RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Today Prime Minister Stephen Harper and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell toured the completed state-of-the-art Olympic facility: The Richmond Olympic Oval.
“As Canada prepares to host the visitors from every corner of the globe, we know they will be enjoying Olympic venues that are second to none,” said the Prime Minister. “British Columbians should take pride in the fact that all of the sport venues were completed on time and within budget. With the Federal government’s investment in the construction, the project created well paying local jobs. The early completion of construction allows our Canadian athletes to use the actual venue to train. This is a competitive advantage that is a first in the history of the Winter Olympic Games.”
The 15 Olympic venues, located in Vancouver, Whistler, Richmond, Surrey and West Vancouver, include competitive and non-competitive facilities for events such as hockey, ice skating, skiing and curling and also house parking and celebratory facilities. Wherever possible, venues were built from Canadian materials using the very best sustainable practices. Each venue will help British Columbia attract future world class sporting events. They will also help Canada’s athletes train and prepare for future competition.
“Our government is proud to support our athletes as we prepare for the 2010 Games,” concluded the Prime Minister. “It will be an exciting time for Canadians, as we join together to cheer on our athletes as they go for gold right here at home.”
Backgrounder
OLYMPIC COMPETITION VENUES
Richmond Olympic Oval – Speedskating
The Richmond Olympic Oval is located on the banks of the Fraser River, 14 kilometres 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 centre. 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 centre of excellence for sports and wellness. The facility’s flexible design, with two international sized ice rinks, eight gymnasiums, a 200-metre running track and 23,000 square foot fitness centre, will allow it to be used for a variety of sport and community functions. The facility will be the centrepiece of a major new urban waterfront neighbourhood 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-metre track within the new 33,750-square-metre 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.
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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.
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VANCOUVER OLYMPIC/PARALYPIC 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 centre that includes an ice hockey rink, gymnasium, library and six to eight sheets of curling ice. A new aquatic centre with a 50-metre pool and leisure pool is attached to, and being constructed with, the new curling venue and community centre. 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 centre.
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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.
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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.
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WHISTLER SLIDING CENTRE – Bobsleigh, luge, skeleton
The Whistler Sliding Centre 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 centre 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 metres
Bottom: 787 metres
Highest vertical drop: 152 metres
Post-Games Use: The Whistler Sliding Centre 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 Centre 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 centre’s long-term operations.
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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 metres
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 snowmaking system.
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WHISTLER OLYMPIC/PARALYMPIC PARK – Biathlon, Cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, ski jumping
The compact, one-square-kilometre Olympic Games core area includes three separate stadiums (cross-country skiing, biathlon, ski jumping) located about 400 metres apart.
Approximately 15 kilometres 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-kilometre course for the standing classes and a specially designed 3.75-kilometre course for the sit-ski classes.
A portable 10-metre 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 metres–930 metres
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 kilometres 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.
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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 snowmaking system and water reservoir, lighting, a new freestyle site for aerials and moguls, and a parallel giant slalom course.
