Vancouver Organizing Committee

Vancouver, BC  - The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) is working closely with its partners to provide a reasonable balance of interests at the 2010 Winter Games including freedom of expression in public spaces; the protection of Olympic marks and Games sponsors against commercial infringement and ambush marketing; and venues where athletes can compete at their very best before spectators who can fully enjoy the events.

The following outlines VANOC’s position and intentions on freedom of expression in public areas, commercial rights management and the terms and conditions of attendance at Games venues, which are entirely consistent with international sporting event norms:

I.    Respect for Freedom of Expression in Balance with the Celebration of Sport

• VANOC and its partners respect every citizen’s right to freedom of expression as protected by Canadian law.

• VANOC also recognizes the need to find the balance for all; including respecting and protecting the rights of athletes, spectators and sponsors, as agreed to when Canada won the right to host the 2010 Winter Games.

II.    Outside Ticketed Games Venues

A)   Demonstrations

• For those who wish to use the 2010 Winter Games to draw attention to areas of their interest, our security partners will ensure peaceful, lawful and safe public demonstrations can occur outside of the venues in plain sight of the media and the public.

• Safe assembly areas for this purpose are being proposed by Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit (VISU) and they will be facilitated by the police of jurisdiction outside a ticketed Games venue.

B)    Safe Assembly Areas

• Safe assembly areas are being developed under three guiding principles: safety, proximity and visibility.
• Safe assembly areas for demonstrations are options for demonstrators to ensure they have a safe space reserved for them which is in plain view of the public and the media accessing the venues.  
• Demonstrators are not required to use safe assembly areas, but they will be made available to ensure a clear space is maintained for demonstrations in the busy environment around each venue.

• The location and size of the safe assembly areas will be announced closer to Games time, as planning for the venues continues.

C)      Commercial Activity

• VANOC has an obligation to protect to the Games sponsors and that it is in the public’s best interest to protect the almost $1 billion investment by these sponsors.

• Outside the venues volunteers monitoring commercial activities will only identify commercial infringement and ambush marketing, and due process with the appropriate authorities will be followed on a case by case basis.

III.   Inside Ticketed Games Venues

A)   Athlete Performance and Spirit of Celebration

• The 2010 Winter Games will be a celebration of sport, culture and sustainability; inside the venues this must be the priority above all commercial, political, religious or other statements.
• Athletes and other Games participants have earned the right to focus entirely on the competition at hand.

• The Olympic Charter states that no demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda of any kind is permitted inside any venue for the Olympic or Paralympic Games.  This includes limiting any advertising by our Games sponsors in the field of play. This is to ensure that the Games remain focused on celebrating sport and Olympic values.

B)    Ticket Terms and Conditions

• The Ticket Terms and Conditions for Olympic events are consistent with those that already exist for previous Olympic Games and for other major international sporting celebrations such as World Cups and Commonwealth Games.

• Ticket Bearers agree to the full terms and conditions of their tickets including that admission shall not be used to engage in political, commercial, advertising or other promotional activities.

Further information on:

• Advertising and commercial activities as part of VANOC’s commercial rights management program can be found at http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/about-vanoc/the-vancouver-2010-brand/protecting-the-brand/-/32798/1i3nwix/index.html

• The full terms and conditions accepted by tickets bearers for 2010 Games events can be found at https://images.vancouver2010.com/images/tms/TicketLicenseAgreement.html

• VISU’s organization of safe assembly areas at the 2010 Games can be found at http://v2010isu.com/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=516&languageId=1&contentId=6821#faq-sp-venues

• City of Vancouver temporary bylaws during the 2010 Games can be found at http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/BYLAWS/bylaw1.htm

• The sections in the Olympic Charter that govern the staging of the Olympic Games in the areas outlined above can be found in Rule 51 on page 98 of the Olympic Charter at http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_122.pdf

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Communities, organizers put finishing touches on plans to engage and inspire a nation

Vancouver, BC — Skydivers parachuting in from above, top regional musical performers, giant puppets, a dazzling light show, foot stomping Acadian fiddlin’, towering snow and ice sculptures, a huge tepee, as well as a kazoo band: that is just a sampling of the unique local flavour almost 200 torch relay celebration communities plan on showcasing when they welcome the Olympic Flame and potentially the world to their part of the country.

Communities in all regions are readying themselves to become an “Olympic Town” for the day when the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, presented by Coca-Cola and RBC and supported by the Government of Canada, makes its historic 45,000 kilometre journey across Canada from coast to coast to coast starting October 30.

“Our goal with these celebrations has always been to bring the magic and excitement of the Olympic Spirit home to millions of Canadians no matter where they live and truly make these Canada’s Games,” said John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). “Our celebration communities are so excited to welcome the Olympic Flame and they’ve planned some truly memorable and inspirational entertainment for the crowds.”

One of the most anticipated announcements in each community hosting a celebration will be the naming of the community torchbearer. They have been nominated by fellow members of their own city, town or village as the person who best exemplifies their civic pride and the Olympic Spirit.

This torchbearer — whose name will remain a closely guarded secret in some communities until the celebration starts — will have the special task of lighting a cauldron on stage during the festivities. The curved white cauldron, which stands 1.3 metres high, complements the look of the Olympic Torch. Both the cauldron and the torch were designed by Bombardier in collaboration with VANOC.

An 18-metre-by-8.5-metre stage will be assembled for most celebration sites along with information and activity tents featuring athlete meet and greets and fun interactive winter sport demonstrations. Special interactive shows created especially for the torch relay by Coca-Cola, RBC and the Government of Canada will entertain residents as they arrive.

Drummers and acrobats will dazzle the crowd in an intense human percussion performance, compliments of Coca-Cola. Balloons will drop into the crowd during a light show and Coke’s song Open Happiness will play. Using a giant canvas, artist Fritz Branschat will keep the audience guessing in a dramatic explosion of paint and energy, presented by RBC. Upon completion, his painting will be donated to the community as a keepsake.

Moving down streets decorated with Olympic banners and lined by excited residents waving Canadian flags, the torchbearers, accompanied by escort runners and Aboriginal flame attendants, will approach the celebration site. The flame will be passed to the community torchbearer who will light the celebration cauldron in one of the most highly anticipated moments of the day.

The stage show will also feature a unique variety of locally hand-picked musicians, artists and entertainers from the region selected by the community planners, and include remarks from government and community representatives. The Government of Canada has been instrumental in organizing a choir that will also sing a moving choral arrangement for the near 200 community celebrations, composed by well-known Quebec choir master Gregory Charles.

How the journey will begin: from Greece to Canada

The Olympic Flame will be lit by the power of the sun’s rays on October 22 during a time-honoured ceremony almost 10,000 kilometres away in Olympia, site of the first Olympic Games in ancient Greece. Officials will present the flame to VANOC a week later in Athens’ Panathinaiko Stadium after a brief relay through Greece.

Sheltered in a security lantern, similar to a miner’s lantern, the Olympic Flame will embark on a trans-Atlantic flight to Canada on board a Canadian Armed Forces’ aircraft. Less than 24 hours later, it will arrive in Victoria, BC, where it is anticipated thousands will cheer on the starting point of the relay and enjoy the first community celebration.

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay will visit more than 1,030 communities from coast to coast to coast across Canada before it finishes its 106-day journey in downtown Vancouver on February 12, 2010 when the Olympic Flame will light the Olympic Cauldron during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in front of a television audience of billions. During the longest domestic torch relay in Olympic history, 12,000 torchbearers will carry the Olympic Flame and at various opportunities will feature nearly 100 alternative transportation modes, including dogsled, Haida canoe, chuckwagon, seaplane, ice resurfacer, and double-decker bus.  

To capture the excitement of the Olympic Flame in each community visited, Canadians are invited to share their photos and short text descriptions with the world by submitting them to Canada CODE at www.vancouver2010.com/code. A selection of the submissions will be displayed on public screens during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Visit www.vancouver2010.com/torchrelay for more information.

Note to Photo Editors: Images are available of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay Community Cauldron and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay Mobile Celebration Stage in the media centre image gallery at www.vancouver2010.com.

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

About Coca-Cola and the Olympic Movement

The Coca-Cola Company has been associated with the Olympic Games since 1928 and is the longest continuous corporate supporter of the Olympic Movement. Through the Olympic Games, Coca-Cola encourages people to create their own path of "positivity" in everyday life by believing that anything is possible. The Company's sponsorship supports National Olympic Committees in more than 200 countries to help athletes train and compete. The Coca-Cola Company is the exclusive non-alcoholic beverage provider to the Olympic Games through 2020. For more information about Coca-Cola Canada, please visit our website at www.cocacola.ca or our parent company’s website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

About RBC

As part of our commitment to helping create a better Canada, RBC sponsors amateur sport, from grassroots programs in local communities to national sport associations that support the development of amateur athletes who compete at home and abroad. Canada’s longest-standing supporter of the Canadian Olympic Team since 1947, RBC continues its sponsorship through the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and is proud to bring the Olympic Spirit to communities across Canada as presenting partner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. RBC is also a premier sponsor of Hockey Canada, the Canadian Snowboard Team, the Canadian Freestyle Ski Team, Athletics Canada and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. Visit www.rbc.com/sponsorship.

About the Government of Canada

The Government of Canada is proud to make 2010 a celebration for all Canadians. Through strategic investments in programming and funding, the spirit and excitement will be felt far and wide and leave lasting legacies for future generations. Through the Olympic Torch Relay, the Government of Canada is supporting citizen and community participation, as well as the inclusion of Aboriginal, ethnocultural and official-language communities. For more information on the Government of Canada’s contribution to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, visit www.Canada2010.gc.ca.

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Vancouver, BC— Looking for a chance to create lifetime memories as part of a huge international event with thousands watching live and millions more tuning in around the world? Five thousand spots are available starting today for volunteers wanting to be a part of the breathtaking and inspiring Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) is looking for volunteers with all types of abilities and performance skills to participate and play a part in sharing Canada with the world. All performers aged six or older as of September 1, 2009 are invited to apply at www.vancouver2010.com/ceremonies. The deadline for applications is October 9, 2009.

“We’re looking for thousands of people who are brimming with enthusiasm and wear their hearts on their sleeves to perform in these large-scale productions. No previous experience is necessary,” said David Guscott, VANOC’s executive vice president of celebrations and partnerships. “We want the audience and athletes to get swept up in the magic as we celebrate their incredible stories and encourage them to reach for their dreams here in Canada in 2010.”

A creative team from across Canada, announced last month, has been assembled by ceremonies producer Patrick Roberge Productions (PRP) to stage the ceremonies and direct the 5,000 volunteer performers.

“We can hardly wait to meet these volunteers and work with them,” said Patrick Roberge. “They’re going to have an amazing experience. We’re going to have some spectacular performance components that showcase dance, highlight unique abilities and celebrate the athletes.”

On March 12, 2010 the Opening Ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will take place at BC Place in downtown Vancouver in front of 55,000 people, including over a thousand of the top Paralympic athletes, coaches and officials in the world.

Nine days later, the Games will draw to its official end in the Host Mountain Resort of Whistler in a unique outdoor amphitheatre designed especially for the Olympic and Paralympic Victory Ceremonies and the Paralympic Closing Ceremony. VANOC and PRP are looking to engage volunteer performers from the Sea to Sky region to highlight the picturesque community. 

Tickets are still available for both Paralympic ceremonies and can be purchased later this fall when Phase 3 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games ticketing program is launched. Tickets are $30 to $175. For more information, visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Recruitment of ceremonies volunteers is being supported through limited advertising and targeted outreach to cultural and sport organizations.

Audition and rehearsal timelines:

Auditions will take place over several months starting in October. There will be no open casting calls and auditions will be scheduled by invitation to online applicants.

Candidates will be notified by the end of November if they have been successful in landing a ceremonies role. Rehearsals start in January, on evenings and weekends, and will take a two-week break during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games from February 12 to 28, 2010. Rehearsals will resume on March 1 with increased length and frequency, and will continue throughout the Paralympic Winter Games period.

For more information on ways to participate in the ceremonies, visit www.vancouver2010.com/ceremonies.

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com

About PRP

PRP Inc. is a live entertainment and show production company that specializes in creating spectacular, large-scale shows and events. Based out of Vancouver, BC, PRP’s award-winning team boast more than 22 years of high-profile international events and entertainment production. Visit www.prpconnect.com.

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Vancouver, BC — Forty budding teenage journalists or videographers from across Canada will have the opportunity to cover history in the making at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games through a new program called Historica-Dominion at the Games. 

To nab their spot at the Games, teens aged 16- to 18-years-old are invited to enter competitions — two national (one creative writing-based and one video-based) and/or a regional essay competition aimed at Vancouver students — describing why they should have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Competition submissions can be made at www.fyicanada.ca starting today.

The competitions are part of a collaborative project between the newly formed Historica-Dominion Institute, which is dedicated to creating greater knowledge and appreciation of Canadian history, identity and citizenship, and /EDU, the online Canadian school portal for the Games created by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).

“Engaging Canada’s next generation of young storytellers in the 2010 Winter Games and seeing and reading their unique perspectives on history unfolding before their eyes is the driving force behind our partnership with the Historica-Dominion Institute on this innovative project,” said Burke Taylor, VANOC’s vice president of culture, celebration and education programs.

“These Games are about creating lasting legacies for Canada and what better way to do that than to involve our youth, put them right in the centre of the action and provide them with a creative outlet to share their experiences with others?” he continued. “This will be something they will always look back on with pride and a sense of accomplishment.”

The 40 competition winners will attend sporting and cultural events, such as hockey, figure skating and nightly Victory Ceremonies, during either the first week of the Olympic Winter Games in February or the Paralympic Winter Games in March. Their tickets will be provided through VANOC’s previously publicized ticket program for those who might not have the means to attend Games events.  After attending these events, they will record and write daily about their own personal experiences at the Games and will also have the chance to interview retired Olympian and Paralympian stars, artists and Games’ officials.

Their best video diaries and articles will be shared with the entire world — live from Vancouver and Whistler — at www.fyicanada.ca and www.vancouver2010.com/edu from February 10 to 17, 2010 and March 10 to 17, 2010.

“We’re pleased to partner with VANOC through the Historica-Dominion at the Games initiative,” said Avie Bennett, chairman of the Historica-Dominion Institute. “This partnership allows us to bring youth from across Canada together in Vancouver and Whistler to experience and chronicle history in the making at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. This is a remarkable opportunity for these young people to connect with each other, to learn about our country through each other and to experience Canada’s sporting present, while learning about its impressive past.”

Eight students from across Canada will be chosen, along with 26 from Metro Vancouver, as well as six students with disabilities, who will be selected through criteria set by 2010 Legacies Now, a British Columbia-based not-for-profit society that is partnering on the project. Competition winners will be announced in late October. Each of the competitions will be judged by a separate panel.

The 40 participants will be required to pay a registration fee of $625 to cover their meals, local transportation and other costs during their week at the Games. Some students will take part in a homestay program where students from other regions will stay with those located in Metro Vancouver. Students from areas outside British Columbia will have their transportation to the Games region provided by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage.

For more information on Historica-Dominion at the Games, visit www.fyicanada.ca and www.vancouver2010.com/edu. At /EDUteachers can also find Games-related resources related to school curricula andshare with the world the innovative projects happening in their classrooms on the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

About The Historica-Dominion Institute

The Historica-Dominion Institute is a national charitable organization that was launched on September 1, 2009 through the amalgamation of two existing organizations: The Historica Foundation of Canada and The Dominion Institute. Its mandate is to build active and informed citizens through a greater knowledge and appreciation of the history, heritage and stories of Canada. Some of its signature programs include: Encounters with Canada (Canada’s largest youth forum), FYICanada.ca (a social networking site aimed at youth) and the Canadian Encyclopedia (the official resource of the Historica-Dominion at the Games project). You are invited to discover The Historica-Dominion Institute at www.historica-dominion.ca.

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

VANCOUVER, BC – As the final pucks drop today for the medal round games of the women’s ice hockey sport event at General Motors Place, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) will complete  its testing of Games-time operations. The sport event has featured the top four ranked countries in women’s ice hockey and is the last of 18 sport events in the 2008-2009 winter season where VANOC has conducted operational testing in preparation for the Games.

During the hockey tournament’s seven days of training and competition, VANOC focused on training Games-time volunteers and testing both field of play and venue operations. Approximately 28,000 spectators attended the tournament overall, including the medal round games.

“We’re thrilled with the performance of our workforce. The teamwork and collaboration with the GM Place workforce has been outstanding, too, and gives us great confidence that we have the right people in the right place for Games-time,” said Denis Hainault, VANOC’s general manager for the venue, which is known at Games time as Canada Hockey Place. “We’ve learned more about the venue, our workforce and the technology that we’ll be putting into place next February and the tournament has been a great momentum builder for 2010.” 

During the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games,  five women’s ice hockey games will be played at Canada Hockey Place, including the medal round matches, with the remaining 15 games played at the University of British Columbia’s Thunderbird Arena, also known as the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. Twenty-eight men’s ice hockey games will be played at Canada Hockey Place, with two played at UBC. Remaining tickets for men’s and women’s matches will go on sale later this fall at www.vancouver2010.com

“Canada’s a hockey country, so I am very honoured to play here,” said Team Finland’s assistant captain Saara Tuominen, commenting on her team’s experience at the tournament. “It’s really helpful and important mentally to know the facility. It builds confidence for our team to come here and play in the building; to learn the bounce off the boards, the layout of the building, the dressing rooms, and the people. When we come back for the Games we’ll feel more comfortable.”

This is the second sport event held with Hockey Canada in a Games venue this year. In March, a Hockey Canada Cup for ice sledge hockey was held at UBC Thunderbird Arena involving four countries.

“Our impression from this sport event is overwhelmingly positive,” said IIHF Sports Director and technical delegate Dave Fitzpatrick. “The facilities are high quality and all the testing was successful. The team responsible for the ice hockey venues has done an excellent job and we are very confident that this will lead to a perfect implementation of Olympic ice hockey events at both UBC Thunderbird Arena and Canada Hockey Place.”

Workforce

By the end of the tournament, approximately 280 workforce, including 180 volunteers from across Canada, will have participated in more than 1,600 shifts. VANOC also worked with 100 Canucks Sports & Entertainment staff that will also be part of the venue team during the Games.

Field of Play

Adjustments to the dasher board system were made to expand the penalty boxes for players and officials to follow the IIHF Games-time protocol. The installation was successful and met with the approval of the IIHF. VANOC worked closely with GM Place staff to learn more about the building’s air handling and refrigeration systems to ensure optimum ice conditions. 

Venue Operations

General venue operations were tested, including spectator services, workforce and athlete flows and overall spectator accessibility. A temporary wall was constructed on the P1 level of the arena’s underground parking garage, providing valuable information for the future construction of 35 temporary rooms at Games-time. VANOC also successfully tested a newly installed bolting system that allows for a quick change-out of 2,000 spectator seats, which will be critical to the smooth execution of adapting the venue to its Games-time configuration in January 2010.

Press Operations

Approximately 75 accredited media were hosted at the Venue Media Centre. Photo positions, media access control processes, athlete mixed zone operations, the Virtual LAN or VLAN system, hockey net cameras for media, and WiFi capabilities for photography were tested positive results.  The Olympic News Service, which collects and distributes sport event news to the media, trained 20 Games-time volunteers. 

Timing, scoring and results

Timing, scoring, results and television graphics were tested simultaneously between UBC Thunderbird Arena and GM Place. Working with worldwide Olympic partner Omega, VANOC was able to successfully integrate its technology platform with GM Place’s existing state-of-the-art video scoreboard. The women’s ice hockey sport event also enabled VANOC, Atos Origin and Omega to successfully integrate technology, processes and workforce in a real-time environment, test all Games-time applications and train 75 volunteers from across Canada and the United States.

Anti-Doping

Eleven volunteers, including six chaperones and five doping control officers, worked with VANOC to learn about the flow of competition and conduct in-competition urine tests. All four women’s hockey teams had access to an anti-doping athlete outreach booth at their hotel to learn more about the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Vancouver 2010 Anti-Doping Program.

Consistent with previous sport events, VANOC also tested its sport production and medical services functions, with the medical team further refining its medical protocol for on ice incident and spectator care during Games-time.

Summary of Sport event testing and next steps in venue preparations

Since February 2008, VANOC has conducted operational testing at 18 sport events staged with an overall budget of $16.1 million. Each event has resulted in key learnings and refinements to VANOC’s plans for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games and valuable feedback from international sport federations. Equally important, the events have given media, officials and athletes a chance to experience their Games-time environment.

For spectators, the 18 sport events have offered a chance to enjoy the sport disciplines that will be showcased at the Games and become familiar with the world's best winter sport athletes likely to compete in 2010. For many, it has been a chance to experience for the first time the newly built or renovated sport venues that will host the athletes and remain long after the Games as legacy facilities for both high performance and recreational use.

Over the course of the 18 events, the Games host region has welcomed over 2,500 athletes from more than 30 countries, with an average of 120 accredited media covering each event (domestic and international) and a total estimated on-site spectator attendance of approximately 98,000.

The next stage in preparing the venues for the Games is the complex task of making them competition ready by installing temporary items such as additional seating, lighting, banners, cables, timing and scoring equipment, signage, and scaffolding for camera positions. This process has already started at some venues and will be ongoing at all venues until Games time. Public access during this critical final phase will be extremely limited.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Vancouver, BC — Twenty years ago this month a passionate group of volunteers dedicated to advancing the Paralympic Movement and encouraging elite athletes with a disability to pursue excellence in their sport banded together to create the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), with Canadian Dr. Robert Steadward as its founding president. 

Today on the 10th anniversary of the founding of their headquarters in Bonn, Germany, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) salutes the IPC’s achievements over two remarkable decades of growth, from fostering spectacular athletic triumphs to its unswerving efforts to positively change attitudes about people with disabilities throughout the world. 

“The accomplishments of the IPC are many but perhaps the greatest measure of its success is the fact it’s hard to remember a time when it didn’t exist to champion and promote internationally with a single, unified voice the abilities and heroic stories of elite athletes with a disability,” said John Furlong, VANOC’s Chief Executive Officer. 

“Interest by the public and media is growing with every Games but on this double 20-10 anniversary, we know that much remains to be done to promote the values of the Paralympic Movement — courage, determination, inspiration, and most importantly equality — as embodied by its athletes. Someday, we hope children of all ages will simply see abilities and not disabilities.”

Since 1989, the IPC has grown from 43 member countries to 162 with the number of athletes taking part increasing exponentially, helping create one of the world’s largest sporting events. Approximately 600 athletes will compete at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

This is the first time Canada has hosted a Paralympic Winter Games. In 1976, Canada hosted the Paralympic Summer Games in Toronto, ON. Approximately 6,500 volunteers are needed for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, particularly in the Sea to Sky region where the bulk of sport events, such as biathlon and alpine skiing, will be held. Interested candidates are asked to fill out an application at www.vancouver2010.com/volunteer specifying they are available for the Paralympic Winter Games, or call VANOC’s volunteer information centre at 1.866.925.VOLS (8657).

Tickets are still available to the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games and can be purchased later this fall when Phase 3 of the Games ticketing program is launched. Individual ticket prices to sport events start at $15. Group ticket prices — available for most sport events for groups of 20 or more people — are just $10. More than 70 per cent per cent of all individual tickets are priced at $20 or less. Ticket prices for the spectacular Opening Ceremony at BC Place range from $30 to $175. For more information, visit www.vancouver2010.com.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Vancouver, BC—It is an art gallery without the tired feet. No walls or parking, a zero intimidation factor and admission is totally free. Called CODE Screen 2010, the aim of this series of online exhibitions is to take a sample of Canada’s best and most thought-provoking contemporary art out of the museum and onto computer screens everywhere. 

CODE Screen 2010 debuts today along with a unique feature that can be downloaded to automatically receive a fresh exhibition every two weeks counting down to the Games. It is the second of a series of digital projects to be launched as part of CODE, the Cultural Olympiad’s digital edition, at www.vancouver2010.com/code. Using the web, CODE Screen 2010 is adding to the visual arts program that will be showcased during the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad, presented by Bell. 

Over the last year, six professional curators have scanned the entire contemporary Canadian art landscape to create 14 unique and easily accessible exhibitions of sculpture, photography, 2-D, and performance/installation art by a diverse range of artists across the country. Each exhibition has been inspired by a work of art created by a winner of the prestigious Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts, handed out annually by the Canada Council for the Arts.

“CODE Screen 2010 is a unique undertaking for Canadian art and it extends the experience of the Cultural Olympiad directly to Canadians and people around the world no matter where they are,” said Burke Taylor, vice president, culture and celebrations for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). “Through our partnership with the Canada Council for the Arts on this project we’re able to share over 100 extraordinary works of art selected by some of the top curators in the country.”

The first exhibition, released today, is inspired by the work Bees Behaving on Blue by Governor General’s Award winner Michael Snow, an internationally renowned artist best known for his influential work in experimental films. Viewers can simply press play and watch as the evocative images automatically appear on their screen or they can go at their own pace and create their own experience, learning more about the art by reading the explanations provided. 

“The entire CODE project is all about using digital technology to devise ways to connect, create and collaborate with audiences and artistic communities,” explained Rae Hull, director of CODE. “CODE Screen 2010 is Canadian art on your screen — how you connect with it, where you see it and who you see it with is completely up to you.” 

New exhibitions will be released every two weeks and run through to March 2010 during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. As a reminder, visitors to www.vancouver2010.com/code can download an application to have CODE Screen 2010 one click away and be alerted when these new exhibitions are posted. 

About the Cultural Olympiad
The Cultural Olympiad, presented by Bell, is a series of multidisciplinary festivals and digital programs showcasing the best in Canadian and international arts and popular culture. Launched in 2008, the program culminates in the 60-day Cultural Olympiad 2010 (January 22 to March 21, 2010), which begins before and continues throughout the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. CODE is the Cultural Olympiad’s digital edition, a series of programs developed to creatively engage national and global audiences through the use of digital technology.

Partnerships 

Bell
Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing consumers and business with solutions to all their communications needs, including Bell Mobility wireless, high-speed Bell Internet, Bell TV direct-to-home satellite television, Bell Home phone local and long distance, and IP-broadband and information and communications technology (ICT) services. Bell is proud to be a Premier National Partner and the exclusive Telecommunications Partner to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). For information on Bell's products and services, please visit www.bell.ca. For corporate information on BCE, please visit www.bce.ca.

Government
The Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad is grateful for the support of the Government of Canada and the governments of all of Canada’s provinces and territories and their respective cultural agencies: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon. In addition to the Cultural Olympiad’s government and corporate partners, CODE is proudly supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the National Film Board of Canada. New Media BC and Wavefront Innovation Society are also both active participants in the project. The National Presentation and Touring Program is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts. 

CanadaCouncil for the Arts
The Canada Council for the Arts is a federal Crown corporation created by an Act of Parliament in 1957. The role of the Council is to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. To fulfill this mandate, the Council offers a broad range of grants and services to professional Canadian artists and arts organizations in dance, integrated arts, media arts, music, theatre, visual arts, and writing and publishing. It also promotes public awareness of the arts through its communications, research and arts promotion activities. Visit www.canadacouncil.ca for more information.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Vancouver, BC– Fifteen Canadians with expertise in costumes, lighting, music, and stage direction are joining the creative team tasked with orchestrating the magical and awe-inspiring moments celebrating the dramatic achievements of Paralympians at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. 

They include a choreographer who strutted on stage with Janet Jackson, one of the world’s foremost B-boy dancers and an audio designer who captured the blissful “I do’s” at the wedding of the world’s richest man. 

“We scoured the country for the last six months to find a great Canadian creative team to help bring alive the vision we have for inspiring the world to celebrate the possible by watching the top Paralympians reach for the performances of their lives here in Vancouver and Whistler,” said David Guscott, executive vice president, celebrations and partnerships for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). 

“It is with great pleasure today that we are announcing these 15 artists — many of whom are from right here in British Columbia — chosen by ceremonies producer Patrick Roberge Productions to help stage Canada’s Games,” he added. 

Under Patrick Roberge’s direction, the creative team will deliver on the creative vision for the ceremonies, create mass choreography for the 5,000 volunteer performers, including performers with a disability, design lighting and audio systems, select composers and musical arrangements, as well as design sets, costumes and props. 

“The team is already hard at work on creating all the elements we need to put on exciting and memorable shows — one indoor, one outdoor — in two different locales over 100 kilometres apart in less than seven months time,” said Roberge. “Our first big challenge will be to find the hundreds of volunteers we need to perform in the ceremonies before audiences around the world. We’ll be launching this search in a manner of weeks so stay tuned for more details.”

Tickets are still available for both Paralympic ceremonies and can be purchased later this fall when Phase 3 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games ticketing program is launched. Tickets are $30 to $175. For more information, visit www.vancouver2010.com. 

The ceremonies’ creative team members announced today are: 

Associate Director and Head Choreographer: Jocelyn Peden
An accomplished dancer, choreographer and director, Peden has choreographed and directed the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers and Vancouver Grizzlies dance teams, choreographed music videos and performed with artists such as Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Paul McCartney, and Canadian Olympian Emanuel Sandhu. She has also staged multiple live sport productions for VANOC.

Music Director: Paul Airey
Airey has composed and produced music for radio, TV, film, and special events for more than 20 years. Co-owner and operator of Avenue Music Productions Inc. and Sound Kitchen Studios in Vancouver, his themes, scores and jingles for clients such as Warner Bros. and the National Hockey League have been heard worldwide. 

Art Director: Daniel Planko
Planko, who specializes in the concept, design and implementation of art, exhibit and event installations, has worked with photographer Annie Leibovitz, actor Alan Cumming, singer and actress Bette Midler, and was a stylist on HBO’s The Sopranos. A sitescape designer for countless production, Planko was responsible for installations at New York’s Gering & López Gallery. 

Production Director: Nik Von Schulmann
For more than 20 years, Von Schulmann’s extensive experience in production, design and staging have been utilized in many large-scale productions, including the 2007 Canada Games, The Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime, Show Boat, Riverdance, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, as well as Vancouver Opera’s productions of Carmen, Aida and La Bohème. 

Headline Director: Shaw Saltzberg
Saltzberg is an integral part of S.L. Feldman & Associates, Canada’s largest talent agency. He has travelled the world representing his roster, which includes Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan and Diana Krall. He has also provided cultural programming for the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. 

Segment Director: Luca (Lazylegz) Patuelli
Patuelli has captivated audiences with his unique breakdancing for more than a decade. Born with arthrogryposis and diagnosed with scoliosis as a child, Patuelli incorporates strength with crutches to excel at dance competitions. He has performed with Kanye West and appeared on America’s Got Talent and NBC’s Today Show. 

Visuals Director: Sean Nieuwenhuis
Owner of Sensory Overload Productions, Nieuwenhuis supplies multimedia design and visual presentation services to corporations, festivals and charitable organizations, including the Vancouver 2010 Olympic bid. In the theatre world, his projection design work has contributed to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Vancouver Opera and Theatre Calgary. 

Costume Designer: Sheila White
White has created costume designs for nearly 25 years and worked for Jil Sander and the English Theatre of Hamburg. In Vancouver alone, she has designed for over 100 theatrical productions, most recently for Vancouver Playhouse’s The Miracle Worker. Her work has been featured in film and TV, including Da Vinci's City Hall and The Score. 

Production and Lighting Designer: Robert Sondergaard
Founder of Electric Aura Lighting Design, Sondergaard has designed lighting for theatre, TV and event productions, including the opening ceremonies of the British Columbia Canada Pavilion in Beijing in 2008, Kidd Pivot’s Dark Matters, the 2007 Canada Games, the 2007 Rankin Family Canadian tour, the 21st Gemini Awards, and the Canadian Football League’s 2005 Grey Cup halftime show.

Interactive Visual Designer: Roger Parent
Parent has been involved on the cutting-edge of the entertainment and architectural design industries since the early 1970s and has collaborated on more than 5,000 shows in America, Europe and Asia. As president of Montreal-based Realisations.net, he produces interactive moving architecture for public spaces, exhibits and museums. He also helped Cirque du Soleil transform from a single touring show troupe into a multi-show company. 

Interactive Visual Designer: Louis-Pierre Morin
Morin’s expertise in video projection, show control programming, sound mixing, and video editing spans many years and countless TV shows and galas. Based out of Montreal, he has worked on the Closing Ceremonies at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games and installations at Tabù, Liquidity and Eyecandy nightclubs in Las Vegas. 

Stage Designer: Mark Patterson
Owner of Eclipse Productions, Gemini Award winner Patterson has produced sport and news production designs for all Canadian TV networks. He has worked on international events such as the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2006 World Figure Skating Championships and 2006 World Urban Forum.

Host Broadcast Liaison: Tim Lewis
With more than 30 years of TV and event production experience, Lewis’s credits include the 2004, 2006 and 2009 gala fundraisers An Evening with Diana Krall & Friends and the 23rd Gemini Awards. Lewis was the audio designer for the wedding of Bill Gates and sound director for the 1999 Pan American Games and the 1994 Commonwealth Games. 

Associate Producer: Heather Connell
Connell started her career as a stage manager at the 2003 Western Canada Summer Games and later oversaw the ceremonies, medal presentations and protocol portfolios for the 2005 Canada Summer Games and 2007 Canada Winter Games. She previously worked with VANOC on the mascot launch.

Associate Producer: Anna Bond
Bond has managed and coordinated talent, performers and VIPs for a wide variety of large-scale, high profile events, including the British Columbia Canada Pavilion in Beijing in 2008 and opening and closing ceremonies at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse.

The Abilities Arts Festival, a Toronto, ON-based disability arts organization and forum for creative and artistic excellence, will act as the disability arts talent consultant for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. Abilities Arts Festival serves as a leader, catalyst and resource to bring together artists, arts and cultural organizations and a diverse public by promoting an inclusive and vibrant arts and culture sector. 

On March 12, 2010, a thousand of the world’s top winter sport Paralympic athletes and team officials from more than 40 countries will gather in BC Place in downtown Vancouver for the indoor Opening Ceremony. Nine days later, the Games will draw to its official end in the Host Mountain Resort of Whistler in a unique outdoor amphitheatre designed especially for the two-hour Closing Ceremony.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

About PRP
PRP Inc. is a live entertainment and show production company that specializes in creating spectacular, large-scale shows and events. Based out of Vancouver, BC, PRP’s award-winning team boast more than 22 years of high-profile international events and entertainment production.  Visit www.prpconnect.com.

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Vancouver, BC — The top-ranked female hockey players in the world will face off this week in downtown Vancouver on the same ice where gold will be decided at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games in less than six months time. This is the first women’s competition of the 2009-2010 International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) season and one of the last competitions before the Games. For information on tickets, which start at $10, visit www.hockeycanada.ca. Fans can also take advantage of a full-tournament package for $120.

Approximately 100 athletes representing four countries will compete in the Hockey Canada Cup at GM Place, known at Games time as Canada Hockey Place, from August 31 to September 6.

The United States is currently atop the IIHF women’s world rankings with Canada in second. Rivals Finland and Sweden, ranked third and fourth respectively, will also play in the 10-game Hockey Canada Cup tournament. Twenty-six Canadian players are each vying for one of the coveted 21 spots available on Team Canada’s final Olympic roster for the 2010 Winter Games.

The four teams will play games on August 31 and September 1 and 3, with semifinals on Saturday, September 5 (Canada plays at 7:30 pm Pacific time) and the gold medal game scheduled for Sunday, September 6 at 7:30 pm Pacific time. The final will be televised live on TSN.

Operational Readiness Testing
During the Hockey Canada Cup, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) will test its operational readiness at the venue in preparation for the Games. The venue will host men’s and women’s ice hockey in 2010, including the women’s semifinals and medal games, while matches will also be held at the University of British Columbia’s Thunderbird Arena, also known as the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

“Hockey fans in Vancouver are already intensely familiar with this arena but this will be the first time they’ll catch a glimpse of what lies in store for General Motors Place at Games time,” said Denis Hainault, VANOC’s general manager for Canada Hockey Place. “This is a significant event for us as we head into the home stretch and confirm our operational readiness for 2010.”

At this latest sport event, VANOC is focusing its operational testing on the following areas: field of play, as well as simultaneous timing and results systems with UBC Thunderbird Arena where a private ball hockey tournament will be held in an effort to replicate the overlapping multigame format of the Olympic Winter Games.

This is the final 2010 competition venue to be tested by VANOC, as well as the final Games sport test event to be held in Metro Vancouver and Whistler before the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games start. It is also the second sport event held with Hockey Canada and the IIHF in a Games venue this year. In March, a Hockey Canada Cup for ice sledge hockey was held at UBC Thunderbird Arena involving four countries.

Field of Play Testing
For the first time in Olympic history, all ice hockey games in 2010 at Canada Hockey Place and UBC Thunderbird Arena will be played on North American-sized ice rather than converting to the larger international size. The IIHF made the decision in 2006. VANOC is testing the ice, ice maintenance systems and adjustments to the dasher board system to expand the boxes for players and officials, as well as the penalty boxes, in order to provide a suitable field of play, according to IIHF rules and regulations.

Venue Operations
VANOC will work with the venue owner and staff to familiarize itself with the venue in order to test general venue operations, including spectator services, workforce and athlete flows, as well as overall spectator accessibility. Crews will also construct a temporary wall on the P1 level of the arena’s underground parking garage to test how they will construct 35 rooms, measuring 1,980 square metres, needed for anti-doping, news conferences and office space during the Games. These rooms will be constructed during venue overlay when VANOC takes over the facility in January.

The Organizing Committee has temporarily removed 2,000 seats to replace the old seat bolting system with a newer system enabling faster change out during the overlay process.

 Workforce
A workforce of approximately 280 (including around 190 volunteers) will work at the ice hockey sport event, as well as regular arena staff provided by Canucks Sports & Entertainment.

Press Operations
VANOC’s Press Operations team will run the Venue Media Centre, manage photo positions, test media access control processes and operate the athlete mixed zone where accredited media gather to interview athletes. The team will also test the virtual LAN or VLAN system and hockey net cameras for media, as well as WiFi capabilities at the arena for photography. The Olympic News Service, which collects and distributes sport event news to the media, will also use the Hockey Canada Cup as a training session for their volunteers.

Timing, scoring and results
Timing, scoring, results, as well as graphics for television will be tested simultaneously at GM Place and UBC Thunderbird Arena. At GM Place, the existing scoreboard will be tested in coordination with the Games-time Omega system. VANOC will also print and distribute reports and test the commentator information systems.

Anti-Doping
Working in cooperation with the IIHF, the VANOC Anti-Doping team will conduct in-competition urine tests. A total of 11 Games-time anti-doping volunteers will participate in the event. The VANOC anti-doping athlete outreach booth will also be located at the athlete hotel, providing World Anti-Doping Agency resources and information regarding the Vancouver 2010 Anti-Doping Program.

In keeping with previous sport events, VANOC will also test its medical services and sport production functions.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Vancouver, BC – The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed today that in response to the challenges VANOC is facing raising its remaining revenues in the global economic downturn, the IOC will assist financially if the Organizing Committee has a deficit at the end of the 2010 Winter Games. However, it is important to clarify that the IOC is not guaranteeing to cover all outstanding costs or to ensure there is no deficit at the end of the Games.

The IOC’s support to help mitigate a possible deficit has a limit. It does not and is not intended to replace the responsibility of the Organizing Committee and its partners and other entities in respect of their obligations to stage the Games. And it remains VANOC’s responsibility to manage its budget responsibly to continue to raise revenues to the greatest extent possible and, if necessary, to cut costs in a strategic manner to maintain a balanced budget. VANOC also clarified that the IOC has fulfilled all of its obligations in respect to the TOP sponsorship program.

VANOC has been in discussions with the IOC for the past several months on its budget in general and conversations in the past two weeks have resulted in this commitment.

“This is a very supportive, generous commitment by the IOC, but in no way does it guarantee to cover all costs and any deficit at the end of the Games,” said Dave Cobb, executive vice president and deputy chief executive officer. “While we now have the confidence we need to spend against our revenue targets, the economy will challenge us until the Games arrive and the pressure remains to continue to find additional creative solutions to ensure we maintain a balanced budget.”

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

“Vancouver is ready for 2010”, said the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Coordination Commission for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games through its Chairman, René Fasel. For its ninth and final visit (25 – 26 August) to the next Olympic and Paralympic Host City, the Commission was joined by representatives of the Olympic Winter International Federations, who were able to bring their expertise to bear in the discussions with the Vancouver Organising Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) relating to the sporting elements of the Games, as well as by observers from the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee. 

Speaking at the close of the meetings, Fasel said, “The organizers of the Games in Vancouver and Whistler are ready for 2010. We’ve heard from VANOC and its partners about all the steps that they are undertaking to ensure that the athletes and other Games visitors have a fantastic Olympic and Paralympic experience. We are extremely happy with what we have seen and heard, and are confident that they will deliver.” 

He continued, “The Commission members and I have seen this project grow from plans on paper into almost a reality, and we would like to commend the work of the team led by Jack Poole and John Furlong. The venues are spectacular and the plans for next February are very good. The great venues, the outstanding natural setting and hugely knowledgeable and enthusiastic fans will guarantee that these Olympic and Paralympic Games will be an unparalleled success.” 

With the Olympic Torch Relay getting underway in only 57 days, VANOC and its partners are becoming increasingly operational and are reaching a very precise level of detail in their planning. This is normal at this stage of the Games preparations and requires great focus from the organisers to ensure that the Games reach Olympic level.

Chairman Fasel commented, “With the Olympic flame getting ready to travel across the great nation of Canada, VANOC and its partners are starting to reach an extremely fine level of detail in their preparations. This often brings with it some last-minute challenges and the need to find solutions. This is not unexpected with a project of this size and complexity, and our Canadian friends are well prepared to deal with them. As we enter the home stretch, people around the globe are watching and waiting for you to deliver a great Games not just for Canada but the world.”

“It is with mixed feelings that we close this final Coordination Commission session as we have gained so much from these sessions with our IOC friends and the international sport federations – they have been invaluable to our planning,” said John Furlong. “At the same time, their final advice, their confidence and their full support for our plans gained during this visit is just what we need as we head into the final several months. We thank each and every member of the Commission – and particularly, the leadership of Chairman René Fasel and IOC Executive Director Gilbert Felli - for their thoughtful insights and counsel throughout the past several years. The Coordination Commission’s engagement and oversight has unquestionably been key to staging a successful and unforgettable Games in Vancouver and Whistler in 2010.” 

During its meeting, the Commission heard reports from VANOC on areas such as the Olympic Torch Relay, spectator services, sport, marketing, media operations, National Olympic Committee services, technology and the Paralympic Games. The visit also provided the opportunity for some Commission members to tour venues including  the Vancouver Olympic Village, UBC Thunderbird Arena, Richmond Oval, Hillcrest Curling Centre and the Main Press and Broadcasting Centres.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Hockey Canada unveiled Team Canada’s 2010 hockey jersey on Monday, the result of a partnership with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), Nike Canada Corp., the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. These Hockey Canada jerseys by Nike will be worn exclusively at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver by the men’s, women’s and sledge hockey teams representing Canada. 

“Hockey Canada would like to thank all of its partners that have helped make these special 2010 Winter Games jerseys a reality,” said Bob Nicholson, Hockey Canada’s president and CEO. “These two jerseys will complement our traditional jersey, while respecting International Olympic Committee guidelines for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.”

“Working with our partners at Nike, we have developed a design that, while not a major departure from our current jersey, incorporates imagery in a different and meaningful way,” added Scott Smith, Hockey Canada’s chief operating officer. “We believe the jerseys honour the game of hockey and also celebrate our rich Canadian history and culture. Our teams and fans across the country will be proud to wear them during this special moment in 2010.” 

“This Vancouver 2010 jersey will become part of our nation’s history and it’s very exciting to see it come to life through partnership and the vision of Nike and a talented Musqueam artist,” said John Furlong, VANOC’s chief executive officer. “We hope Canadians will embrace this sweater as the anticipation builds for Canadian team fans across the country and around the world as Team Canada goes for gold on home ice in just a few short months.”

“These jerseys bear a uniquely exciting Canadian look in keeping with the distinctly Canadian character. The appearance of these jerseys will ignite our nation’s pride each time some of Canada’s most recognizable athletes take to the ice to represent their country and the Canadian Olympic team,” said Michael Chambers, president of the  Canadian Olympic Committee. “We know all Canadians will be proud of the athletes wearing these memorable Olympic team jerseys, and that those same fans will wear them in demonstrating their support for our Olympic hockey players.”

“The Canadian Paralympic Committee is very proud of our national sledge hockey team, who are the current Paralympic gold medalists. This pride is reflected in the unique design of the 2010 Paralympic Games jersey,” said Carla Qualtrough, President, Canadian Paralympic Committee. “It is fitting that our Paralympic athletes will wear this jersey as Canada hosts its first Paralympic Winter Games, and many Canadians are introduced to the competitiveness and excitement of sledge hockey.”

Nike designed a unique jersey that incorporates several icons and cultural symbols that were developed by Musqueam artist Debra Sparrow. The dominant imagery depicted inside the Maple Leaf crest includes smaller Maple Leafs representing the gold medal counts for Canada’s men’s, women’s and sledge hockey teams, the thunderbird and eagle, two powerful First Nations symbols supporting and protecting the central Maple Leaf – and the heralded hockey player and stick. 

Hockey Canada’s 2010 Olympic Winter Games jersey features the Vancouver 2010 and Canadian Olympic Committee marks. There will be two versions of the jersey: one in red and a second in white that the teams will wear in competition at the Olympics.

Hockey Canada’s 2010 Paralympic Winter Games jersey features the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic mark, as well as the Canadian Paralympic Committee mark.

“Nike is excited to support Hockey Canada, the COC, CPC and VANOC during this once in a lifetime moment in Canadian hockey history,” says Christopher Rigney, head of sports marketing for Nike Canada. “It’s a testament to the essential role hockey plays in our country’s culture and heritage. We believe it celebrates the past and but also looks to the future.”

Team Canada 2010 jerseys, which come in red or white (suggested retail price $135), will be available later today online and in over 2,000 retail outlets across CAnada, including but not limited to SportChek locations, Nike stores, Hudson’s Bay Company stores, Olympic Stores in Vancouver, Whistler and the Vancouver International Airport, and online at www.vancouver2010.com. They will also be sold at the Olympic Superstore at the Bay Downtown Vancouver and hockey venue concession stands operated during the Games by VANOC’s merchandise concessionaire, XP Canada ULC.  Replica jerseys will be identical to the authentic jerseys, with the exception of the presence of the Hockey Canada mark on the left sleeve.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s national teams, visit www.hockeycanada.ca.

Vancouver, BC – Nike Canada Corp. and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) announced today that Nike has been named  the Official Supplier of high performance sporting goods for the upcoming Games and introduced the highly anticipated Team Canada 2010 hockey jerseys. 

Nike, Hockey Canada, VANOC, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), and the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) showcased the new Team Canada 2010 hockey jerseys at a news conference in Vancouver.

“Nike has a long and proud history of supporting athletes and we’re very pleased by the opportunity to partner with the 2010 Winter Games,” said Maria Montaño general manager, Nike Canada Corp. “We are very proud to unveil the new Team Canada hockey jerseys that our hockey athletes will wear to help bring back the gold. We expect fans will love it, especially since they will be able to see it in action on home ice.”

Nike, in collaboration with Musqueam artist Debra Sparrow, designed a unique jersey that incorporates several icons and cultural symbols of Canada’s rich history. The dominant imagery depicted inside the Maple Leaf crest includes smaller maple leaves representing the gold medal counts for our men’s, women’s and ice sledge hockey teams, as well as a thunderbird and eagle — two powerful First Nations symbols supporting and protecting the central Maple Leaf — and of course the heralded hockey player and stick.

The jerseys also include the official Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games’ emblems — a first for a Team Canada hockey sweater — and the official logos of the COC and CPC.

With a suggested retail price of $135 for a replica jersey, Team Canada 2010 jerseys come in red or white. The jerseys are available today in Nike stores across Canada and at Hudson’s Bay Company Bay stores. Later this fall, they will be available at Olympic Stores in Vancouver, Whistler, at the Vancouver International Airport and online at www.vancouver2010.com. They will also be sold at the Olympic Superstore at the Bay Downtown Vancouver and hockey venue concession stands operated at Games time by VANOC’s merchandise concessionaire, XP Canada ULC.

 “We’re pleased to welcome this global athletic brand leader to the Vancouver 2010 team,” said John Furlong, VANOC’s Chief Executive Officer. “Nike is a fitting addition to our sponsor family because of the company’s dedication to excellence and quality and their partnership helps us exceed our domestic sponsorship goals for delivering great Games in 2010. It’s very exciting to see the 2010 jersey brought to life as a result of creative collaboration between Nike, Hockey Canada, the COC, the CPC, and our team here at VANOC.”

Under the Official Supplier agreement, Nike will have exclusive rights to market and promote within the high performance sporting goods manufacturer product category for the 2010 Winter Games and rights to associate with the Canadian Olympic Teams competing at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the London 2012 Olympic Games. In return, Nike will make a financial investment in the Games and provide a number of Team Canada replica 2010 ice hockey jerseys to the Organizing Committee as part of its merchandising program.

About Nike Inc.
Nike Inc., based near Beaverton, Ore., is the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned Nike subsidiaries include: Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories, and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit nikebiz.com.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

VANOC's marketing program is focused on securing mutually rewarding partnerships with shared values to generate sufficient revenue to host successful Winter Games in 2010 and to leave a financial legacy for sport. VANOC’s worldwide TOP Partners include Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, General Electric, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung and Visa. VANOC's National Partners are Bell Canada, Hudson’s Bay Company, RBC Financial Group, General Motors of Canada, Petro-Canada and RONA.

VANOC’s Official Supporters include Air Canada, BC Hydro, Bombardier, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Canadian Pacific, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), Jet Set Sports, Ricoh Canada, Royal Canadian Mint and Teck Resources. VANOC’s Official Suppliers are 3M, Acklands-Grainger, Aggreko, ALDA Pharmaceuticals Corp., Aquilini Investment Group, Birks, Britco, Canada Post, Canwest Publishing, COLD-FX, Deloitte, Dow Canada, EPCOR, Garrett Metal Detectors, General Mills, Hain Celestial Canada, Haworth Canada, Jackson Triggs, Karl’s Global Events Inc., La Presse, Millennium Development Corp., Molson, Nike Canada Corp., Nortel, Offsetters, Port Metro Vancouver, Purolator Courier Ltd., Saputo, Sleep Country Canada, Sun Microsystems of Canada, The Globe and Mail, Tickets.com, TransCanada, Vancouver Airport Authority, Weston Bakeries, Workopolis and Wrigley Canada.

In Games first, Grand Témoin’s mission extended to now also include Paralympic Games

Federal councillor Pascal Couchepin, Grand Témoin de la Francophonie, and John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), signed a convention today for the promotion of French at the Games in 2010.

Mr. Couchepin, president of the Swiss Confederation in 2003 and 2008, member of the Swiss Federal Council and head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (health, social affairs, education, research and culture), was tasked by Abdou Diouf, Secretary General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), with supporting VANOC’s efforts to ensure bilingual Games in Vancouver and Whistler in 2010.

The convention signed by La Francophonie and VANOC reinforces the high standards for bilingualism set for VANOC with its government partners. It provides for a program of cooperation that includes: assistance in recruiting young volunteers from Francophone countries and the participation of Francophone performers in the official ceremonies and cultural activities associated with the Games, as well as the organization of a Francophone event.

The convention also contains two major firsts: the extension of the Grand Témoin’s mission to include both the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the creation of a linguistic legacy through the production of a guide that lays out best practices for ensuring bilingualism at the Games. This knowledge will be passed on to subsequent Organizing Committees for use at future Games after 2010.

The convention’s implementation will be monitored by a cooperation committee comprising of representatives from the Francophone consular corps in Vancouver, the OIF and VANOC. Mobilization of Francophone states and governments, as well as the Olympic Movement in support of bilingual Games was particularly noteworthy at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games . It will be further reinforced in Canada, a member state of La Francophonie, where it will benefit from the status of French as an official language.

This convention was signed on the occasion of the Grand Témoin de la Francophonie’s first visit to Ottawa and subsequently Vancouver, where he met with the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honorable Lawrence Cannon, the Commissioner of Official Languages, Graham Fraser, Francophone ambassadors, VANOC CEO, John Furlong, and members of VANOC’s board advisory committee on official languages. He attended the board advisory committee’s second meeting, met with several Francophone consuls and visited 2010 Winter Games’ sites in Vancouver and Whistler.

Mr. Couchepin will make a second visit to Canada in the autumn of 2009 and will be present in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Games.

In his mission as Grand Témoin de la Francophonie, Mr. Couchepin succeeds Jean-Pierre Raffarin (Beijing 2008), Lise Bissonnette (Turin 2006) and Hervé Bourges (Athens 2004).

For more information:

Audrey Delacroix, commissioner for the French language in the Olympic Games
Tel.: + 33 6 85 31 33 75 – e-mail: audrey.delacroix@francophonie.org

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
Anissa Barrak, head of the communication department anissa.barrak@francophonie.org
Nathalie Heneman, officer in charge of media relations
Tel. (+33) 1 44 37 32 52 nathalie.heneman@francophonie.org

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Vancouver, BC— As part of its efforts to find creative solutions in a challenging economy, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) is offering businesses and governments the opportunity to give their employees a once-in-a-lifetime professional experience through working temporarily for the Games. 

VANOC has launched an employee loan program to fill most of its remaining 1,500 short-term jobs. Positions will last between eight weeks and six months, and the longest terms will begin as early as this September. Accommodation remains a challenge, so organizations able to loan employees already residing in the Vancouver and Sea to Sky regions are particularly encouraged to participate. Similar secondment programs have been used at previous Games, including Calgary in 1988.

Jobs are available in 32 of VANOC’s 53 departments. A small sample of the Organizing Committee’s 1,500 remaining positions include: Accreditation Coordinator, Broadcast Operations Coordinator, Performer Services Coordinator, Energy Deputy Manager, Venue and Language Service Coordinator, Delivery Driver, Remote Vehicle Screening Site Coordinator, Housekeeping Representative, Rigging/Lighting Manager, Sport Writer, Venue Transportation Manager and Venue Communications Centre Manager. A list of VANOC departments requiring additional workforce is included in the attached backgrounder. 

“For the past year we’ve been implementing a limited secondment model similar to recent Olympic and Commonwealth Games. However, to proactively manage our way through the realities of the economic downturn we have decided to significantly expand this program,” said Dave Cobb, deputy chief executive officer and executive vice president. “It’s a creative solution to maintain a balanced budget and everyone from corporations to government can be part of the solution. We’re not only offering a unique opportunity for the public and private sectors, we’re navigating through an extraordinary downturn in the economy, and the use of seconded employees will ease some of the pressure on our budget.” While the final value and number of loaned employees will not be known for several months, the program will result in significant savings to VANOC’s operational budget.

“We believe the employee loan program is a win-win situation for everyone,” continued Cobb. “VANOC is looking to fill out its 2010 roster with talented people from a wide range of disciplines. Those involved in the program will get the experience of a lifetime and will take their inspired new skills and confidence back to their respective employers when it’s over, creating another lasting legacy for the Games.”

“We have 45 seconded staff from 20 different partners already part of the secondment program, such as Deloitte, the Canadian Tourism Commission and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport,” said Donna Wilson, executive vice president of human resources, sustainability and international client services at VANOC. “They are examples of how companies can make a huge contribution to the Games and benefit by gaining energized employees with supercharged skills honed at one of the largest international sporting events in the world. Loaned employees will broaden their skill set, while getting all the benefits of being a Games-time worker such as an official uniform and a lifetime of memories, secure in the knowledge that their regular job will be there to return to when the Games draw to a close in March 2010. We invite all companies in the business community to participate.”

VANOC has already been working with the BC Public Service on seconding employees to fill key roles. Building on this approach, other public and private partners will be encouraged to loan employees to help deliver the Games. “This approach is consistent with the delivery of past Games and will use available resources to their best possible potential as we all work together to ensure success,” concluded Wilson.

Interested businesses and employees can find additional information on getting involved in the program by emailing teamworkforce@workforce.vancouver2010.com.

“Numerous companies and Government Partners loaned us staff in the lead up to the ’88 Games to help ensure success,” said Frank King, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Calgary Organizing Committee for the 1988 Olympic Winter Games. “From some of the most senior executives in our organization to those who had front-line jobs in Games venues, the community and our partners stepped up to give their employees the extraordinary opportunity to share the experience of working with the Organizing Committee. That was over 20 years ago and the enduring pride in the community remains strong. I still hear from people who were seconded to the Games, what it did for their careers and the memories and friendships that came with it. I strongly encourage the public and private sector to seriously consider putting people on the 2010 team, not only to help VANOC but to enrich their companies with the skills and experience gained by being part of it.”  

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Vancouver, BC – Canadians who have not yet bought their tickets for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games — or who want to buy additional tickets — have just days left to do so during Phase 2 of Olympic ticket sales. The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) will close its second phase of Olympic ticket sales at 7:00 pm PT (Pacific Time) on Friday, July 31. The seat allocation process will then commence for those who have purchased tickets.   

Select tickets for two much-loved Canadian sports — ice hockey and curling — as well as tickets to the nightly Victory Ceremonies celebrating the day’s achievements and featuring world-class live entertainment, are available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

With the release of the World Curling Federation’s official curling tournament draw, avid curling fans will be able to see when their favourite teams will be in action, and purchase their tickets accordingly. The Competition Schedule has also been updated to reflect the recently released curling information — Team Canada will appear in 18 of 24 scheduled preliminary curling sessions. 

Although Olympic and Paralympic ticket sales will not be open after July 31, customers with an existing account at www.vancouver2010.com will still be able to view their information and summary of ticket purchases. To date, Phase 2 Olympic ticket sales have been highly successful, with more than 155,000 sold since the start of sales on June 6. 

A third and final phase of Olympic ticket sales will be available to the public this fall to sell any remaining inventory. Paralympic tickets will also go back on sale near this time. A VANOC ticket re-sale site to facilitate the sale and purchase of legitimate tickets will be launched shortly after Phase 3 of Olympic ticket sales. 

With fewer than 200 days until the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games start, the demand for Olympic tickets remains high. Canadians are reminded that the only official sources to purchase tickets to the Games are www.vancouver2010.com (in partnership with VANOC’s official ticketing services supplier tickets.com) and official 2010 Winter Games hospitality partners Jet Set Sports and CoSport.  VANOC cannot ensure customers that tickets purchased through any other source are legitimate or will be accepted for entry at Games venues.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Vancouver, BC — In support of the 2010 Winter Games, two North Shore municipalities are offering parking lots and marshalling areas for Games-time staff and volunteers — cementing their role as the crucial linchpin connecting the mountain venues in Whistler and West Vancouver to venues in downtown Vancouver and Richmond. 

Announced today, the partnerships with the District of North Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver fall under the Community Contributor Program created by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). The program is designed to engage communities in the Games and invite their active participation in welcoming the world in 2010. To date, three municipalities (including the two announced today) and seven educational institutions have joined. A full list is included below. 

“The City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver are important members of our community contributor team and we’re delighted to have them on board,” said Taleeb Noormohamed, VANOC director, corporate strategy and partner relations. “Given their strategic location at the juncture of bridges, roads and water routes linking the Lower Mainland with our mountain venues, their support is crucial, especially for our Games-time transportation system, and we look forward to working closely with them.”

The City of North Vancouver’s Lower Lonsdale area will be a convenient and attractive location point between Vancouver, Cypress Mountain and Whistler. In Central Lonsdale, a parking lot near the Centennial Theatre will host motorcoaches used to transport ticketed spectators from departure hubs to the mountain venues. Four community spaces, including the heritage PGE Station, will also be used by the Organizing Committee to host training seminars, or marshal volunteers and staff during the Games. Meanwhile, the facilities will remain open for business to residents and the general public. 

“The City of North Vancouver is proud to partner with the 2010 Winter Games and play a key role in helping stage one of the world’s premier sporting events,” said City of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto. “As we welcome the world to our vibrant city, we will work to ensure that the athletes, spectators and volunteers have a memorable visit as well as a scenic and smooth journey across the North Shore.” 

The District of North Vancouver will provide VANOC with a parking area at Inter-River Park, located at Lillooet Road and Premier Street, host a dinner for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and loan staff to the Organizing Committee during the Games period. 

“We’re very pleased to partner with the 2010 Winter Games to help welcome the world to British Columbia and North Vancouver District in 2010,” said District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton. “Our communities have much to offer visitors and we especially look forward to sharing an evening with international environmental experts at the upcoming United Nations’ dinner.”

Jointly, the city and district will also provide VANOC with the use of Centennial Theatre for up to four Games-related events, and provide round-the-clock snow and ice removal if needed on key Games-time transportation routes, parking lots and pedestrian walkways.

In exchange for their support, community contributors receive a wide range of domestic rights and benefits that create a close association with the Games, including various advertising, promotional and workforce opportunities.

More information on the 2010 Winter Games integrated transportation plan outlined by the Olympic and Paralympic Transportation Team, including maps and a fact sheet, is available at www.vancouver2010.com. Detailed transportation information will be made widely available this fall as residents and visitors to the Games Host Region begin to determine their more detailed travel plans.

Other members of the Community Contributor Program include: the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), Capilano University, Douglas College, Educacentre College, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Langara College, Simon Fraser University, and the City of Port Moody.

About the District of North Vancouver
North Vancouver District is located on the north shore of Burrard Inlet, minutes from downtown Vancouver. Officially incorporated in 1891, the district has grown and changed since its early days into the dynamic community that it is today. North Vancouver District’s unique characteristics provide residents, business owners and visitors alike the benefits of a dynamic metropolitan region as well as the appealing attributes of a smaller community. With its naturally beautiful surroundings, high quality of life, amenities and services, the district is one of the most desirable places in the Lower Mainland to live, work and play.

About the City of North Vancouver
The City of North Vancouver is the urban core of the beautiful North Shore with convenient access to major regional and global centres. An award-wining sustainable municipality, its proximity to the stunning North Shore Mountains offers countless recreational opportunities. An efficient, accessible transportation system connects people within the city and beyond. The bustling waterfront with its historic pier offers spectacular scenic views, a unique tourism experience, economic potential, and access to some of the most attractive and livable neighbourhoods in Metro Vancouver.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Vancouver, BC – The photographs of children playing in prairie grass are from a Saskatchewan woman, the words, superimposed on the sweeping blue sky, were written by a Quebec City teen and the music connecting them has an East Coast lilt.

Combine them and you have something wholly new, yet instantly familiar: a 30-second digital collage spliced together by Canadians like you through a brand new remix application making its debut today as part of Canada CODE at www.vancouver2010.com/code. Canada CODE is part of the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad, presented by Bell.

“Canada CODE has broken new ground in the digital realm by giving Canadians an opportunity to creatively share with each other and the world,” explained Burke Taylor, vice-president, culture and celebrations, for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).”Our new remix application takes that potential to a whole new interactive level that’s designed to be as simple and inclusive as possible.”

“Canada CODE has also had the benefit of great support from our signature sponsor Bell and the National Film Board of Canada as we look to find new ways to involve Canadians,” he continued.

These Remixes are the next step in an invitation issued to Canadians earlier this spring by CODE, the Cultural Olympiad’s digital edition, to create an online portrait of the country. Since then, contributors from British Columbia to Newfoundland and Labrador have uploaded photos and text to the website while thousands have viewed the content. By doing so, they have become a part of Canadian and Games history — the ambitious digital project is a first for the Games.

With the launch of the remix application, contributors can now create stories with each other’s content. A collection of these digital collages will be displayed on screens at Celebration Sites and venues during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.  

With the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as a major collaborator, award-winning filmmakers Denys Arcand and Mina Shum, and legendary storyteller Roch Carrier are among those who share inspirational and practical tips to feed the creative spirit of Canada CODE contributors. To add to the mix, composer Dennis Burke used material from the NFB sound library to create over 30 musical soundscapes for contributors to use as audio tracks. The NFB tips can be viewed at www.vancouver2010.com/code.

“With Canada CODE, Canadians can come out and show the world what we’re made of —  beyond those well-known images of imposing moose and snow-capped mountains,” said Rae Hull, director of CODE and originator of Canada CODE. “The remix application reflects a particular Canadian trait: getting together to make things happen. Through Canada CODE online and the Remixes on the big screens, we can show a little of that collective spirit to the world.”

How to use Canada CODE’s remix application

1.) After clicking through to Canada CODE from www.vancouver2010.com/code, launch the Explore button and you'll find the Remix tab at the top. Use the cursor to select and drag a 30-second soundscape from the audio library into the mix zone.

2.) Select content, either your own or favourites from among the Canada CODE submissions, and drag them into the mix zone. The duration that you want content to appear on screen can be adjusted by pulling at the edges of each individual item.

3.) Text can stand on its own or be superimposed over a photo, Effects can be dragged in to alter the transitions between content and there are other available features to increase the creative possibilities.

4.) Submit your remix — it’s that easy and your digital creation could help welcome the world’s visitors to the Games in 2010. Submissions are welcome through to Games time.

About the Cultural Olympiad
The Cultural Olympiad, presented by Bell, is a series of multidisciplinary festivals and digital programs showcasing the best in Canadian and international arts and popular culture. Launched in 2008, the program culminates in the 60-day Cultural Olympiad 2010 (January 22 to March 21, 2010), which begins before and continues throughout the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. CODE is the Cultural Olympiad’s digital edition, a series of programs developed to creatively engage national and global audiences through the use of digital technology.

Partnerships

Bell
Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing consumers and business with solutions to all their communications needs, including Bell Mobility wireless, high-speed Bell Internet, Bell TV direct-to-home satellite television, Bell Home phone local and long distance, and IP-broadband and information and communications technology (ICT) services. Bell is proud to be a Premier National Partner and the exclusive Telecommunications Partner to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). For information on Bell's products and services, please visit www.bell.ca. For corporate information on BCE, please visit www.bce.ca.

Government
The Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad is grateful for the support of the Government of Canada and the governments of all of Canada’s provinces and territories and their respective cultural agencies: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon. In addition to the Cultural Olympiad’s government and corporate partners, CODE is proudly supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the National Film Board of Canada. New Media BC and Wavefront Innovation Society are also both active participants in the project. The National Presentation and Touring Program is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

National Film Board of Canada
The world changes, our stories live on—that’s the National Film Board of Canada’s pledge to Canadians as it marks its 70th anniversary in 2009 with a new national online Screening Room and a slate of bold, innovative productions. Canada’s public film producer and distributor, the NFB produces and distributes social-issue documentaries, auteur animation, alternative drama and digital content that provide the world with a unique Canadian perspective. In collaboration with its international partners and co-producers, the NFB is expanding the vocabulary of 21st century cinema and breaking new ground in form and content, through community filmmaking projects, cross-platform media, interactive cinema, stereoscopic animation—and more. Since the NFB's founding in 1939, it has created over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. To watch over 1,000 productions online or for more information, visit www.nfb.ca.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Vancouver, BC– A series of free public information sessions will be held over the next few weeks geared towards people who live, work or play in neighbourhoods where 2010 Winter Games venues are located. 

The Game Plan 2009 information sessions will be held throughout the Games region to provide important information to the public in order to help residents and businesses owners plan how to make the most of their Games-time experience and to learn what to expect leading up to, during and after the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in February and March 2010.

Building on similar public information sessions held in 2008, the Game Plan 2009 meetings will offer attendees a snapshot of daily life at and around the venues and provide an opportunity to ask questions.

While targeted to neighbourhoods near Games venues, Game Plan 2009 meeting are open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the operations of the 2010 Winter Games. Although Games-time operational plans continue to be developed and many operational plans are still being finalized, these sessions will provide up-to-date and detailed information on transportation, public safety, security, and municipal operations, as well as what legacies will be left behind after the Games. 

“Providing the public with this information now is an important part in ensuring the Games are a success,” said Terry Wright, executive vice president of services and Games operations for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). “We want the public to ask us questions and use this information to help with their daily planning and to ensure they make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime Games experience in their own neighbourhoods.”

The public meetings are being held by VANOC together with local municipal governments and transportation and security partners at locations near Games venues. Meetings were held at the Richmond Olympic Oval on July 15 and in the Pacific Coliseum neighbourhood on July 16.

Remaining Game Plan 2009 meetings in Vancouver and the Sea to Sky region are set for:

• Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre neighbourhood: July 27 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, at the Riley Park Community Centre
• Squamish: July 28 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Brennan Park Recreation Centre
• Whistler: July 29 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Westin Whistler Hotel
• Pemberton: July 30 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the new Pemberton Community Centre
• Britannia Community Centre neighbourhood: August 26 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Britannia Community Centre

VANOC and its partners are planning additional Game Plan 2009 information sessions for the fall, including downtown Vancouver and the University of British Columbia. For more information, visit www.vancouver2010.com. 

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com

Vancouver, BC — ALDA Pharmaceuticals Corp. (“ALDA”) is partnering with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) to keep venues healthy and sanitized as the exclusive Official Supplier of hand sanitizer and disinfectant cleaning products for the Games.

The company, founded in 1996, publicly listed in 2003 and based in New Westminster, British Columbia, develops, manufactures and markets a family of proprietary infection control products based on its patented technology called T36®. Under the agreement with VANOC, ALDA will make a financial investment in the Games and provide antiseptic hand sanitizer and handwipes, cleaning products and a hospital-grade spray disinfectant to the Organizing Committee. The hand sanitizer and handwipes will be available at competition and non-competition venues, including the Olympic/Paralympic Villages, polyclinic centres and food preparation areas.

In return, ALDA will have exclusive rights as an Official Supplier in the Hand Sanitizer and Disinfectant Cleaning Products product category for the 2010 Winter Games and rights to associate with the Canadian Olympic Team competing at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the London 2012 Olympic Games.

“Our company is excited to play a role in helping ensure the 2010 Winter Games are among the healthiest ever held for athletes, spectators, volunteers and workers,” said Terrance G. Owen, president and CEO of ALDA Pharmaceuticals Corp. “The Games are a perfect event to put our new consumer products, such as our antiseptic hand sanitizer, literally in the hands of potentially tens of thousands of people from around the world and help ensure the only things they take away from the Games are fun and memorable experiences.”

“We’re pleased to welcome this growing British Columbian company to the Vancouver 2010 team,” said John Furlong, VANOC Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to working with ALDA Pharmaceuticals and using their innovative line of sanitizing products to help us deliver great Games when we welcome the world in 2010.”

British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell added, “Strong partnerships are critical as we prepare to welcome the world in 2010. When thousands of athletes, teams, journalists and visitors come here to experience our province and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, this partnership will help to ensure their health and safety.”

Compared to typical alcohol-based hand sanitizers, ALDA’s antiseptic hand sanitizer has two active ingredients that provide faster action against a broader range of infectious organisms, including Norwalk-like viruses and that offer a long-lasting residual effect.

The company’s hospital-grade disinfectant spray has been tested on more than 25 clinically important bacteria, viruses and fungi, and is approved for hospital use by Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for restaurants and the food processing industry. The spray kills infectious organisms such as polio, HIV and tuberculosis.

“VANOC takes our responsibility to ensure the Games are a healthy and safe place for all involved very seriously,” said VANOC’s chief medical officer, Dr. Jack Taunton. “ALDA is a great partner for the Games — it has undergone rigorous independent testing of its products and has been recognized by both Health Canada and the CFIA.”

About ALDA Pharmaceuticals Corp.
ALDA is focused on the development of infection-control therapeutics derived from its patented T36® technology. T36® has been proven effective against H1N1. The company trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol, “APH”, and is quoted on the OTCBB under the symbol, “APCSF.”

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

VANOC's marketing program is focused on securing mutually rewarding partnerships with shared values to generate sufficient revenue to host successful Winter Games in 2010 and to leave a financial legacy for sport. VANOC’s worldwide TOP Partners include Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, General Electric, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung and Visa. VANOC's National Partners are Bell Canada, Hudson’s Bay Company, RBC Financial Group, General Motors of Canada, Petro-Canada and RONA.

VANOC’s Official Supporters include Air Canada, BC Hydro, Bombardier, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Canadian Pacific, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), Jet Set Sports, Ricoh Canada, Royal Canadian Mint and Teck Resources. VANOC’s Official Suppliers are 3M, Acklands-Grainger, Aggreko, ALDA Pharmaceuticals Corp., Aquilini Investment Group, Birks, Britco, Canada Post, Canwest Publishing, COLD-FX, Deloitte, Dow Canada, EPCOR, Garrett Metal Detectors, General Mills, Hain Celestial Canada, Haworth Canada, Karl’s Global Events Inc., Jackson Triggs, La Presse, Millennium Development Corp., Molson, Nortel, Offsetters, Port Metro Vancouver, Purolator Courier Ltd., Saputo, Sleep Country Canada, Sun Microsystems of Canada, The Globe and Mail, Tickets.com, TransCanada, Vancouver Airport Authority, Weston Bakeries, Workopolis and Wrigley Canada.

Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

For all other inquiries, please contact info@vancouver2010.com