VANOC has announced when the tickets to the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will go on sale: May 6, 2009. Mark your calendars.
Sports of the Paralympic Winter Games
Paralympic Ticket Prices
Competition Schedule
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
No Fun City to Party Central
Vancouver is notoriously known as a no-fun city with countless fun events eventually reaching their demise with the loss of sponsorships, the finding of new politicians, etc. 2010 will see all that go to the wayside and Vancouver & Whistler will see the biggest parties they could ever imagine.
People from all over the world will come to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics and since the city is so relatively small the party will be amplified. Vancouver for example has approx. 2M people whereas Beijing has more than 17M, Whistler has merely 10,000. People will be everywhere; coaches, athletes, spectators, celebrities, and IOC delegates.
Vancouver will go from a typically quiet February to a scene straight out of one of its biggest annual parties, the Celebration of Light, on a nightly basis. T-shirts, painted faces, jolly visitors, and more will be everywhere. Business will likely be at a stand-still during the games. Many schools will not hold classes, instead opting for early spring breaks. Vancouver will be partying.
More from the Vancouver Sun.
People from all over the world will come to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics and since the city is so relatively small the party will be amplified. Vancouver for example has approx. 2M people whereas Beijing has more than 17M, Whistler has merely 10,000. People will be everywhere; coaches, athletes, spectators, celebrities, and IOC delegates.
Vancouver will go from a typically quiet February to a scene straight out of one of its biggest annual parties, the Celebration of Light, on a nightly basis. T-shirts, painted faces, jolly visitors, and more will be everywhere. Business will likely be at a stand-still during the games. Many schools will not hold classes, instead opting for early spring breaks. Vancouver will be partying.
More from the Vancouver Sun.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Next Olympic Stop... Vancouver 2010
535 days from now the world will be in Vancouver and Whistler and those not here will have their televisions tuned to the city and the biggest sport party the region has ever seen.
Vancouver and VANOC will have their work cut out for them as the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics were truly impressive. Human rights protests and terrorist attacts were not the problem many thought they could be, the air was relatively clear (for China), and athletes broke many Olympic and World Records in their quest for gold.
The Beijing Organizing Committee put on the most impressive Opening and Closing Ceremonies ever witnessed, complete with genuine and simulated fireworks, thousands of performers, and many top celebrities both from China and abroad.
On top of that the London Organizing Committee put on the most impressive "taste of the next games" number I have ever seen. Their performance was very hip, creative, and historical all at once. 
Performances by Leona Lewis, Jimmy Page, David Beckham and the coolest double-decker bus ever seen put the show over the top.
Hopefully Vancouver 2010 will answer the call and not put something too cliche together for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and Vancouver. Some great Canadian acts should be available including Cirque de Soliel, Bryan Adams, Nelly Furtado and more.
Photos courtesy of London 2012 Blog.
Vancouver and VANOC will have their work cut out for them as the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics were truly impressive. Human rights protests and terrorist attacts were not the problem many thought they could be, the air was relatively clear (for China), and athletes broke many Olympic and World Records in their quest for gold.
The Beijing Organizing Committee put on the most impressive Opening and Closing Ceremonies ever witnessed, complete with genuine and simulated fireworks, thousands of performers, and many top celebrities both from China and abroad.
On top of that the London Organizing Committee put on the most impressive "taste of the next games" number I have ever seen. Their performance was very hip, creative, and historical all at once. Performances by Leona Lewis, Jimmy Page, David Beckham and the coolest double-decker bus ever seen put the show over the top.Hopefully Vancouver 2010 will answer the call and not put something too cliche together for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and Vancouver. Some great Canadian acts should be available including Cirque de Soliel, Bryan Adams, Nelly Furtado and more.
Photos courtesy of London 2012 Blog.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Chilly Reception from IOC re: VANOCs Ticket Sales Ideas
I don't the the IOC is every really seen as the friendliest body and this is not exception as their alottment of tickets, typically around 30% to every event, is being questioned by VANOC. As a result of the empty seat epidemic visible in nearly every Olympic games the Vancouver Organizing Committee has a novel plan to try to cure the problem... give less tickets to the IOC and sell more to the paying public.
Sounds like a good plan, right? "Wrong!" says the IOC. Not surprisingly they're giving this Vancouver attempt a chilly reception as it could be a slippery slope loosening the death grip they currently hold on the organization of everything Olympic.
David Cobb, VANOC executive vp, revealed the unique idea to the Vancouver Sun last week and it had not yet been discussed with the IOC.
Fortunately the disagreement on the forward thinking plan seems to far to only be with the reduction and relocation of media vs. the IOC on the whole. We'll have to monitor where this goes from here as empty seats have made most recent Olympics a failure, at least on some levels.
Sounds like a good plan, right? "Wrong!" says the IOC. Not surprisingly they're giving this Vancouver attempt a chilly reception as it could be a slippery slope loosening the death grip they currently hold on the organization of everything Olympic.
David Cobb, VANOC executive vp, revealed the unique idea to the Vancouver Sun last week and it had not yet been discussed with the IOC.
Fortunately the disagreement on the forward thinking plan seems to far to only be with the reduction and relocation of media vs. the IOC on the whole. We'll have to monitor where this goes from here as empty seats have made most recent Olympics a failure, at least on some levels.
Listings Begin...
Now that the 2008 Beijing Olympics have completed the world's attention is shifting to Vancouver 2010 which brings us to the need for alternative accommodation. Vancouver will see many more guests than it's hotels can handle.
If you are looking for a place to rent or have a place that you plan to offer up post it in our FREE forums.
If you are looking for a place to rent or have a place that you plan to offer up post it in our FREE forums.
New Entry Court at Canada Place
Expo '86 saw a big infrastructure boom for Vancouver and the Lower Mainland including such notable fixtures as Sky Train, the Alex Fraser Bridge, Science World, and Canada Place which houses the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre.
The expanded Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre (VTCC) will house the media for Vancouver 2010 and service countless conventions leading up to the Olymipcs and well after their departure.
To bridge the existing VTCC, Canada Place Corporation will develop a new Entry Court between the two sections. A dramatic face lift will be performed on the current public plaza housing one of Vancouver's least inspiring fountains and will be replaced allowing for a link between the East and West sections of the VTCC.
The Welcome Centre will be a place where staff and displays will provide information about Canada Place, events at the facilities, and Canada.
Pieces of the existing fountain will be re-used in the lobby of the Convention Centre as a nod the Expo '86 legacy.
The expanded Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre (VTCC) will house the media for Vancouver 2010 and service countless conventions leading up to the Olymipcs and well after their departure.
To bridge the existing VTCC, Canada Place Corporation will develop a new Entry Court between the two sections. A dramatic face lift will be performed on the current public plaza housing one of Vancouver's least inspiring fountains and will be replaced allowing for a link between the East and West sections of the VTCC.
The Welcome Centre will be a place where staff and displays will provide information about Canada Place, events at the facilities, and Canada.
Pieces of the existing fountain will be re-used in the lobby of the Convention Centre as a nod the Expo '86 legacy.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Beijing 2008 Comes to a Close
16 days of amazing athletic performances have now come to a close in Beijing. As always, the athletic performances were wrapped up with the Closing Ceremonies held once again in the Bird's Nest stadium for some 90,000 spectators.
More than 43 new world records were set during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. 7 by American Michael Phelps who once again dominated the pool. Some other unique occurrences unfolded as well, including the Tae Kwon Do athlete from Cuba who was not impressed with his disqualification after taking more than the allowed for 1-minute and promptly kicked the referee in the head leaving him with a bloodied lip and most certainly a significant headache. The Swedish wrestler also stunned onlookers when he threw an Olympic hissy fit and threw his bronze medal to the ground in protest of the judging.
The Closing Ceremonies were one last opportunity for China to wow the world. Fireworks, upon fireworks, led the way and of course concluded the show. Star performances from Jimmy Page and David Beckham were somehow mixed into the performance. Lip-syncing again reined supreme, although the lip-syncers could have maybe used a bit more practice for this ancient art. Jacques Rogge of course deemed Beijing 2008 "truly exceptional".
All Olympic ceremonies to follow... Vancouver 2010, London 2012, and Sochi 2014 ...truly are now in a tough spot with a very tough act to follow. Hopefully with creativity they can also put on some great shows because the other cities almost surely won't have the funds or manpower that the People's Republic of China was able to throw at the 2008 Olympics.
Photo Credit: Martin Dougiamas.
More than 43 new world records were set during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. 7 by American Michael Phelps who once again dominated the pool. Some other unique occurrences unfolded as well, including the Tae Kwon Do athlete from Cuba who was not impressed with his disqualification after taking more than the allowed for 1-minute and promptly kicked the referee in the head leaving him with a bloodied lip and most certainly a significant headache. The Swedish wrestler also stunned onlookers when he threw an Olympic hissy fit and threw his bronze medal to the ground in protest of the judging.
The Closing Ceremonies were one last opportunity for China to wow the world. Fireworks, upon fireworks, led the way and of course concluded the show. Star performances from Jimmy Page and David Beckham were somehow mixed into the performance. Lip-syncing again reined supreme, although the lip-syncers could have maybe used a bit more practice for this ancient art. Jacques Rogge of course deemed Beijing 2008 "truly exceptional".All Olympic ceremonies to follow... Vancouver 2010, London 2012, and Sochi 2014 ...truly are now in a tough spot with a very tough act to follow. Hopefully with creativity they can also put on some great shows because the other cities almost surely won't have the funds or manpower that the People's Republic of China was able to throw at the 2008 Olympics.
Photo Credit: Martin Dougiamas.
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