Countdown To The Olympics

Following the announcement last December of Innsbruck as the host city for the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced the composition of the Coordination Commission.

The Coordination Commission includes representatives from the IOC and the Olympic Movement who will monitor preparations for the Youth Olympic Games and guide the Innsbruck Organising Committee over the next three years.

The composition is as follows:

Mr Gian Franco Kasper (SUI)

Mr Ottavio Cinquanta (ITA)

Mr Janko Dvorsak (SLO)

Mr Victor Khotochkin (RUS)

Ms Rebecca Scott (CAN)

Mr Robert Storey (CAN)

Ms Pernilla Wiberg (SWE)

Mr Gilbert Felli, (SUI) IOC Olympic Games Executive Director   

IOC President Jacques Rogge and Coordination Commission Chairman, Gian Franco Kasper, together with Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli and the Head of the Youth Olympic Games, Essar Gabriel, visited Innsbruck in January. The IOC and Innsbruck Organising Committee will continue working closely together in the lead up to the staging of the first Winter Youth Olympic Games.

At the moment – just one year out from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games – many excited winter sports athletes and spectators are gathering at the different competition venues in Vancouver and Whistler. It is high season for various sports events, such as the World Cups or World Championships that are taking place at the 2010 venues and providing the opportunity to test Games-time operations as well as to train potential volunteers.  Furthermore, local sports fans are thus getting the chance to experience the 15 sports disciplines that will be showcased at the 2010 Winter Games – along with the athletes who are likely to compete at the same spot next year.

Inaugural Competitions
For instance, last week saw the inaugural competitions on the sliding track for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games during the FIBT Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup. The Whistler Sliding Centre confirmed its moniker as the world’s fastest track when Latvia’s Janis Minins became the first man to drive a four-man bobsleigh faster than 150 kilometres per hour. In front of a sold-out crowd of 3,000, Minins and his team mates won gold on the 1,450 metre course. 

30,000 Spectators    
The ISU’s Four Continents Figure Skating Championships that took place from 2 to 8 February in the Pacific Coliseum were another good occasion to get an impression of the preparations for next year’s Vancouver Olympic Games. The event featured the best figure skaters from non-European countries, and no fewer than 108 athletes from 16 nations competed in front of approximately 30,000 spectators. ISU Vice-President David Dore, who is also an Olympic Winter Games Figure Skating Technical Delegate, states happily: “The success of last week’s ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships heralds a thrilling Olympic event in this venue just 12 months from now. We are pleased with the level of preparations for the Games, which are well advanced. This event tested Olympic figure skating procedures, and we are very happy with the outcome. It was a week of top competition with exceptional skating, crowd enthusiasm and impeccable organisation.”

World’s Best Riders
Further sports events are to follow in the coming days and weeks, such as the  Snowboard FIS World Cup from 12 to 15 February. The world’s best riders are meeting at Cypress Mountain, close to Vancouver. More than 300 athletes from 31 countries will compete in a snowboard cross, a halfpipe contest and a parallel giant slalom at the 2010 Olympic snowboard venue. Read more soon on www.olympic.org.

The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, has officially invited the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of the world to attend the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The ceremony, which took place in front of a live audience at the brand new Richmond Olympic Oval, was broadcast across Canada on television and saw winter sporting great Cindy Klassen add her voice to Rogge’s invitation to the youth of the world.

Rogge Quote

Inviting the athletes of the world to Vancouver, Rogge said, “The Olympic Games engender dreams and inspiration in the hearts of young people everywhere. For athletes around the world the chance to compete next year in Vancouver will be their goal, the culmination of a lifetime’s ambition. I wish them all good luck, and on behalf of the International Olympic Committee, I invite them to participate in the 21st Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver one year from now.”

NOC Invitations

A number of NOCs were invited to Vancouver to receive their invitations directly from President Rogge. The NOCs that were represented by their Presidents in Richmond were Great Britain, Russia, the United States and Canada – the NOCs of the next Games hosts and of the country that neighbours Canada. The other NOCs will receive their invitations by post and they were sent directly from the IOC’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Sport and Culture

The hour-long spectacular, which culminated in a mass celebration at 6 p.m. Vancouver time – the time at which the Opening Ceremony is exactly 365 days away – saw a number of different cultural elements, including a welcome by the children of the Four Host First Nations, a choir and vocalist singing O Canada, a fun mascot number and a huge finale. There were also elements of sport, with Klassen and some younger athletes all involved in the event.

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.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today officially invited the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of the world to attend the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

During a traditional ceremony in front of a live audience at the brand new Richmond Olympic Oval, IOC President Jacques Rogge called upon the world’s athletes to come and compete in Vancouver in one year’s time.

He symbolically presented an invitation to the Canadian Olympic Committee, the British Olympic Association, and the Russian Olympic Committee – the NOCs of the next Games host cities, as well as the United States Olympic Committee – the country that neighbours Canada. The other NOCs will receive their invitations by post directly from the IOC’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Inviting the athletes to Vancouver, Rogge said, “The Olympic Games engender dreams and inspiration in the hearts of young people everywhere. For athletes around the world the chance to compete next year in Vancouver will be their goal, the culmination of a lifetime’s ambition. I wish them all good luck, and on behalf of the IOC, I invite them to participate in the XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, one year from now.”

At the same time, people across Canada were taking part in a series of celebrations to mark exactly one year until the start of the Vancouver Games.

“We’re rounding the corner of our final lap as we head into this last year and Canada will be ready to welcome the world in 2010,” said John Furlong, VANOC Chief Executive Officer.  “We are delighted to have IOC President Rogge with us to mark this special milestone and his invitation to the National Olympic Committees of the world makes it all very real for our team. Athletes are already training and competing on the spectacular Olympic venues in Vancouver and Whistler and you can feel the excitement building.  On behalf of all Canadians, we look forward to sharing the uniquely Canadian 2010 story with the world in just one year.”

Earlier today, the Vancouver Organising Committee (VANOC) launched the Olympic Torch and the uniforms for the torchbearers at a ceremony in Whistler, the site of the sliding events and many of the ski disciplines in 2010. This was another key milestone on the way to this year’s torch-lighting ceremony in Olympia, Greece.

Vancouver and Whistler will host the XXI Olympic Winter Games from 12 to 28 February 2010. A total of 85 NOCs took part in the Olympic Winter Games in Turin in 2006. Vancouver is expected to see a record number of countries participating in the competitions next year.

For more information please contact the IOC Communications Department,

Following the unveiling of its Olympic Torch Relay route last year, the Vancouver 2010 Organising Committee (VANOC) took advantage of the one-year-to-go mark to unveil its Olympic Torch design, the torchbearer uniform and the first two torchbearers to be selected for the event. IOC President Jacques Rogge was also present, along with a number of other dignitaries at the unveiling event in Whistler – site of the skiing and sliding events for the 2010 Games.

 

 

Ignite A Passion

Speaking at the event, President Rogge spoke about the pride of having the Olympic Torch Relay in your own country and its ability to inspire. Rogge said, “For most people – whether as spectators or torchbearers – the Olympic Torch Relay is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I have seen the pride people feel when this vibrant symbol of the world’s hope and excitement is carried through their own community.” He continued, “Many of those who witness the Olympic Torch Relay will find it ignites a passion and inspires them to participate in sport, to give their very best in all they do.”

Torch Design

Inspired by Canada’s open landscape, vast potential and smooth fluid lines left in the snow from winter sports, the torch design is ergonomic and easily handled by everyone. The torch in winter white has a red Maple leaf cut-out and the Games motto “With Glowing Hearts/Des plus brillants exploits” engraved on it. An inukshuk, the emblem of Vancouver 2010, is also prominent. The torch measures 94.5 centimetres and weighs about 1.6 kilogrammes.

Uniforms

The Olympic Torch Relay uniforms for 2010 were designed by renowned Canadian fashion designers Vivienne Lu and Tu Ly. The uniforms are white and accented with bright bursts of blue and green on the left arm of the jacket. The colour palette is inspired by the winter landscape and the multi-hued beauty of the dancing northern lights, as well as the breathtaking scenery of the Sea-to-Sky region. The uniforms also feature the Olympic rings on the back and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay emblem.

First Torchbearers

The first two torchbearers selected through public contests were Patricia Moreno, 17, and Caleb Taylor, 35. Patricia was selected for her leadership role in her community and her dedication to youth sports programmes, while Caleb teaches hockey to inner-city youth in his hometown of Regina.

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.