http://vancouver2010.com/Updated at 12:00pm PST every dayen15 May 2008 2:5:14 Pacific Standard TimeCopyright: © Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Gameshttp://www.vancouver2010.com/rsshttp://www.vancouver2010.com/template_images/interface/common/header_logo.gifhttp://www.vancouver2010.com112125 http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/05/14/95675_0805140800-724The International Olympic Committee (IOC) wants to hear from you. From now through December 31, 2008, the IOC has an open invitation for people to share their thoughts and ideas about the Olympic Movement. This sounding board is called the Virtual Olympic Congress. The Virtual Olympic Congress is an online portal where the general public and members of the Olympic Family can express their perspectives about the role of sport in society. Ultimately, these contributions will help the IOC prepare Vancouver2010.comhttp://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/05/14/95675_0805140800-724May 14, 2008http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/05/12/95675_0805120736-518When the Olympic Torch threads its way through Canadian cities and towns, it delivers the message that big dreams can be realized, no matter where you’re from, and whatever your goal is in life. It inspires belief.  For Calgary’s 1988 Olympic Torch Relay, Dr. Suzette Cooke (née Smith) ran part of the leg from Sparwood, British Columbia, across the provincial divide to Alberta. She had recently competed in the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Summer Games as Vancouver2010.comhttp://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/05/12/95675_0805120736-518May 12, 2008http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/05/09/95675_0805091637-030One of the success stories on the road to the 2010 Winter Games is the tremendous support of Canadian companies. In fact, domestic sponsorship for the Games has surpassed the $700 million mark, achieving 90 per cent of the overall sponsorship target set by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). “Canadian companies are showing incredible enthusiasm for the 2010 Winter Games,” said Dave Cobb, VANOC executive vice Vancouver2010.comhttp://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/05/09/95675_0805091637-030May 09, 2008http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/05/01/79104_0805011632-568To kick off national volunteer week in Canada — April 27 to May 3 — the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) has begun phone screening potential volunteers. Over the next year, thousands of 2010 Winter Games applicants will be contacted as VANOC builds its workforce team for Games time. For the many applicants passionate about volunteering, the phone interview process is one step closer to becoming part of the 2010 Vancouver2010.comhttp://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/05/01/79104_0805011632-568May 01, 2008http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/04/30/95675_0804301600-184At a Toronto night club, on a fashion runway resembling an athletic track, the Hudson’s Bay Company (Hbc) today unveiled the clothing that Team Canada will wear at the Beijing 2008 Games. The look: vibrant reds and Chinese symbolism married with Canadian tradition. The Team Canada Beijing Games clothing line is proudly emblazoned with maple leaves, the word Canada written in both English and Mandarin, and uses a primarily red and white colour pallet. Colour inspiration is also drawn Vancouver2010.comhttp://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/04/30/95675_0804301600-184April 30, 2008http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/04/23/95675_0804230818-768During the 2007-08 World Cup season, Canada’s winter sport athletes won a total 184 medals in the same events that will be contested at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Those medals were collected by 74 athletes who together achieved Canada’s best ever result in World Cup competition. And when Canadian winter athletes weren’t standing on podiums last season, many were often in close reach: Canadians took 56 fourth place finishes and 57 fifth place Vancouver2010.comhttp://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/04/23/95675_0804230818-768April 23, 2008http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/04/22/95675_0804220941-646She’s racing to save the environment. Sara Renner, Canadian cross-country skiing Olympic silver medallist, is taking big strides to prevent climate change. As a new mom, she has extra incentive. “As a mother, as an athlete and a Canadian, I have a huge responsibility to my daughter,” said Renner. “At a time when it’s so crucial, everyone has to do something for the environment. Everyone has to stand up and say Vancouver2010.comhttp://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/04/22/95675_0804220941-646April 22, 2008http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/04/18/95675_0804180948-507It’s time to welcome the sun, shed the down jacket and work on that goggle tan — spring skiing and snowboarding have arrived. The one thing that many alpine enthusiasts don’t seem to be shedding, though, is their helmets.  Helmets, it seems, are becoming a popular piece of equipment on the slopes. And maybe for good reason — a ski- or snowboard-specific helmet may reduce the risk of head injuries in Vancouver2010.comhttp://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/04/18/95675_0804180948-507April 18, 2008http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/04/09/79104_0804090833-601At the close of this year's sliding season, 2,217 test and training runs were taken on the new Whistler Sliding Centre track. Taking the majority of these first runs was the Canadian bobsleigh, luge and skeleton teams, who really took advantage of the first Canadian Team Training Camps at The Whistler Sliding Centre. “The more runs you take, the more mistakes you make, the better you are on the track. That is the training philosophy we are going for,” said Team Canada Vancouver2010.comhttp://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/04/09/79104_0804090833-601April 09, 2008http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/03/28/79104_0803281005-146The word sustainability can mean many things to many people. For the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), sustainability means managing the social, economic and environmental impacts and opportunities of our Games to produce lasting benefits — locally and globally. By taking responsibility for reducing negative impacts and generating benefits for the natural environment, people and target communities, Aboriginal people, and the Vancouver2010.comhttp://www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/MediaCentre/FeatureStories/2008/03/28/79104_0803281005-146March 31, 2008