Venue Update: Nearing Completion
VANOC NEWS RELEASE
November 22, 2007
Building the track at the Whistler Sliding Centre, SeptemberBy the end of 2007, construction at all outdoor venue sites will be finished – an unprecedented success. “Just pretty fantastic” noted John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).”We set a target that construction at these venues would be done at the end of this year and they are.”
The Whistler Sliding Centre, Whistler Nordic Competition Venue, Cypress Mountain venue, the alpine courses at Whistler Creekside and updates to the short track speed skating and figure skating at the Pacific Coliseum venue will all be completed by Christmas 2007. Construction crews have worked tirelessly to bring these sites to operational use and soon, these venues will be open to the public for recreational use. Not long after, the venues will then be put to work hosting international level competitions starting in February 2008 with the Alpine World Cup in Whistler.
Even with these recent successes, the venue construction team is still not slowing down – there are indoor venues to be completed. “In the coming year, in 2008, you’ll see the completion of the number one hockey arena at the University of British Columbia which will be used for women’s hockey and sledge hockey,” said Furlong. “You’ll see the curling facility at Hillcrest finished in the third quarter. The speed skating facility at the Richmond Oval will also be substantially complete and the two Villages, obviously, are continuing and are exactly where they need to be to deliver on the objective of having them ready in time for the Games.”
“So we’re very proud and, of course, the icing on the cake is they’ll be done and they’ll be completed on budget,” said Furlong. “We’re very, very proud of it.”
And the luge track at the Base II of Blackcomb at Whistler Village, which will also open in a few weeks.
