2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games | Athlete, Team Profiles, Olympics News | Free Photos & Videos

XXI Olympic Winter Games

Ones to watch

It's never too early to get a glimpse of the next round of Olympic stars. Here's six athletes to keep an eye on as the 2010 Winter Games approach.

Vancouver, BC In Depth

A closer look at the 2010 host

Set between the Pacific Ocean in the west and the magnificent Rocky Mountains in the east, British Columbia is home to a geographical diversity that lends itself to a vast array of activities and adventures.

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10 things to experience in British Columbia...

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Vancouver

Tucked into Canada's southwest corner, less than an hour from the United States border lies Vancouver, the largest metropolitan centre in Western Canada and host city of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Over 35 percent of Greater Vancouver's population is foreign-born which makes the resulting culture uniquely Pacific Rim - think Los Angeles meets Hong Kong with a dose of Seattle. Vancouver enjoys Canada's gentlest climate, which makes for great sailing, golfing, skiing, mountain biking and whale watching. It consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the world.

2010 Olympic Venues

Vancouver 2010 Venues

From General Motors Place in Vancouver to the Speed Skating Oval in Richmond, check out some of the key Olympic venues in and around British Columbia.

Fast Facts

Flame Over Canada
The Olympic Torch will be lit in late 2009. It will then travel over the North Pole on foot, by dog sled, snowmobile, horse and plane en route to Vancouver's B.C. Place Stadium, which marks the first time that the Winter Games Ceremonies will be held indoors.

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Flame Over Canada
The Olympic Torch will be lit in late 2009. It will then travel over the North Pole on foot, by dog sled, snowmobile, horse and plane en route to Vancouver's B.C. Place Stadium, which marks the first time that the Winter Games Ceremonies will be held indoors.
Official Emblem
The official emblem of the 2010 Winter Games is a contemporary interpretation of the inukshuk. Inukshuks are stone sculptures, traditionally used by Canada's Inuit people as directional landmarks. The emblem has been named Illanaaq, the Inuktitut word for friend.
Participaction
Canada has participated in every Olympic Winter Games dating back to 1924 in Chamonix, France.
Un-Golden Pond
Canada is the only host nation not to win a gold medal in either the Summer or Winter Olympics (1976 in Montreal and 1988 in Calgary)
Hot Ice
Canada won the first ever gold medal in men's ice hockey at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp - the only time the sport has been contested outside of the Winter Games.
Keeping Time
The town of Kimberley, in the Kootenay Rockies, is home to Canada's largest free-standing cuckoo clock.
On The Schedule
Snowboard cross and the team pursuit for speed skating, which were provisionally accepted for Torino 2006, and have been formally accepted into the 2010 Winter Games sport program. As well, the freestyle skiing event of ski cross will make its Olympic debut in Vancouver.
Stadium Highs
B.C. Place Stadium, which will play host to the opening and closing ceremonies, covers four hectares and has the largest air-supported stadium roof in North America.
The Big One
British Columbia is four times the size of Great Britain and two and a half times the size of Japan. Only 31 nations in the world, and one American state (Alaska), is larger in surface area.
Hard Wood
In Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park "The Heaven Tree" is an 800-year-old Sitka Spruce; some of the cedars in the park are estimated to be over 1,000 years old.

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Meet the Mascots

Miga, Quatchi and Sumi

The West Coast of Canada is a magical place and for thousands of years, local Aborignal people have told stories of fantastical creatures such as sea bears and sasquatches.

Discover the mascots >>