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Three Year Countdown Celebrations


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Vancouver 2010 Countdown Clock Unveiling, by Omega, Official Timekeeper

When: Monday, February 12 at 12 noon

Where: Georgia Street Plaza, Vancouver Art Gallery

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) celebrates three years until the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Games by unveiling a spectacular Countdown Clock at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Mark this special occasion by witnessing this event at the corner of Hornby and Georgia.

Countdown Clock for Torino 2006

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Vancouver Art Gallery plaza

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Countdown at the Coliseum

When: Saturday, February 17 from 10 am to 4 pm

Where: Pacific Coliseum at the PNE (Free parking available.)

Join in this day of celebration and winter sport at the Pacific Coliseum, which will be the venue for figure skating and short track speed skating during the 2010 Winter Games.

The Countdown at the Coliseum features fun activities and entertainment for everyone:

* Two sessions of free public skating from 10 am to 12 noon and from 2 pm to 4 pm.

Please bring your own skates, as rentals are not available at the Coliseum. Hockey sticks, pucks, wheelchairs and strollers are not permitted on the ice rink, and helmets are strongly recommended for children 12 years and younger.

* Figure skating and short track speed skating demonstrations by some of B.C.’s talented athletes and aspiring Olympians.

* Hip hop dance lessons and performances by First Nations youth dancers

* A Vancouver Active Communities fitness walk around the PNE grounds

* Arts and craft workshops

* Interactive winter sport exhibits

* Information booths and displays about the Winter Games and the City of Vancouver

* Face painting and strolling entertainers

* Prizes, give-aways, and more!

Parking will be FREE on site. For accessible parking, please enter from Renfrew Street.

The upper and lower areas of the Coliseum are wheelchair accessible, but wheelchairs are not permitted on the Coliseum ice surface.

The Pacific Coliseum concession stands will be open and refreshments will be available for purchase (Note: Concession stands can accept cash only).

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Hillcrest Curling Venue Groundbreaking Event

When: Friday, February 23 at 9:30 am

Where: Hillcrest Park, Nat Bailey Stadium lot

Be on hand for the official groundbreaking ceremony of this state-of-the-art facility that will be the curling venue for the 2010 Winter Games and later converted into the new Riley Park Community Centre, Vancouver curling club, a library, ice rink and the new Percy Norman Aquatic Centre.

* Municipal, Park Board, provincial and federal representatives along with representatives from the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the Four Host First Nations will speak at the event, and junior curlers will throw a rock to mark the occasion.

* The event site is east of Queen Elizabeth Park at Clancy Loranger Way and Ontario Street, in the area where Hillcrest Park meets the Nat Bailey Stadium parking lot.

* This is an outdoor event, so please dress for the weather. Light refreshments will be served after the ceremony.

* Free accessible parking is available in the Nat Bailey Stadium lot. Please note that the terrain at the groundbreaking event site is somewhat bumpy.

Rendering of the new facility

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Flag Lighting Ceremony, Olympic and Paralympic Flags

Where: Vancouver City Hall, Cambie Street and West 12th Avenue

When: Monday, March 12 at 5:30 pm

See the Olympic and Paralympic flags illuminated by newly installed lights that will highlight them in the night. Mayor Sam Sullivan, federal and provincial representatives, VANOC and Four Host First Nations representatives will be on hand to turn on the lights.

* The ceremony will be held in the upper, circular driveway at Vancouver City Hall, which is located at the corner of Cambie Street and West 12th Avenue.

* Access to the ceremony is by foot or wheelchair only. The circular driveway is accessible by wheelchair from the 12th Avenue entrance, just east of Cambie.

* Parking in the vicinity of City Hall will be extremely limited due to nearby Canada Line construction activities. An accessible pay parking is available across the street from City Hall at the City Square Parking lot. Use of public transportation is encouraged.

* This is an outdoor event, so please dress for the weather. Light refreshments will be available afterwards.

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Are you sure these are the clocks that were recently unveiled? Why would they use the old bid logo? These have to be old countdown clocks.

Of course those aren't the countdown clocks. I'm just saying those were the clocks used for the 2010 bid.

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VANOC to unveil Omega countdown clock for 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver: Events throughout BC in February mark three years to go to the Games

February 2, 2007

In celebration of the three-year countdown to the beginning of the 2010 Winter Games, Omega, the Official Olympic Timekeeper and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) will kick off a month of activities with the unveiling of a giant countdown clock at the Vancouver Art Gallery during a free public outdoor noon-hour celebration on Monday, February 12. The celebration and unveiling, which will start at 12:00 p.m. and conclude at 12:45 p.m., will feature special guests including Olympic and Paralympic athletes, Omega executives and other officials.

The impressive countdown clock will count down the remaining days, hours, minutes and seconds to the Opening Ceremony for both the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Although full design details of the Omega clock will be a surprise until the public unveiling, the clock will represent Canadian and West Coast themes and promises to become a signature landmark in Vancouver for the next three years and well beyond.

The Omega countdown clock unveiling will be complimented by a number of other public three-year countdown celebration events this month in Whistler, Richmond, Vancouver and West Vancouver. A full summary of community three-year countdown celebration events is included below.

Countdown to 2010 Summary Event Listings - February and March 2007

Month of February: Celebration 2010 – Whistler Arts Festival

Whistler Arts Council

The Whistler Arts Council will once again be producing Celebration 2010 – Whistler Arts Festival. This multi-disciplinary event highlights the cultural pillar of the Olympic Movement with performances, exhibits, readings and much more. For more information visit www.whistlerartscouncil.com.

February 1 and 2: Aboriginal Business Summit

Four Host First Nations Secretariat

This business opportunities summit is jointly hosted by the 2010 Commerce Centre and the Four Host First Nations Secretariat at the Sheraton Wall Centre in Vancouver. Senior VANOC representatives as well as BC Premier Gordon Campbell and Federal Minister David Emerson will present. Workshops and panel topics include Aboriginal opportunities for retail and licensing, arts and culture, building and supplying for the 2010 Winter Games, and Aboriginal tourism.

February 1: Four Host First Nations Logo Launch

Four Host First Nations Secretariat

The Four Host First Nations will launch its logo immediately following the opening plenary session of the Aboriginal Business Summit. BC Premier Gordon Campbell, VANOC Board Chair Jack Poole and the Chiefs of the Four Host First Nations will participate in a special ceremony to celebrate the unveiling of the logo which represents the historic partnership of the Nations.

11:00am to 12:00pm – Sheraton Wall Centre. Vancouver, BC.

February 9 to February 17: Spirit of BC Week

2010 Legacies Now

Spirit of BC Week features events and activities showcasing community pride in British Columbia and profiles local programs that strengthen sport and recreation, healthy living, arts and culture, literacy and volunteerism. The week is sponsored by Spirit of BC community committees in all regions of the province in partnership with local government, business, First Nations and community groups.

February 10: Free Skate Day

2010 Legacies Now

Spirit of BC Free Skate Day takes place at many community arenas throughout the province on Feb. 10, encouraging everyone to strap on some skates and get on the ice. A special ceremony to mark the occasion will take place at the Surrey Sport and Leisure Complex.

February 10: Richmond Winter Festival and Countdown Lighting Ceremony

City of Richmond

Richmond hosts an evening celebration outside Richmond City Hall and adjoining Brighouse Park. The evening includes main stage musical performances, interactive sport demos, and children’s activities. At 9:00 pm, Richmond will light-up City Hall with their 2010 Venue City emblem in a special ceremony.

Festival: 6:00pm to 9:00pm Lighting Ceremony: 9:00pm

February 10: West Vancouver Winter Song Festival

West Vancouver

One block of The Village at Park Royal will be transformed into a festival site celebrating West Vancouver’s talent, including music, visual arts, theatre, carnival, and dance.

The Village at Park Royal Mall - 12:00pm to 6:00pm

February 12: Vancouver 2010 Countdown Clock Unveiling, by Omega Official Timekeeper

VANOC

VANOC celebrates three years until the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games by unveiling a spectacular Omega countdown clock on the north lawn of the Vancouver Art Gallery. The public is encouraged join to in the celebrations over the lunch hour at the corner of Hornby Street and Georgia Street in downtown Vancouver.

Media Accreditation for countdown clock event:

News and sports editors are requested to submit the names of media assigned to cover the countdown clock event to mediarelations@vancouver2010.com by 12pm on Thursday, February 8. Media can pick up their accreditation at the Omega media conference and will be required to show photo and media ID.

Omega Media Conference: 11:15 am at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

Public Celebration at Vancouver Art Gallery: 12:00pm to 12:45pm

Omega countdown clock unveiling: 12:30pm

February 12: Countdown to 2010 Luncheon

Vancouver Board of Trade

The Vancouver Board of Trade, 2010 Legacies Now and VANOC host their fourth annual Countdown Luncheon at the Sheraton Wall Centre. Premier Gordon Campbell and VANOC executives will speak at the event as five young athletes are presented with training equipment to support their sport development.

Sheraton Wall Centre – 12:00pm to 2:00pm

February 12: Countdown to 2010 Community Celebration Whistler

VANOC and Whistler Arts Council

The 2010 Information Centre in Whistler will host its popular annual countdown cake celebration The Whistler Arts Council will join the three year countdown celebration which will include performances by local entertainers.

2010 Info Centre, Whistler – 3:00pm to 6:00pm

February 13 to 28: Sport of the Day

VANOC

Everyday from February 13 to 28, the 2010 Information Centre in Whistler will feature a different Olympic or Paralympic winter sport discipline, complete with sport demos, equipment displays, special guests and interactive fun. Visit vancouver2010.com from February 13 onward for “Sport of the Day” features.

February 17: Countdown at the Coliseum

City of Vancouver

The City of Vancouver will host a free public celebration at the Pacific Coliseum to celebrate the three-year countdown to the 2010 Winter Games. Activities for all ages will include free public skating, sports and cultural displays, special guests, food samples and much more.

Pacific Coliseum, 10:00am to 4:00pm

February 17 and 18: Whistler community street hockey tournament

VANOC

On February 17 and 18, the paving stones outside the 2010 Information Centre will be transformed into a street hockey rink for the fun, second annual 2010 street hockey tournament. Eight teams of five compete for prizing and community honours.

February 23: Hillcrest/Nat Bailey Stadium Park venue groundbreaking

City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Parks Board

The City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Parks Board and VANOC officially break ground on the Hillcrest/Nat Bailey Stadium Park venue, home to curling and wheelchair curling at the 2010 Winter Games.

Nat Bailey Stadium Lot, 9:30am

February 28: VANOC mystery community event

VANOC

VANOC is planning something special in the community to celebrate the three-year mark of the final day of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Stay tuned for more info in the coming weeks.

March 12: Lighting Ceremony, Olympic and Paralympic flags in Vancouver

City of Vancouver

A special ceremony will be held to illuminate the Olympic and Paralympic flags that fly outside Vancouver City Hall at 5:30 pm.

March 12: Countdown to 2010 Paralympic Winter Games - Cake and Cultural Cabaret

VANOC and Whistler Arts Council

The three-year countdown to the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will be celebrated in Whistler with countdown cake at the 2010 Information Centre and with an evening “Cultural Cabaret” as part of Celebration 2010.

2010 Info Centre, Whistler, 3:00pm

Millennium Place, Whistler, 7:30pm

All in response to the fact this topic already exists, Deasine.

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Countdown Clock? That's new to me. Actually, I like it!

I can't wait to see the new Vancoure countdown Clock! I like the Beijing one, too!

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Countdown Clock? That's new to me. Actually, I like it!

I can't wait to see the new Vancouver countdown Clock! I like the Beijing one, too!

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1,170 kilogram Olympic and Paralympic time piece under installation: Free noon hour celebration and unveiling, Vancouver Art Gallery Monday, Feb. 12

February 9, 2007 | VANOC News Release

What’s six metres high, three metres wide, weighs 1,170 kilograms and is wrapped in a 15 metre by 12 metre gift box from Omega on the Vancouver Art Gallery’s northwest corner in downtown Vancouver?

It’s the new Vancouver 2010 Countdown Clock, presented by Omega, Official Timekeeper. Preparations are underway to unveil it to the citizens of Vancouver, rain or shine, in a fast-paced noon hour celebration on Monday, February 12 – the three-year anniversary to the start of the 2010 Winter Games.

The Countdown Clock will log the hours, minutes and seconds remaining until the Games begin. An impressive sculpture, it will be permanently located on the Georgia Street Plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery – a fixture that residents of Vancouver and visitors alike will be able to enjoy both before and after the Games.

The site is a hive of activity for the final few days before the celebration and clock unveiling on Monday. Later today the large white box will be removed to reveal a smaller white box that will conceal the countdown clock until it is unveiled. The Countdown Clock will be fully installed and tested this weekend and surrounding landscaping will be completed.

The clock will be unveiled at a lively event featuring the sonorous sounds of one of the world’s leading Alphorn players in honour of Switzerland-based Omega’s visit to Vancouver for the clock unveiling. It will also include a First Nations welcome, remarks from distinguished guests including Olympic and Paralympic athletes and video showcasing great sports finishes in Games history, culminating in the grand finale – the Countdown Clock unveiling.

Distinguished guests and athletes in attendance will include:

Officials:

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The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics

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The Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier, Province of British Columbia

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His Worship Sam Sullivan, Mayor, City of Vancouver

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Stephen Urquhart, President of Omega

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Jack Poole, Board Chair, VANOC

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John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer, VANOC

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Representatives from the Four Host First Nations

Olympic and Paralympic medallists:

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Jeff Pain, Silver Medallist, Skeleton, Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games

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Lauren Woolstencroft, gold and silver medallist, Alpine Skiing, Turin 2006 Paralympic Winter Games

Something tells me it's gonna look like Ilanaaq.....or it's gonna be a log cabin......or it's going to be made out of stone.

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This a great schedule of what will happen between now and Friday, February 12, 2010:

Olympic countdown

Vancouver Sun

Published: Saturday, February 10, 2007

With three years until the 2010 Winter Olympics open there is still a lot of work to be done:

2007

Business plan -- Vanoc is promising its long-awaited business plan -- the operational blueprint for how it will afford to run the Games. The document will be made public this spring. It was originally supposed to be out last year, but financing issues and concerns from its government partners led Vanoc to redraw the plan.

Staffing ramps up as Vanoc, with nearly 400 employees now, grows to 600 by this time next year. By 2010, Vanoc's ranks will swell to 1,200 full-time and 3,500 temporary positions. And that doesn't include the 25,000 volunteers needed between now and the Games.

Spring -- The opening and closing ceremonies -- the most-attended events at an Olympics -- gets a boost with Vanoc's selection of an artistic planner. This month it asked for applications; in March it will likely pick a winner. High on the list is likely to be Montreal's famed Cirque du Soleil.

Feb. 23 -- After official groundbreaking, construction starts in earnest on the Hillcrest Curling venue. Now budgeted at more than $49 million, the venue is the last to be started by Vanoc. With a pushed-up deadline of December 2008, it's supposed to be the site of the 2009 World Junior Championships.

March -- Vanoc will release the first of its annual status reports on its sustainability initiatives; 2010 will be the first Olympics invoking all three areas of sustainability -- social, environmental and economic. The report will grade Vanoc's efforts to date.

March 6-8 -- The IOC's Vancouver Coordination Commission makes the first of its two annual visits to keep tabs on progress. The 11-member team will meet Vanoc staff behind closed doors, and, if the pro-forma format of previous visits is anything to go by, issue very little public criticism. The second visit is in September. Look for repeats in 2008 and 2009.

May 19 -- The 1,000 days countdown. Like each of the three annual countdowns between now and 2010, this is more of an excuse to party, and to hype the coming Games. Look for an event centred around the new Omega countdown clock that will be erected in downtown Vancouver.

Summer 2007 -- Construction starts on Whistler's "Celebration Site," the new plaza being built after Vanoc scrapped a sledge hockey venue because of Whistler's dithering over increased costs. It agreed to give Whistler up to $5 million for the party site as a consolation prize. Meanwhile, construction starts on the two 2,400-unit athletes villages in Vancouver and Whistler. Utilities and foundations this year, buildings in 2008.

Summer or fall -- First came the logos, then the merchandise. This year it's the Olympic and Paralympic mascots, the creatures expected to launch millions of toys, key rings, coffee mugs, cellphone ring images, souvenir clothing and anything else that can be branded with what is always supposed to be cuddly kid-friendly emblems.

July 1-3, 2007 -- The new Olympics rises: the IOC selects the host of the 2014 Winter Games. Two of the three vying cities, Pyeongchang, South Korea and Salzburg, Austria, were Vancouver's competitors in 2002. Also running is Sochi, Russia.

November -- Deadline for IOC approval of all sporting event schedules. Until now Vanoc has been negotiating with sports federations and world broadcasters to find the best race times.

Winter 2007 -- Vanoc's two most expensive venues in Whistler, the new sliding centre ($99.9 million) and the Callaghan Valley Nordic centre ($115 million) open for Canada's teams. So do the ski venues and the main hockey and figure-skating venues.

2008

Vanoc begins actively recruiting the 25,0000 volunteers needed to stage the Games. In the fall of 2007 it will open volunteer recruiting offices in the Forum Building at Hastings Park.

The process of accrediting the more than 10,000 media from around the world begins. Vanoc will also hold at least one world press operations briefing to give media planners a sense of what to expect.

Spring 2008 -- In January the Canadian figure skating championships are at the Pacific National Exhibition, one of the first training events in advance of the Olympics. The alpine skiing world cup in Whistler in February will be the first official Olympic test event, with most other tests coming the following winter.

Feb. 12, 2008 -- Another anniversary, another countdown. With just 24 months to go, Vanoc will be looking to capitalize on the growing world interest, especially since it will be organizing a number of international-level test events at its venues.

April 2008 -- UBC Winter Sports Centre opens. In 2007, if all goes well, two of the three arenas at the centre will have been finished. This is the deadline for the main 5,500-seat arena, (7,500 seats at Games-time) where, in addition to hockey, medal rounds of the Paralympic sledge hockey will be held.

Aug. 8 - 24 and Sept. 6 - 17, 2008 -- The 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games in Beijing, China. These are the last Games before Vancouver's, serving Vanoc with last-minute lessons on what to do -- and not do -- in 2010.

Aug. 12, 2008 -- Richmond's hold-fast deadline for finishing its $178-million speed-skating oval. In December Vanoc hopes to hold the Canadian championships to test one of the trickiest venues to get right with its scientific need for consistently good ice.

Fall 2008 -- Want tickets to the gold-medal hockey event, the opening ceremonies, or even the first heats of the women's downhill? This is when Vanoc expects to begin marketing the estimated 1.8 million admissions, half of which will go to sponsors, Olympic family members and school programs.

Winter 2008, spring 2009 -- Major test event time. Vanoc hopes to host most international sporting events and championships to test the readiness of everything from timing equipment to spectator facilities to transportation.

2009

Security exercise: With only a year to go before the Games, the secretive RCMP-controlled Vancouver Integrated Security Unit will be looking to practise its skills for protecting the anticipated 5,000 athletes and officials, 10,000 media representatives and 25,000 volunteers, not to mention the 250,000 visitors. No flashy displays, however: we're Canadian.

Feb. 12, 2009 -- The "Oh My Goodness We're Almost There" event. With just 365 days left in a plan that has spanned nearly a decade, if you include bidding activities, look for an all-out celebration the likes of which will be eclipsed only by the Olympics and Paralympics themselves.

June 2009 -- The rubber meets the road. The $600 million Sea to Sky Highway road widening project between Horseshoe Bay and Whistler, which drew more Olympic protests than any other, is supposed to finish. During the Games, the highway will be closed to most public traffic in favour of special transit programs.

Late summer, early fall 2009 -- If all has gone according to plan, construction of the two athletes' villages in Whistler and Vancouver will finish. Watch for Vanoc's staff to take over and start to outfit the buildings with all the furnishings athletes will need, from beds and kitchenware to gymnasiums and the inevitable medical polyclinics.

Fall 2009 -- In its early bid, Vanoc said it would start the famed torch relay exactly 114 days before the Games open, bringing it to Canada over the North Pole after it is lit at Olympia, Greece. It's likely going to be shorter, but Vanoc promises the relay will criss-cross Canada in the hands of thousands of people, carried by almost every conceivable means, from runners to dogsled and snowmobile to airplane.

November 2009 -- Look to any of the Olympic venues and you should see an army of workers moving in to convert them to Games-time use. This is when Vanoc expects to take control of all venues, although it will have been doing fit-out at the sliding and Nordic centres in the summer.

Nov. 30, 2009 -- After four years of constant traffic jams, disruption, noise and dust, the $2-billion Canada Line should be in service. Although not an "official" Olympic project, the 19-kilometre, 16-station automated light rail line between Vancouver and Richmond will be the last major Olympic-time mega-project to finish.

2010

It's Our Time To Shine.

© The Vancouver Sun 2007

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Interesting to see the countdown clock, congratulations for all the BC people. The Torino clock was made by the Swatch people (sponsors of the winter olympics). Let's see how it's the Omega one. I would liked to see also the mascot(s) but looks like they aren't ready yet (anyway looks like they're coming arround this summer :P )

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