(ATR) Vancouverites kicked off their Olympic Year by swimming in the chilly waters near the landmark that inspired the Vancouver 2010. The polar bear swim at English Bay began in 1920 as a hangover cure; this year it will be one of the last major public events in the city before the Games begin on Feb. 12. The last full month before the opening of Vancouver 2010 brings an acceleration in decoration of the Olympic city, as look of the Games banners will be erected starting Jan. 4 on Olympic lane routes.
City bylaws regulating advertising and transportation will be phased in while aviation restrictions over British Columbia and Washington state airspace are effective Jan. 29, coinciding with the opening of the Vancouver and Whistler Olympic villages.
The main press centre opens Jan. 12 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
The Olympic torch crosses from Alberta into the host province on Jan. 21.
The first 2010 community celebration in British Columbia will be in the Rocky Mountain town of Golden.
With little time for new sponsor and advertising purchases, VANOC will shift its focus to selling out its ticket and merchandise inventory in a desperate bid to erase a recessionary budget shortfall.
The IOC has pledged to cover as much as $22 million Free-flowing traffic on the Sea-to-Sky Highway is considered a must for transportation operations for the Vancouver Olympics. Many fans will travel on the highway between Vancouver and venues at Whistler. (Getty Images) in losses, though the government of B.C. is the ultimate guarantor.
VANOC and the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit may have to deal with new security requirements at airports and venues after the failed Christmas Day terrorist attempt above Detroit.
Civil libertarians and advocates for the homeless have pledged to observe and report on any incidents of concern.
Organizers will wrestle with transportation challenges through January. An information session is scheduled for Jan. 6 at Robson Square in downtown to outline downtown traffic closures as VANOC will kick-off a last ditch campaign to encourage businesses to change their hours of business and let employees work from home.
The ongoing Vancouver 2010 transportation plan relies on cutting downtown traffic by 30 percent to accommodate the opening of Olympic lanes.
The next phase of the Olympic transport plan will be unveiled Jan. 11 or 12 and focus on closures and restrictions for the Feb. 12 opening and Feb. 28 closing ceremonies.
Written by Bob Mackin in Vancouver.
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