170 kilograms and was donated to the city by Omega, the official timekeeper of the Games. A workman was using a hose to attack the paint with jets of scalding hot water to counter the latest attack of vandalism on one of the most visible icons of the coming Games.

"It's so crazy," said Ms. Bruin, shaking her head at the damage. Mr. Groot agreed, calling it "stupid" to damage a symbol of an event deemed as being for all people.


Just after midnight yesterday, Vancouver police received a call that three people had doused the clock with white paint. Police arrested two 19-year-old men and a 20-year-old woman blocks away. Their clothes and hands were covered with paint, said Constable Jana McGuinness of the Vancouver Police Department.

Mischief charges are pending against the three, she said.

While this isn't the first time the clock has been vandalized, Constable McGuinness said it was too early to say if the trio were linked to organized protest. The clock has been the focus of trouble from its debut, with Olympic organizers reporting at least five previous cases of notable vandalism. Protesters armed with rocks and paint balloons crashed its unveiling in February, 2007. Eight people were arrested for mischief and assault.

But Renée Smith-Valade, communications vice-president for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, said yesterday they are sticking by the showpiece device.

"We chose that location because it's central; it's easily accessible. It's highly visible," she said. "We still believe it's the best permanent home for the clock, but inevitably when you put anything - a piece of sculpture, a countdown clock - in a public place, you take a certain amount of risk, so the best you can do is manage that."

The clock is no longer protected 24-7 by guards on site, but "there is surveillance on the clock 24-7," she said, declining to be specific.

Ms. Smith-Valade said other areas of the gallery's property were damaged by paint yesterday. The spokesman for the gallery did not respond by deadline to calls seeking comment.





A worker removes paint Thursday from the Vancouver 2010 Countdown Clock. The six-metre steel structure weighs 1,170 kilograms. (Lyle Stafford for The Globe and Mail)

http://images.theglobeandmail.com/ar...lock500big.jpg

Delirium Aug 29, 2008 10:27 PM

"Mischief charges are pending against the three, she said"

What do people get for a "mischief" charge? At the very least, I hope the city sticks them with the bill to clean it up.

Yume-sama Aug 30, 2008 4:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delirium (Post 3767574)
"Mischief charges are pending against the three, she said"

What do people get for a "mischief" charge? At the very least, I hope the city sticks them with the bill to clean it up.

Oh... they would never be THAT harsh! It's Canada...

punkster1982 Aug 30, 2008 7:38 AM

Excitement for 2010 Olympics builds on both sides of border
 
VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Massive Olympic and Paralympic flags fly from a seven-story flagpole outside Vancouver's city hall.

On Cambie Street to the west of the Depression-era government building, heavy machinery and jackhammers chip away at a tunnel for a rapid transit rail line that will link the city's bustling downtown with Vancouver International Airport by late next year.

Construction cranes fill the skyline in the once-gritty southeast False Creek area, where thousands of eco-friendly apartments and shops of the Olympic Village are sprouting skyward.

With the close of the Beijing Games on Sunday, attention is now turning to the Eastern edge of the Pacific Rim, to ­Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., where the 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in just 18 months.

"It's only going to get more exciting," said David Hurford, chief of staff for Vancouver's iconoclast mayor, Sam Sullivan, the first quadriplegic to lead a Canadian city.

Some of that excitement is spilling across the border to Washington, where tourism officials hope to seize Olympic gold and winter sports fans are gearing up for a mega-dose of hockey, speed skating and free-style skiing.

Tickets for the 2010 games go on sale Oct. 3 for Canadians. U.S. citizens may have to wait to purchase some of the 1.6 million tickets, which range in price from $25 for biathlon events to $1,100 for the best seats at the opening ceremonies.

In the United States, Jet Set Sports and its subsidiary CoSport are licensed to sell ticket and lodging packages as well as individual tickets.

Vancouver will also play host to the 2010 Winter Paralympic games immediately following the Winter Olympics, which will be split between the Vancouver metropolitan area and Whistler.

Sullivan, who has made wheelchair-accessible taxis and buses in his city a priority, was paralyzed in a skiing accident he suffered as a teenager. He is the first mayor of a Winter Olympics host city to fly both the Olympic and Paralympic flags together.

While the Winter Olympic games will last for only 17 days in February 2010, they are triggering long-term investments, including the widening of the Sea-to-Sky Highway connecting Vancouver and Whistler.

After the games, some of the Olympic Village apartments that will house athletes will be converted to public housing. Venues, such as the curling building at Vancouver's Hillcrest Park and the giant Skating Oval in Richmond, will go back to their cities for year-round recreational use.

British Columbia has committed $580 million for venue development, and cities and the federal government are also pitching in. The operating budget for the Vancouver Organizing Committee is about $1.6 billion.

In the short run, the games are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to British Columbia, and pump billions of dollars into the province's economy.

No one knows exactly how many spectators will attend or how much money they will spend, but officials say attendance should surpass the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, which drew more than a million people. The Vancouver area, with a population of 2.2 million, is the largest metropolitan area to ever host the Winter Olympics.

It will be the third Winter Olympic games Canada has hosted. Montreal hosted the 1976 summer games, and Calgary the 1988 winter games.

While the Winter Olympics draw fewer athletes and less attention than the Summer Olympics, the games are still a major international event. About 10,000 reporters, photographers and other media representatives from 80 countries are expected to attend. A worldwide television audience of 3 billion is expected.

Vancouver city councillor Suzanne Anton, just back from the Olympics in Beijing, said it will be difficult for the city to top the "absolutely spectacular" show put on by China.

Still, she said the city will be wise to focus on making sure events are full and also providing "live spots" or public areas where people can view games on television without purchasing tickets.

Anton said she was struck at how many empty seats there were at some of the competitions she attended.

"When the eyes of the world are on you, when the cameras of the world are on you, we as a city want to make sure we are doing our utmost," she said.

Kristin Jacobsen, a spokeswoman for Washington State Tourism, said it's unknown to what extent the state will benefit from the games.

Even so, many Washingtonians are gearing up for an increase in visits during what are traditionally slow months for hotels and tourist destinations.

Snohomish County formed a task force called SnoGold 2010 and is trying to have participating teams practice at Comcast Arena and Olympic View Arena in Mountlake Terrace.

"We are already marketing Snohomish County as a gateway to British Columbia," said Amy Spain, executive director for the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau.

In addition to attracting visitors on their way north, Spain said, Snohomish County could be a good place for Canadians who want to avoid hassles during the games.

Confetti from the closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics is still being swept away, but there's talk of making reservations at the Tulalip Tribes luxury hotel, said John McCoy, general manager of Quil Ceda Village, the tribes' retail and casino complex.

"I know of people who are starting to talk about it," he said.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., co-chairman of the state's 2010 Task Force for the Olympics, said Washington has a lot to offer for people who plan to visit the Pacific Northwest during the games, including top-notch ski resorts and a beautiful environment.

The state finished widening I-5 with new carpool lanes in Everett this year partly because of the 2010 Olympics. "We want those games to be successful, and we stand by to help them succeed," Larsen said.

Back in Vancouver on the corner of Hornby and Georgia streets, a giant digital clock is counting down the days and hours until the 2010 games.

At the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre on the city's harborfront, construction crews are putting the finishing touches on what will be a glass-enclosed international media center during the games.

Olympic banners hang from downtown banks and tourist shops sell kitschy merchandise with the 2010 Olympic Games emblem, a modern interpretation of an Inuit rock guidepost made of stacked rocks in human form.

On Friday afternoon, Jeff Vlug, 39, a construction supervisor who installs railings on high-rise apartment buildings, rode his bike along a new sea wall trail that stretches in front of False Creek condos. Opening ceremonies for the 2010 games will be held at BC Place Stadium, a short distance away.

"If you travel the streets around here, there are more bike paths and more construction expanding the streets," he said. "Vancouver is actually doing a good job."

Before winning its bid to host the games, voters in Vancouver approved a referendum to show the International Olympic Committee public support for the event.

"I have to say I'm one of those nasty people who voted against having the Winter Olympics here," said Dorothy Atkinson, 56. "I was concerned about the cost and everything. But to see the Olympic Village sprouting up over the way there, I'm growing prouder by the moment."

Reporter Krista J. Kapralos contributed to this repor

Delirium Sep 1, 2008 7:32 PM

i was thinking that vancouver is really going to look like a booming city when the games are on.

these projects will be pretty close to topping out (or recently completed) and will still have their cranes up come Feb.2010. should be a cool sight to see!

Ritz
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/ritz.jpg

Residences at hotel georgia
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...-thumbnail.jpg

patina
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...gon/patina.jpg

jameson house
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...ct-Jameson.jpg

west pender place
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...on/wpender.jpg

3 harbour green
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...75building.jpg

capitol
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...on/capitol.jpg

mr.x Sep 2, 2008 2:11 AM

I dropped by to see the clock today, the Olympic side is alright but the Paralympic side is still really really messed up....looks like they might have to do some serious repairs to it.

SpongeG Sep 3, 2008 12:25 AM

shame

the clock was a gift from Omega - no tax payer money went towards it did it?

mr.x Sep 3, 2008 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpongeG (Post 3774259)
shame

the clock was a gift from Omega - no tax payer money went towards it did it?

Design, fabrication, and installation were all a gift from Omega.....all the city had to do was keep it clean (which seems to be hard) and pay the power bills.

MistyMountainHop Sep 3, 2008 7:04 AM

Why doesn't the city put a dedicated "protest wall" next to the clock that people can splash as much paint as they want on it? :D

mr.x Sep 3, 2008 7:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marmorek (Post 3774969)
Why doesn't the city put a dedicated "protest wall" next to the clock that people can splash as much paint as they want on it? :D

But they have! It's called the Paralympic clock!:haha:



Yes, it has always been the Paralympic side of the countdown clock that has taken all the beating, not the Olympic side. Now don't tell anyone! :p

MistyMountainHop Sep 3, 2008 8:55 PM

^ Wow, I imagine disabled athletes are kind of pissed about that.

mr.x Sep 4, 2008 2:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marmorek (Post 3775979)
^ Wow, I imagine disabled athletes are kind of pissed about that.

I doubt people know that there's even two clocks....pictures on Facebook have the Paralympic clock, but are labeled the Olympic clock.

jlousa Sep 12, 2008 3:14 AM

The city will be spending $650,000 on over 6000 olympic banners to line the streets, they expect to receive apprx $150,000 back after the games by selling the banners to whoever wants them.

The Olympics Street Banners Program will create corridors of colour and provide visitors and residents alike, with way finding to key 2010 Winter Games and Games‐related venues throughout the City.

To welcome visitor, banners will be placed along key routes, including (for example):
· Hastings Street from Boundary Road to Burrard Street
· Granville Street from South West Marine Drive to Burrard Inlet
· Oak Street from South West Marine Drive to Broadway

Olympic banners will also be placed at several of Vancouver’s entrance points:
1st Avenue, Broadway, Grandview and Kingsway, as well as at existing flag islands in key locations throughout the City.

Closer to Downtown, banners will be placed on:
· Main Street from 33 rd Avenue to Hastings
· Cambie Street from 33 rd Ave to the Cambie Bridge
· Burrard Street from Broadway to Canada Place
· 12 th Avenue from Main to Oak

Downtown, street banners will be displayed extensively, creating a festive daytime atmosphere and aiding in view and way finding. Major banner locations will include all three
False Creek bridges.

Special emphasis will be placed on Hamilton and Mainland streets. These will serve as way finding along the primary pedestrian linkages between the Georgia Street Live Site / Central
Library Host City Pavilion locations and the David Lam Park Live Site / Canada Line Davie Street station.

Other downtown banner locations include:
· Georgia Street, Viaduct ‐ through Stanley Park ‐ to Lions Gate Bridge.
· Dunsmuir Street, Viaduct to Burrard
· Robson Street, BC Place to Broughton and:
· Numerous other Downtown streets, concentrating on Yaletown and the areas bounded by Chinatown, False Creek, Burrard Street and the Waterfront

deasine Sep 12, 2008 3:58 AM

They have quite a few around already, and a lot of them are like on 49th and Kerr were there because of the location of certain olympic venues, in that case, i was the Practice Rink at Killarney

jlousa Sep 12, 2008 4:17 AM

These are new ones that are yet to be designed, I think they will be holding a contest to design the different banners.

mr.x Sep 12, 2008 4:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlousa (Post 3794737)
These are new ones that are yet to be designed, I think they will be holding a contest to design the different banners.

where did you hear that? wouldn't it be more ideal, as all other host cities have done, to have the banners be based around the "look of the games" that VANOC has designed.

jlousa Sep 12, 2008 4:42 AM

I'm sure whoever judges which designs win will take that into consideration, by the sounds of it there will be a few different designs.

mr.x Sep 17, 2008 5:19 AM

The new 2010 website will be online tomorrow.

ravman Sep 17, 2008 7:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.x2 (Post 3804852)
The new 2010 website will be online tomorrow.

wow it looks the same!

mr.x Sep 17, 2008 7:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ravman (Post 3804953)
wow it looks the same!

....at around 7 am.

ravman Sep 17, 2008 9:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.x2 (Post 3804967)
....at around 7 am.

tick tock tick.....

hollywoodnorth Sep 17, 2008 11:20 AM

Business in Vancouver September 16-22, 2008; issue 986

Vancouver’s 2010 Games taxi fleet won’t be up to the task

Countdown: 73 weeks until the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

2010 Gold Rush: Bob Mackin

The British Columbia Canada Pavilion in Beijing closes this week, but will attendance figures justify the $14.7 million trade and tourism promotion?

The bold move to rent space in the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall near Tiananmen Square may have backfired because of the unforeseen security paranoia created by local authorities. Access to the area was difficult at times. It was also a long way from any Olympic competition venue, especially the Olympic Green.

There were lineups at the second-floor bar for cold bottles of Whistler Lager, but never did I see one for the main entrance during my several August visits.

It was a different story at the 798 Art District in northeastern Beijing, where converted factories house edgy art in an area best described as Granville Island with lots of grit and no water. Better known to the locals as “Dashanzi,” 798 was where the Swiss government located its House of Switzerland 2008, China. The spacious and bright tourism and trade exhibit included a restaurant and bar and a big screen to watch competitions. Even Swiss tennis great Roger Federer showed up to show off his doubles tennis gold medal. It was open daily from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. with no admission charge. No wonder it drew 123,788 visits between August 1 and 24.

That is more than the attendance for the House of Switzerland at Athens 2004 and Torino 2006 combined.

Fare Games

Those who experienced the Beijing Games and got around via the efficient taxi system are in for a rude awakening at Vancouver 2010 because of the high fares and long waits for service they’re bound to experience.

Vancouver has 577 licensed cabs and Mayor Sam Sullivan, who vacates office later this fall, wants 820 by Games time. That still may not satisfy demand. It could translate into good times for rental car companies.

Bill McNeice of Associated Canadian Care Rental Operators says his industry’s best chance at reaping Olympic rewards is via one or two-month corporate or government contracts, instead of visitors needing cars for a day or a week.

“There are not going to be an abundance of cars on the ground waiting for consumers,” McNeice said.

Public Works and Government Services Canada met September 12 with rental companies to discuss the federal 2010 secretariat’s desire to rent cars, trucks and vans from January to March 2010 in Metro Vancouver, Whistler, Fraser Valley and Southern Vancouver Island.

Stick up

Skate Canada brought the national figure skating team to Vancouver for the third of four annual late-summer training camps.

Before they hit the ice of the Pacific Coliseum, the 2010 competition venue, the skaters saluted new cookware and small appliance sponsor T-fal in a September 10 reception at the floating Lift bar and grill.

T-fal, a brand of French-based giant Groupe SEB, will promote its wares at Skate Canada events and point-of-sale.

“It’s an area of sponsorship that Skate Canada has rarely been involved in,” said Skate Canada marketing and communications director Debbi Wilkes. “For T-fal it’s kind of an unusual step.”

But not an illogical one, what with the relationship between steel and slippery surfaces. “We were figuring out how to connect ourselves with Skate Canada,” said senior product manager Jasmine Dugal.

“Looking at the non-stick was a fun way to look at it, the ice is non-stick and so are our products.”

From the false start department

VANOC’s media embargo, mentioned last week, turned out to be for the $22 price of tickets to the nightly medals ceremonies at B.C. Place Stadium February 13 to 25, 2010.

There could be news on the advertising campaign September 17 when vice-president of ticketing and consumer marketing Caley Denton speaks to the Vancouver Board of Trade.

sacrifice333 Sep 17, 2008 1:58 PM

almost 7... still looks the same.

mr.x Sep 17, 2008 6:16 PM

That's weird....the news articles about the ticketing program a few weeks ago mentioned that VANOC would be unveiling today its "look of the Games" and launching a new website.

mooks28 Sep 17, 2008 8:57 PM

They did. Site goes live tomorrow morning. The 'look' was revealed today.

officedweller Sep 17, 2008 9:06 PM

VANOC unveils 2010 sports pictograms

Wednesday, September 17 - 11:41:58 AM

Shane Bigham
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - The Vancouver 2010 Olympic 'image' is coming more into focus today. VANOC has unveiled the 2010 Olympics graphic identity, including colour schemes and pictograms associated with each sport and venue.

VANOC also introduced other graphic design elements for venues, merchandise, as well as volunteer and staff uniforms. The grey, green and blue colours of mist, forest and ocean symbolize the 'sea-to-sky' regional aspect of the Games. Those colours and symbols will dominate everything from banners to in-venue signage--even postcards.

The pictograms are sport illustrations that VANOC says will convey the visual personality of the Games to the world. Traditional pictograms rely on a simplified silhouette form to depict each sport. The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic pictograms depict each sport while incorporating the added dynamism of the athlete in motion.

VANOC says more focus has been put on the athlete in order to convey the "human and heroic qualities within the silhouette". The addition of the highlighted areas on the athlete’s body and equipment helps to convey the speed and fluidity of each sport.

Beijing used black and white stick-figure like art--relatively simple drawings similar to what's been used at previous Games since they were first introduced unofficially in London in 1948. They became an official Olympic element at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

VANOC says its designs include elements of the region's spectacular natural scenery.


http://rogersradiointernet.com/BC/CK...e%20skiing.jpg
Pictogram for alpine skiing
All images TM/MC VANOC

http://rogersradiointernet.com/BC/CK...ictograms1.jpg
All images TM/MC VANOC

sacrifice333 Sep 17, 2008 10:44 PM

Lots of updates today.

dreambrother808 Sep 17, 2008 11:13 PM

^^

those pictograms flat out suck.... boring.... styleless...

deasine Sep 17, 2008 11:57 PM

I agree... I think the original ones look better

http://members.shaw.ca/myscribbles/pictograms.jpg

mr.x Sep 18, 2008 12:11 AM

^ those aren't our pictograms, they were borrowed from Lillehammer or Albertville by the bid committee.

mr.x Sep 18, 2008 12:16 AM

The original brand was better in my opinion:
http://www.boardoftrade.com/images/2010banners-320w.jpg




The new brand itself:
http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465...ty_bannera.jpg


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