2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Competition Venues

Main Digest

Article examines some of the venues for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic games in Canada. Includes post games usage of venues and stadiums.

Backgrounder: Olympic Competition Venues

RICHMOND OLYMPIC OVAL - Speedskating

The Richmond Olympic Oval is located on the banks of the Fraser River, 14 kilometers south of downtown Vancouver. Located in the northwest corner of Richmond, the Oval is across the river from the Vancouver International Airport and near Richmond city center. The venue will host all speed skating events.

Venue Capacity: 8,000

Post-Games Use

After the Games, the Richmond Olympic Oval will become an international center of excellence for sports and wellness. The facility's flexible design, with two international sized ice rinks, eight gymnasiums, a 200-meter running track and 23,000 square foot fitness center, will allow it to be used for a variety of sport and community functions. The facility will be the centerpiece of a major new urban waterfront neighborhood featuring a mix of residential, commercial and public amenity development.

VANOC Investment: The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games' (VANOC) contribution to the Richmond Olympic Oval project is $63.3 million. The governments of Canada and British Columbia are jointly funding a portion of the new construction. The City of Richmond is responsible for the majority of project costs and for building the facility, which includes a new waterfront plaza, park and parkade.

Scope of Work for 2010: The Richmond Olympic Oval will house a 400-meter track within the new 33,750-square-meter facility. Key design elements include a state-of-the-art ice plant with superior air quality and climate controls. Facilities and systems will include offices, timing and athlete monitoring equipment, and fitness and strength training areas.

CANADA HOCKEY PLACE (GM PLACE) - Men's ice hockey, women's ice hockey

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games ice hockey tournaments will be staged in two venues "Canada Hockey Place and the UBC Thunderbird Arena. In addition to being home to the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks, the facility is one of the most active entertainment venues in North America. Since its opening in September 1995, it has attracted the biggest names in show business to its stage and welcomed more than 10 million visitors.

Venue Capacity: 18,630

Post-Games Use: Canada Hockey Place hosts approximately 100 events each year, ranking it among the busiest facilities in North America.

Scope of Work for 2010: On June 7, 2006, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced that the 2010 Winter Games ice hockey tournaments will be played on North American-sized ice surfaces, rather than converting to the larger international size. This decision precluded any modifications to the existing ice sheet, allowing for economic savings and ensuring no environmental impact. Additional locker rooms will be built as part of the venue preparations for the Games.

VANCOUVER OLYMPIC/PARALYMPIC CENTRE - Men's curling, women's curling, mixed wheelchair curling

The venue is located in a lively Vancouver community that includes the beautiful Queen Elizabeth Park and views of the local mountains.

Venue Capacity: 6,000

Post-Games Use: After the 2010 Winter Games, the curling venue will become a multi-purpose community recreation center that includes an ice hockey rink, gymnasium, library and six to eight sheets of curling ice. A new aquatic center with a 50-meter pool and leisure pool is attached to, and being constructed with, the new curling venue and community center. Post-Games, the venue will be managed by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.

VANOC Investment: VANOC's investment in the curling/wheelchair curling facility is $40 million. The City of Vancouver is responsible for the balance of the project costs.

Scope of Work for 2010: The project includes construction of a new arena with temporary seating for the 2010 Winter Games, and an adjoining aquatic center.

PACIFIC COLISEUM - Figure skating, short track speed skating

The Pacific Coliseum at Hastings Park is at the core of one Vancouver's major event sites. Home to an annual fair that attracts up to 60,000 people a day, this site is very well served by public transportation.

Venue Capacity: 14,239

Post-Games Use: As the largest building within the Hastings Park complex, the Pacific Coliseum will continue to serve as a venue for diverse events such as ice shows, boxing, basketball, hockey, concerts, large assemblies, and trade and consumer shows.

VANOC Investment: Improvements to the Pacific Coliseum are estimated at $20.4 million. The governments of Canada and British Columbia are jointly funding the upgrades to the existing facility.

Scope of work for 2010

The upgrades to Hastings Park are part of long-term restoration plans that began in 1994. Structural and cosmetic renovations will revitalize the Pacific Coliseum to address 2010 Winter Games and community needs. The replacement of nearly 16,000 seats and the expansion of the ice surface to international size have been completed. The balance of the building and technical changes for the Pacific Coliseum include ice plant improvements and upgrades to washroom facilities, concession space, building heating/ ventilation/air conditioning/lighting and dehumidification systems.

UBC THUNDERBIRD ARENA - ice hockey, ice sledge hockey

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is located on a sprawling oceanside campus on Vancouver's west side. The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) secured an agreement with UBC to locate a new competition arena for the 2010 Winter Games on the site of the existing Thunderbird Winter Sport Complex.

Venue capacity: 7,200

Post-Games Use: Following the 2010 Winter Games, the UBC venue will become a recreational and high-performance multi-sport legacy facility. The new training arena will be easily convertible for ice sledge hockey training and competition use.

VANOC Investment: VANOC's investment in the UBC Thunderbird Arena is $38.5 million. The University of British Columbia is responsible for the balance of construction costs.

Scope of Work for 2010: The redevelopment of the UBC Thunderbird Arena includes the refurbishing of the existing competition arena and the construction of two new ice sheets: one which will be used for the competition arena, and one that will be used for future training.

WHISTLER SLIDING CENTRE - Bobsleigh, luge, skeleton

The Whistler Sliding Center will host the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and will also serve as a legacy for the enjoyment of local residents, visitors and high-performance athletes. The venue is situated on Blackcomb Mountain, complementing the other adventure-oriented activities the area offers. Post-Games, the facility will operate as a center for high-performance development, youth and recreational club programming, and tourist and public admissions (passenger rides and tours), building the legacy of the 2010 Winter Games.

Venue capacity: 12,000

Elevation: Men's luge handles: 939 meters

Bottom: 787 meters

Highest vertical drop: 152 meters

Post-Games Use: The Whistler Sliding Center will be operated under the direction of the Whistler Legacies Society, supported by an endowment trust that was established by the federal and provincial governments as part of their 2010 Winter Games venues investment. The Whistler Sliding Center will showcase sliding sports by hosting international competitions and developing sliding sports opportunities in the local communities. Its location, near several of the resort's world-class hotels, will attract many tourists, providing a sustainable revenue stream towards the center's long-term operations.

WHISTLER CREEKSIDE - Alpine skiing

With more than two million visitors a year, Whistler is consistently ranked as the number one ski resort in North America. The resort has extensive experience hosting International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup competitions. The men's Olympic alpine skiing events will be held on the Dave Murray Downhill. The ladies' Olympic alpine skiing course and the Paralympic alpine skiing events will take place on Franz's Run.

Olympic Winter Games venue capacity: 7,600

Paralympic Winter Games venue capacity: 6,000

Finish area elevation: 810 meters

Post-Games Use:

Whistler Creekside will continue to offer a world-class ski area to recreational skiers and will be a site for future international competitions and Canadian team training.

VANOC investment: Improvements to Whistler Creekside are estimated at $27.6 million. The governments of Canada and British Columbia agreed to jointly fund new construction and upgrades.

Scope of work for 2010: Improvements include contouring and reshaping of the men's and ladies' downhill courses, and additions to the existing snow-making system.

WHISTLER OLYMPIC/PARALYMPIC PARK - Biathlon, Cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, ski jumping

The compact, one-square-kilometer Olympic Games core area includes three separate stadiums (cross-country skiing, biathlon, ski jumping) located about 400 meters apart.

Approximately 15 kilometers of Olympic competition trails for cross-country skiing and biathlon have been built and tested through the 2007-08 opening season.

The biathlon stadium's range consists of 30 lanes with a fully electronic target system able to detect and report the precise time and hit or miss of each bullet fired.

The two ski jumps (normal hill and large hill) include one of the world's most sophisticated ski jump snow refrigeration and track setting systems.

All Paralympic cross-country skiing and biathlon events will use parts of both the Olympic cross-country and biathlon competition trails and stadiums. Competition courses include a 5-kilometer course for the standing classes and a specially designed 3.75-kilometer course for the sit-ski classes.

A portable 10-meter air and laser rifle biathlon range will be set up in the cross-country stadium for the biathlon events.

Olympic Winter Games gross venue capacity: 12,000 in each of three stadiums

Paralympic Winter Games gross venue capacity: 6,000

Elevation: 840 meters-930 meters

Post-Games Use: Whistler Olympic Park/Whistler Paralympic Park will be operated under the direction of the Whistler Legacies Society, supported by an endowment trust established by the federal and provincial governments as part of their 2010 Winter Games venues investment.

The venue will showcase Nordic sports by hosting international competitions and developing Nordic sport opportunities in the local communities. There is also a significant opportunity for post-Games recreational use with an additional 40 kilometers of recreational trails.

VANOC Investment: Construction of Whistler Olympic Park/Whistler Paralympic Park is estimated at $119.7 million. The governments of Canada and British Columbia have agreed to jointly fund the construction.

Scope of Work for 2010: The construction project included the competition facilities described above; technical sport buildings at each of the stadiums; maintenance building; sewer, water, and power services; access roads; internal roads; parking lots; day lodge and other related infrastructure facilities.

CYPRESS MOUNTAIN - Freestyle skiing, snowboard

Cypress Mountain is located in Cypress Provincial Park, adjacent to the District of West Vancouver. The mountain is served by an excellent highway and offers spectacular views of Vancouver and its harbour.

Gross venue capacity: 8000

Elevation: 930 m

Post-Games Use: Cypress Mountain is one of the most popular skiing areas in British Columbia, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The 2010 Winter Games upgrades will enhance the Cypress Mountain experience for both recreational and competitive users.

VANOC Investment: Improvements to Cypress Mountain are estimated at $16.7 million. The governments of Canada and British Columbia agreed to jointly fund new construction and upgrades to existing venues.

Scope of Work for 2010: Venue upgrades include modifications to existing runs, a new in-ground halfpipe, a snow-making system and water reservoir, lighting, a new freestyle site for aerials and moguls, and a parallel giant slalom course.

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