Winter Olympics
Vancouver 2010
The 2010 Winter Olympic Games will be held in Vancouver, Canada. This will be the third Olympic Games held in Canada but the first to be hosted by British Columbia. Canada has been the home to the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and in 1988 the Winter Olympics were held in Calgary, Alberta. Vancouver experienced some initial problems after receiving the honour of hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Vancouver had initial issues with fundraising money for the construction necessary to properly follow the Olympic traditions and accommodate the athletes and spectators adequately. They arranged for an investment commitment of a 50/50 basis with the Federal and Provincial governments to assist them with their construction financing. Of course not long after this agreement Vancouver began receiving sponsors and donations from individuals and companies from around the world to assist them in their quest for Olympic success.
Fifteen Winter sports events have been announced to be held in Vancouver in the Winter Olympics. These events will include eight ice sports, three alpine sports and four Nordic events. All the Alpine skiing events will be held on the famous Whistler Mountain and the ice sports will be held in Vancouver and Richmond. One of the most unique features of the Vancouver Winter Olympics is that both men's and women's hockey will be played on a narrower, NHL sized ice rink instead of the national size rink in the past.
Some additional events that were up for inclusion within the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games were ultimately rejected. One new event was voted in by the IOC Executive Board was the skicross event. The events that were rejected include:
- Biathlon Mixed Relay
- Mixed Doubles Curling
- Team Alpine Skiing
- Team Bobsled
- Team Lunge
- Women’s Ski Jumping
For the first time in Olympic history many of the venues are held by the sea and/or at sea level. Winter Olympics history has never experienced an indoor opening ceremony until this 2010 Olympics. Vancouver is out to set many new standards for the Winter Olympics as it is the warmest city that has ever held the Winter Olympics with an average temperature of 40.6 Fahrenheit. There are over 40 different venues created and updated to be fit to hold the status of the Olympics.
If you are a fan of the Winter Olympics, whether you are an athlete or not it is wise to buy your 2010 Olympics tickets early. Just as with any Olympic event, the tickets sell fast. Although there are generally 7-8 million tickets available to the general public, this is not nearly enough for the amount of people who want to experience the Olympics first hand. Although tickets for the Olympics do not necessarily have to be expensive, the trip, accommodations and travel expenses will be. No matter where you live in the world, travelling to an Olympic destination can be incredibly expensive, but worth it.
The Olympic experience is one everyone should experience once in their lifetime. Enjoy the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and see first hand the raw talent and skill that has developed from around the world.
