T-minus 14 days until the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Vancouver, British Columbia, is getting ready to shine in the international spotlight, but I won’t be there. Will you?
As a broadcast journalist, I had the incredible opportunity to cover the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. However, I’ve never attended the Winter Games. It’s a travel dream of mine that I don’t know when will come true.
Still, the dream is alive for more than 500 athletes and coaches, almost 11,000 members of the media and nearly 350,000 visitors, who are expected to descend upon the stunning city on the Pacific, Vancouver.
Our local NBC affiliate has been running a “Countdown to the Olympics” feature each night at 6 p.m. Last night they showed video of workers putting up giant murals of athletes on downtown Vancouver skyscrapers. Other shots showed green, white and blue Olympic banners adorning street poles and finishing touches being put on Olympic pavilions.
“The city is taking shape,” a spokesperson for the Games organizing committee told TV reporters.
It sure looks that way.
Then again, it’s been nearly seven years since Vancouver won the bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics, so crews have had ample time to showcase the city in the best possible light.
If you’ve been to Vancouver, then you know that apart from updating its infrastructure, the city doesn’t need much help in the looks department. Vancouver is flanked by the Fraser River and Coast Mountains, and a myriad of other natural splendors. It is the eighth largest city in Canada, and according to Olympic officials, Vancouver is also the largest metropolitan area (2.1 million) to ever host the Winter Games. The city prides itself on being a sophisticated cosmopolitan destination, with five-star hotels, super skyscrapers and a vibrant ethnic diversity. According to census statistics, about a third of those who live in the Vancouver metropolitan area are of Asian descent.
The Games run from February 12–28 and will spotlight the diversity of the city. Events, such as curling and speed skating, are scheduled to take place from the suburbs south of downtown while the mountains above “West Van” will host snowboarding and freestyle skiing. Whistler and the nearby Callaghan Valley will be the home to alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski-jumping events.
Will you be there to see the events in person?
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