International Olympic Committee : Vancouver 2010

Vancouver 2010: Women�s ice hockey teams already known

With fewer than 500 days to go until the XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the eight women’s ice hockey teams which will be taking part in the Olympic tournament in February 2010 are already known. The last two places were allocated at the Olympic qualifying competitions in Bad Tölz (Germany) and Shanghai (China). The Slovak and Chinese players will join their American, Canadian, Finnish, Russian, Swedish and Swiss counterparts, who had already qualified.

13 to 25 February 2010

From 13 to 25 February, Canada Hockey Place and the UBC Thunderbird Arena will be hosting the competitions for the two Olympic tournament groups and deciding which team will succeed Canada.

Group A: Canada, Sweden, Switzerland and Slovakia
Group B: USA, Finland, Russia and China

The final schedule for the women’s competition will be known by the end of December 2008 or early January 2009, as with the men’s tournament.

Three men’s places left

In the men’s tournament, we shall have to wait until February 2009 to know the names of the last three teams going to Vancouver with their American, Canadian, Belarusian, Finnish, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Swiss and Czech counterparts.

Related stories:

Slovakia’s reward: Canada

China joins Slovakia for 2010

Find out more about ice hockey

Vancouver 2010 official site

Vancouver 2010 Steps Into The Spotlight

At the end of its seventh visit to Vancouver, the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission confirmed that the Vancouver 2010 Organising Committee (VANOC) continues to be on the right track to host top quality Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in February 2010. The Commission was particularly pleased to see that VANOC’s participation in the IOC’s Beijing 2008 Observer’s Programme had had a positive impact on its planning and that the Games legacy remains a top priority for the next Olympic Games organisers.

Raise The Bar

Commenting on the visit, IOC Coordination Commission Chairman René Fasel said, “With the Beijing Games now over, it is Vancouver 2010’s turn to step into the spotlight and I am confident that Vancouver 2010 can also raise the bar for the Olympic Winter Games. Our Canadian friends learned many important lessons during their stay in Beijing as part of the IOC’s Observer’s Programme, and this can be seen in their planning, which is being fine-tuned as VANOC moves into its operational phase.”

Whistler Venues

During its visit, the Commission had the opportunity to review the venues in the Whistler area, which will host the skiing and sliding sports as well as the athletes’ village. Fasel commented, “The competition venues in Whistler are truly spectacular and will provide a fantastic back drop for the athletes, as they strive for sporting excellence. It is particularly reassuring to see that they are all largely complete and are already being used. Indeed, as VANOC starts to test them, and all of its other Games-time arenas, with its 17 up-coming sport events, it will be a fantastic opportunity for the athletes to get a feel for what awaits them in 2010 and for the public to experience many sports and disciplines that may not be familiar to them.”

Legacy

The Olympic Games are more than just 16 days of sporting competition, and this was underlined by two announcements made during the visit that will undoubtedly produce positive legacies from the Vancouver Games. On Tuesday 21 October, the Province of British Columbia and VANOC announced an initiative to use temporary housing from the Whistler athletes’ village to help combat homelessness across British Columbia. Additionally, the IOC and VANOC, in close partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), announced the dates of next year’s 8th World Conference on Sport and the Environment, which will be held in Vancouver from 29 to 31 March 2009.

VANCOUVER 2010

Vancouver and Whistler will host the XXI Olympic Winter Games from 12 to 28 February 2010 and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from 12 to 21 March 2010. The seven Winter Olympic sports that will be on show in Vancouver are Luge, Skiing, Skating, Ice Hockey, Biathlon, Bobsleigh and Curling.

Canada to host the 8th World Conference on Sport and Environment

Today marks the registration launch for the 8th World Conference on Sport and the Environment (WCSE). The event will be held from 29 to 31 March 2009 in Vancouver, host of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Organised jointly by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Vancouver 2010 Organising Committee (VANOC), in close partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the conference will bring together representatives of governmental and non-governmental institutions dealing with sport and the environment, the United Nations system, universities, as well as the Olympic Family.

Two conference tracks
Under the main theme, "Innovation and Inspiration", the 2009 World Conference on Sport and the Environment will focus on two conference tracks: Sport for Environmental Solutions and Sport for Sustainable Living. The conference will provide a timely opportunity for the global community to come together and recognise the progress being made in staging more sustainable sporting events; and to encourage cooperation and further development of environmental initiatives relating to sport. In addition to the conference, an "Innovation and Inspiration" exposition will showcase best practices by sport organisations, event organisers, host and bid cities, corporate sponsors and NGOs, all of whom promote sustainable living and development through sport.

Pushing for sustainable environmental legacies

“The environment is an important part of the work of the Olympic Movement, and we recognise there can be many opportunities for sport and the Olympic Games to provide sustainable environmental legacies,” said Jacques Rogge, President of the IOC. “The recent attention given to global warming has pushed sustainability to the very top of the agenda for governments, businesses and ordinary citizens. The Conference brings together the worlds of sport and environment to share knowledge and advance practices related to sport and its relationship with the environment and communities.”

First ever IOC Sport and Environment Award

The conference will also be the perfect platform to hand over the first ever IOC Awards for Sport and the Environment. These new, biennial awards, which will be given to a nominee from each of the five continents, recognise outstanding activities by the Olympic Family in the field of sustainable sport and the environment.

Save your place!
Save your place and register now on the dedicated conference website at www.wcse2009.com. Besides the registration section, the website offers extensive information on the programme, the exhibition, the organisers, side events, the venue and accommodation. Furthermore you can learn about the organisers' efforts to make this event truly sustainable.

Vancouver 2010 Takes Centre Stage

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission will pay its seventh visit to Vancouver, the host city of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, this week and its first visit since the Canadian city became next in line to be Olympic host. The visit will also see the Commission pay a short trip to Whistler, which will be the site of a number of the events during the Games.

500 Days And Counting

With less than 500 days to go until the Vancouver Games begin, the Commission will be hearing from the Vancouver Organising Committee (VANOC) about its progress in a number of areas including sport, spectator experience, National Olympic Committee services and media services. Under the Chairmanship of IOC member René Fasel, the Commission will be looking to see that VANOC has learned the lessons from its observation of the Beijing Games and that as the upcoming sports events approach that VANOC’s move towards operations is well on track.

VANCOUVER 2010

Vancouver 2010 Tickets On Sale Now!

For winter sports fans across the world, the road to Vancouver 2010 is now well and truly underway with the opening of ticket sales for this next edition of the Olympic Winter Games. The first phase of ticket sales for the Canadian public runs from 3 October 2008 till 7 November 2008, while fans outside Canada should contact their local National Olympic Committee (NOC) or its official ticket agent for more details on ticket availability in their territory.

Canada

As the host population for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Canadian residents have a great opportunity to be able to witness first hand the Winter Games on home soil. Canadians will be able to buy tickets in a number of different ways from the Vancouver 2010 Organising Committee (VANOC). The best place to start creating your experience is by checking out VANOC’s website, where you can learn all about the different options that are available to you if you live in Canada. The best part is that you don’t even have to rush: phase one will run until 7 November 2008, and requests received on 6 November will be weighted equally with requests received early in October, so pick your events, create your own personal experience and come along and join the fun.

Worldwide

For sports fans outside Canada, tickets will go on sale at different times in different territories as of 3 October 2008. The best way to find out about getting tickets where you are is by contacting your local NOC or its official ticket agent. You can get more information about the Games themselves and about visiting Canada at Vancouver2010.com. Speaking on the day of the ticketing launch in Canada, VANOC CEO John Furlong said, “Canadians can’t wait to welcome the world with glowing hearts, and we invite everyone to join us in what is sure to be a spectacular celebration of culture, winter sport and incredible athletic achievement.”

Ticket Sources

Fans are reminded that only tickets purchased from or obtained through official/authorised sources will enable entry to venues. Detailed information on official/authorised ticket sources, in particular a list of authorised ticket resellers (in Canada and internationally), is available on the official Vancouver 2010 ticketing website. Fans who have purchased or obtained tickets from unofficial or unauthorised sources run the risk of having those tickets cancelled, being refused entry and/or being asked to leave the venue without receiving a refund or qualifying for an exchange of ticket. Neither the International Olympic Committee nor VANOC nor any NOC may be held liable for any consequence (such as, without limitation, any loss or damage) related to a ticket purchased from or obtained through an unauthorised or unofficial source.

VANCOUVER 2010

Vancouver 2010 will welcome you �With Glowing Hearts�

In less than 500 days, Vancouver 2010 will welcome the athletes and the world “With Glowing Hearts”. The Vancouver Organising Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) has announced that these words from the English version of “ÔCanada” (Canadian national anthem) and “Des plus brillants exploits” from the French version will be the official 2010 Winter Games mottos.

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Emotion and pride

These mottos - which will forever be tied to Olympic and Paralympic athletic achievements in 2010 - express the character and personality of Canada’s Games. For John Furlong, VANOC Chief Executive Officer, “the mottos describe the pride that results from outstanding achievement; be it an athlete’s performance of a lifetime or the valuable contribution of a dedicated volunteer. There’s a champion in everybody and the mottos invite everyone to step up to their own podium and give their very best through the once-in-a-lifetime experience of the 2010 Winter Games”.

An inspired motto

The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, recalled that “finding the perfect motto for the Olympic Games is one of the great challenges organising committees face. It may be the last inspirational words an athlete reads on the field of play before their performance of a lifetime, or the first celebratory words they see when stepping onto the medal podium. It should both welcome visitors from around the world and motivate an army of volunteers. With Glowing Hearts is an inspired motto choice and we commend VANOC on selecting a motto that delivers on all of these counts and invites the world to share in these time-honoured words from Canada's national anthem."

Captures the Paralympic spirit

The motto, said Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), “captures the warm and welcoming spirit of the host nation and it promises to the world that the extraordinary achievements of all athletes will be honoured and celebrated. The motto also continues the spirit of the Paralympic values: courage, determination, inspiration and equality.”

Canadians to welcome the world’s best winter athletes in 2010 “With Glowing Hearts”