2010 Winter Game Facts

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, will be held February 12-28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, with some events held in Whistler. Both the Olympic and Paralympic Games are being organized by the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC).

The 2010 Winter Olympics will be the third Olympics hosted by Canada, and the first by the province of British Columbia. Previously, Canada was home to the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. These will also be the first games to be held in an NHL market since the league allowed its players to participate starting in 1998.

Following Olympic tradition, then Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan received the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, which was also attended by the Governor General, Michaëlle Jean and Premier of British Columbia, the host province, Gordon Campbell, himself a Vancouver native. The flag was raised on February 28, 2006, in a special flag raising ceremony, and will be on display at Vancouver's city hall until the Olympic opening ceremony.

The Call for Volunteers program was launched on February 12, 2008, to find 25,000 volunteers.

Tickets for the event were first available for purchase on October 3, 2008.

The motto for the games is "With Glowing Hearts / Des Plus Brillants Exploits "

80 plus countries and nations are expected to enter athletes with over 5,500 athletes expected to be entered in all. There will be 86 events in 7 different sports.

Opening Ceremony :February 12th
Closing Ceremony: February 28th
At B.C. Place (Stadium)