VANCOUVER 12-28 February 2010 Vancouver hosts XXI Olympic Winter Games -- with snow?

Canada is counting down to the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics with several early worries out of the way -- and a new one: warm weather. Canada's indigenous leaders had threatened to disrupt the Games with bridge blockades and airport protests, and construction strikes that would have delayed completion of the venues were a potential threat at one point. Both threats appear to have eased, but the lack of snow remains a worry.

Phil Fontaine, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said the Vancouver Olympics provide an opportunity to raise awareness, but opposed any protest that would disrupt the Games. 

The Canadian Forces are planning to deploy troops for the largest security operation in Canadian history at Vancouver's 2010 Olympics. The military plans to provide maritime security, air support and troops to secure the Games against a potential attack by al-Qaeda or other terrorists, according to Defence Department documents.

Rumblings in the construction industry spelled the possibility that strikes could delay the completion of competition venues, but The Vancouver Organizing Committee's deal with building trades unions that runs through Apr 2010 averted the threat. The facilities at the three main competition venues -- the Whistler Sliding Centre, the Alpine Skiing venue and the Nordic Centre in the Callaghan Valley -- are ready.

Another worry was a dispute centered on the size of competition ice hockey rinks. The International Ice Hockey Federation agreed finally that the smaller-sized National Hockey League rinks can be used instead of international regulation size, and agreement that saves VANOC millions of dollars in construction costs as existing NHL rinks can be used. The decision could benefit Canadian and American teams because they are accustomed to the smaller-sized rink.

VANOC is confident everything will be ready for the arrival of 6,500 athletes and officials from 80 countries, some 250,000 visitors and 10,000 media representatives. The international television audience for the event could top 3 billion viewers.

The city and province anticipates a boom for business from hosting the Games, and plans to focus on projects that will benefit the city after the visitors have gone home. After the Games the new Olympic Village for athletes and officials will become the heart of a community, with affordable housing, greenspace and retail and office complexes. UPDATED Jan/10

RELATED READING:

Vancouver venues on track (Reuters 19 Jan 2010)
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60I5TZ20100119?type=sportsNews

Military gears up for security (Globe & Mail 7 Mar 07)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070307.wolympics07/BNStory/National/?cid=al_gam_nletter_newsUp

2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games
http://www.pch.gc.ca/special/2010/index_e.cfm

Labour Peace for BC building trades (CKNW News Sun 28 Jun 2006)
http://www.cknw.com/news/news_local.cfm?cat=7428109912&rem=41727&red=80110923aPBIny&wids=410&gi=1&gm=news_local.cfm