Vancouver View: 2010 Games Schedule Published

Cypress Mountain is getting a host of upgrades before hosting freestyle skiing and snowboard. (Getty Images)Vancouver Releases Games Calendar

Men’s ski jumping qualifying at Whistler Olympic Park starts the 2010 Games, according to the schedule released Dec. 19. The IOC approved the schedule last week.

The only other event Feb. 12 is the opening ceremony at B.C. Place Stadium, which VANOC previously announced would begin at six o’clock p.m., Pacific Standard Time.

Other highlights include women’s hockey beginning Feb. 13 at General Motors Place and University of British Columbia Winter Sports Centre. The men’s tournament runs Dec. 16-28.

Figure skating finals at the Pacific Coliseum are Feb. 15 for pairs, 18 for men, 22 for free dance and the women wind up on Feb. 25. Curling begins Feb. 16 at Hillcrest/Nat Bailey Stadium Park. The women’s final is Feb. 26 and the men’s is Feb. 27. Alpine speed skiing in the first week at Whistler Creekside yields to technical events in week two.

Feb. 26 is the busiest day with eight medal events. The Games close Feb. 28 with the 50 km men’s cross-country skiing final, men’s gold medal hockey game and the closing ceremony at B.C. Place. A full schedule is available online.

The 17-day schedule for the Feb. 12-28, 2010 Games, however, doesn’t include start times.

Rene Fasel, chairman of the International Olympic Committee’s 2010 Coordination Commission, says from St. Petersburg, Russia that negotiations to finalize the schedule would continue in February with international broadcasters, sport federations and VANOC.

“It’s always the same thing, always the same challenge during the Olympic Games to avoid the competition between the federations,” Fasel says.

It also requires balancing climate with transportation and security concerns.

“Especially if you go in the mountains, if you load and unload a venue it is not an easy task for an organizer as we know from previous Games,” Fasel says.

“It must be coordinated in a very sensible way.”

The Games consist of 86 events in seven sports at 12 stadiums in nine venues. The Oct. 25-dated fifth draft schedule was approved a week earlier by the IOC. Tickets go on sale Oct. 11, 2008.

Fasel, who is also president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, said hockey faceoffs are “more or less set” for noon, four thirty p.m. and nine p.m.

VANOC also released a schedule of 20 test events, beginning with the Feb. 21-24 International Ski Federation Alpine Skiing World Cup at Whistler Creekside.

Christmas Shoppers Snap up Mascot Dolls Quachi is available online for $40 – but only to Canadian buyers.

The Miga, Quatchi and Sumi stuffed dolls are on track for sell out by Christmas. Another 300,000 of the made in China critters will arrive in January when the Bay and Zellers stores’ exclusivity ends. Tattooed, earmuffed Sasquatch Quatchi is the sales leader, said VANOC executive vice-president of revenue, marketing and communication Dave Cobb. Cobb also said sales of Paralympics mascot Sumi, the thunderbird with black bear legs, are surprisingly brisk.

Security Secrets Safe, No Word on Transport

Vancouver 2010’s latest quarterly financial report said it remains on time and on budget and the construction contingency fund is $250,000 better at $27.1 million. But VANOC also remains silent on security and transportation planning. The RCMP – Canada’s federal police force – are coordinating Games security among several agencies. (Getty Images)

Royal Canadian Mounted Police documents released under public disclosure legislation last summer revealed the $175 million set aside by the provincial and federal governments is inadequate to secure the Games. One-fifth of the budget is already earmarked for accommodations and the RCMP is competing for rooms with VANOC and tourists in the Sea-to-Sky corridor.

The new chief of the RCMP Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit Bud Mercer was supposed to submit updated estimates to the federal and provincial governments last month.

“We are really an audience to how their deliberations are going forward,” said VANOC executive vice-president of service operations and ceremonies Terry Wright.

Wright said information could be expected in late 2008 on the transportation plan.

London 2012, by contrast, sought public opinion on its transportation plan in fall 2006 and published its first draft earlier this year.

2010 Business Summit Includes Olympic Sponsors

The British Columbia 2010 Business Summit will have adecidedly Olympic bent. Scheduled on Feb. 11 at the Fairmont Hotel, speakers will represent Vancouver 2010 sponsors, suppliers, licensees, broadcasters and government partners.

VISA International senior vice-president of sponsorship and event marketing Scot Smythe, Coca-Cola group director of worldwide sport and event management Peter Franklin and NBC Universal vice-president of marketing and business affairs Brett Goodman are three of the highlighted presenters.

The event coincides with B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell’s annual countdown to 2010 lunch with the Vancouver Board of Trade.

The early bird rate through Jan. 18 is $422.94. Otherwise, it is $503.50. More information at www.2010businesssummit.com.

Korea Supplies Vancouver Rapid Transit

South Korea-based Hyundai Rotem won the deal to build the trains for the Canada Line, an airport-to-downtown rapid transit system being built to open before the Games. The Dec. 14 announcement was a day after B.C. Ferries’ German-made Coastal Renaissance superferry arrived in Vancouver after a 48-day journey.

With reporting from Bob Mackin in Vancouver.

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