Vancouver View -- New Title for New Olympics Minister

Conservative James Moore was the youngest elected MP when he first went to Parliament in 2000.New Federal Olympic Leader

The Vancouver Olympics become one of three briefs handled by a new secretary of state named after a cabinet shakeup last week.

MP James Moore is now a federal government Olympic point person, but that portfolio is bundled with official languages and the "Asia-Pacific Gateway" under Moore's secretary of state title.

His predecessor, David Emerson, was officially titled Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics. Emerson is now Foreign Minister.

It is not clear if the change in grade of title will have any effect on the federal role in the Olympic Games. Another important federal leader, secretary of state for sport Helena Guergis, kept her job in the cabinet shuffle.

"We have been fortunate to work with Secretary of State Moore in the past, and his support and enthusiasm for the Games has been incredible," said VANOC CEO John Furlong in a written statement.

Moore represents a suburban Vancouver constituency in Parliament.

The Olympics portfolio may change hands again before the Games.

Canada will hold another federal election in October 2009 at the latest. A vote of no confidence or a Conservative-called election could also take place in the mean time.

Bell Gives to Canadian Athletes

Vancouver 2010 sponsor Bell and global Olympic sponsor Samsung celebrated Olympic Day in Canada June 23 by announcing that every Team Canada in Turin included 221 athletes. (Getty Images)Beijing-bound Canadian Olympic athlete will be equipped with a Samsung ACE global smartphone.

Bell has supplied Canadian athletes with mobile phones for a decade. During Torino 2006, the athletes talked for a combined 250,000 minutes and sent 20,000 text messages.

Saskatchewan joins VANOC Marketing

Saskatchewan became the last of Canada’s provinces and territories to sign-on as a Vancouver 2010 contributing partner.

B.C., the host province, is joined by Canada’s nine other provinces and three northern territories who are giving VANOC various sums of taxpayers’ dollars for culture, the torch relay and athlete development. Each province and territory will have a night devoted to their artists at medals ceremonies.

Aboriginal Sport Museum

The countdown to the 2008 North American Indigenous Games intensified June 23 when B.C. Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Vancouver opened a permanent gallery saluting First Nations, Inuit and Metis contributions to the Olympic province’s sport history. The hall is inside 2010 ceremonies venue B.C. Place Stadium and was funded by the provincial government, 2010 Legacies Now, B.C. Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, Four Host First Nations and VANOC.

Cowichan, a community on Vancouver Island, hosts the Aug. 3 to 10 North American Indigenous Games. The games expected to draw 5,000 athletes and 3,000 artists and performers.

With reporting from Bob Mackin.