Vancouver View: Cypress No Snow; U.S., Russia, British Teams, Homeless Tents

Cypress Snow Briefing Thursday

VANOC hosts a media briefing Jan. 28 to present the latest information about the lack of snow at Cypress Mountain, venue for freestyle skiing and snowboarding.

The absence of snow at Cypress has drawn international media attention, just about the only problem to report for Vancouver in these final weeks to the Games.

The venue was closed to public skiing and snowboarding on Jan. 13 because El Nino-related rainstorms and high temperatures have wiped snow off the slopes.

VANOC is using wood and hay to cover bare spots at the venue and is moving snow from higher elevations to salvage the course. Snow will also be dispatched by truck to the venue, located about 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver.

VANOC officials say the venue will be ready for the Olympics, regardless of the weather. CEO John Furlong has noted that of six outdoor venues where weather could be an issue, only Cypress is causing any headaches.

175 Russian Olympians for Vancouver

A team from Russia numbering 175 will compete at the the Vancouver Olympics. The Russian Olympic Committee named its Vancouver squad Tuesday.

Russia sent 178 Olympians to Turin in 2006. The decrease is due to stricter selection criteria, according to Vladimir Vasin, ROC vice president and head of the Olympic team.

More athletes could qualify for the Games and a final list will be published Feb. 1.

U.S. Alpine Skiing Team Includes Medal Contenders

World champion Lindsay Vonn, gold medalists Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso, and silver medalist Bode Miller will represent the United States in alpine skiing in Vancouver.

The announcement of the 22-man squad came Tuesday. Nine Olympic veterans are on the team.

British Team, Uniform

The British Olympic Association has named a further 19 athletes to compete for Great Britain at the Vancouver Games. Official sportswear partner adidas also unveiled the Team GB kit in London on Tuesday. The athletes from four sports and seven disciplines join the 24 athletes who have already been announced to travel to Vancouver, bringing the total to 43 athletes across six sports and 10 disciplines.

“There are world champions, but also teenagers who may not truly reach their peak until the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. It’s an exciting team – the best of British in winter sport – and we’re doing everything we can to allow these athletes to fulfil their potential and achieve a personal best for Team GB in Vancouver,” said Andy Hunt, Team GB Chef de Mission.

Fight Against Doping Claims Vancouver Hopefuls

Alena Sidko, one of Russia’s top cross-country skiers, has been kicked off the Olympic team for Vancouver for doping. She tested positive for EPO at an annual skiing event in the Moscow region, according to Russian media. Sidko, 30, won a bronze medal in the individual sprint at the Turin 2006 Games.

German speedskater Claudia Pechstein, the country’s most successful Winter Olympian with nine medals, will definitely miss her sixth consecutive Winter Games. The Switzerland Supreme Court refused to suspend her two-year ban for blood doping

Pechstein, 37, was attempting to overturn the ban upheld last November by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The International Skating Union had banned Pechstein from competing until February 2011 after finding her blood profile showed abnormal values at the World Allround Championships last season.

Red Tents for Vancouver Homeless

Social activist lawyers plan to distribute red tents to homeless people and encourage them to sleep in public during the Games.

Pivot Legal Society said it will initially ask city council permission for people to sleep in the tents on sidewalks. Otherwise, it hopes the city will respect a 2009 B.C. Court of Appeal judgment that upheld the right of people to sleep in public parks if no emergency shelter space is available.

The tents will have stickers saying “housing is a right” and “end homelessness now.” Pivot hopes international media visiting Vancouver 2010 will notice.

Olympic Streetcars

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson launched the Bombardier Olympic Streetcar line on Jan. 21, hoping that the city would someday have a European-style trolley system.

City of Vancouver paid $8.5 million to upgrade 1.8km of tracks to accommodate the two Bombardier electric streetcars. Bombardier is a Canadian firm.

The deluxe streetcars, on-loan from Brussels, Belgium, feature leather, wood and stainless steel interiors and are running every six to 10 minutes from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. until March 21. They connect the Canada Line Olympic Village station and Granville Island, which will be a hub of activity during the 2010 Winter Olympics, with the House of Switzerland, Place de la Francophonie and Atlantic Canada House.

With reporting from Mark Bisson, Bob Mackin, Ed Hula III