Vancouver 2010: sport under the spotlight

Sport was at the centre stage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s visit to Vancouver this week. Reviewing the progress of the preparations for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the IOC Coordination Commission, led by its Chairman René Fasel, and the Winter Olympic International Sports Federations present on the occasion, focused on sport, looking forward to the first test event to be staged next February.

Commitment
“Vancouver 2010 made a commitment to the world of winter sports that it would have its venues completed early, so that the athletes would be able to come and train on those sites well before the Games – they are currently living-up to that promise,” said Fasel who is also head of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF).

A Truly Great Experience in 2010
Fasel continued, “With all of the impressive competition venues scheduled to be completed by the end of next year, we felt that it was a perfect time to bring together all the Federations involved in Olympic winter sports, together with the Commission and VANOC in order to iron out any small issues that may remain and to ensure that the needs of the athletes and the sports were at the forefront of everyone’s mind. By doing this VANOC has made great progress in ensuring that the athletes will have a truly great experience in 2010.”

The Experience Beyond the Sporting Arena
The Commission also paid particular attention to the activities foreseen to ensure that the Games become a memorable experience for all beyond the sporting arena. VANOC presented a series of great initiatives including a live sites programme that, thanks to a collaborative effort between the Cities of Vancouver and Richmond, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Province of BC, the Government of Canada, and the Four Host First Nations will allow all stakeholders to enjoy the sporting competitions in live sites in Vancouver and Whistler. They were also pleased to hear that other communities are investigating hosting live sites during the Games.

VANCOUVER 2010
Vancouver and Whistler will host the XXI Olympic Winter Games from 12 to 28 February 2010 and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from 12 to 21 March 2010. The seven Winter Olympic sports that will be on show in Vancouver are Luge, Skiing, Skating, Ice Hockey, Biathlon, Bobsleigh and Curling.