With the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games being hosted in British Columbia, Canada, all eyes are focused on venues in Vancouver, Whistler, Richmond and Cypress Mountain in North Vancouver. Here is a breakdown of some of the most popular sporting events.
Hockey
Probably the most popular Olympic sport, hockey is a national pastime for Canadians. The men and women’s tournaments will likely be the hardest tickets to buy in the whole games, as spectators watch twelve men’s teams and eight women’s teams from all over the world compete on the ice.
Says Steve Yzerman, Executive Director of the Canadian men’s hockey team and current Vice President of the Detroit Red Wings on a recent conference call, “I think it’s great for the game [for NHL players to participate in the Olympics]. On a worldwide stage it is the biggest event for hockey and the biggest event for us to showcase our players.
“So to me I think it’s important that we remain in it, and I think all the attention that it gets, and players want to play in it, we try to do everything we can to try and stay involved… I think it’s nothing but a benefit and a positive regardless of which team wins the thing.”
Alpine, Freestyle, Cross-Country and Ski Jumping
Watching the skiing competitions at Whistler and Cypress Mountain will also be a fan favourite. Below are the competition event categories, all of which have both men and women’s participants:
- Alpine Skiing: Downhill, Super-G, Slalom and Giant Slalom, and Combined
- Cross-Country Skiing: Men’s 15 + 15 km Pursuit, Ladies’ 7.5 + 7.5 km Pursuit, Individual Spirit, Team Spirit, Men’s 4x10 Relay, Ladies’ 4x5 Relay, Men’s 15 km Individual, Ladies’ 10 km Individual, Men’s 50 km Mass Start, Women’s 30 km Mass Start
- Freestyle Skiing: Aerials, Moguls and Ski Cross
- Ski Jumping: Men’s Individual NH, Men’s Individual LH, and Men’s Team LH
Snowboarding
Only making its debut at the 1981 Olympics in Colorado, snowboarding is an entertaining winter sport taking place on Cypress Mountain in 2010.
- Giant Slalom
- Halfpip
- Snowboard Cross
Curling
The men and women’s curling tournament has been played for more than 500 years. The Olympics introduced the sport in 1924 in Chamonix, France, running a men’s game. It wasn’t until 1998 in Nagano that a men and women’s tournament was played.
Figure Skating
Olympic competitions in figure skating were started before there was even a Winter Games. London, 1908, saw the first pairs and singles contest, all of which were considered an invention by American Jackson Haines. He is credited as the “founding father” from as far back as the 1860s.
- Ladies
- Men’s
- Ice Dance
- Pairs
Luge
The luge race began with a record of nine minutes and 15 seconds along a four km track in 1883; speeds these days climb as high as 140 km an hour and G-forces reach over 5G. Olympians sit in a fibreglass luge (the French equivalent for sled) using spiked gloves and handles to navigate the icy track.
- Men and Women’s Singles
- Doubles
For a complete list of Olympic sporting events, consult the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics website.
For accommodation options, see this Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Hotels in BC article.
Find out where to buy Olympic merchandise.
Lori Henry - A travel writer, Lori flits between exploring the world with incessant curiosity and huddling over her laptop writing.
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