Construction begins at Hillcrest/Nat Bailey Stadium Park curling venue marking the final venue ground breaking for the 2010 Winter Games: Construction of all 2010 Winter Games venues now underway, on schedule and on budget

Construction is now officially under way on Hillcrest/Nat Bailey Stadium Park, the final competition venue of the 2010 Winter Games to break ground. The centrally located facility will host the men’s and women’s curling competitions for the Olympic Games, as well as the wheelchair curling tournament for the Paralympic Games. Post-Games, Hillcrest/Nat Bailey Stadium Park will be converted into a permanent, multi-use community legacy facility.

Jack Poole, VANOC’s Chairman of the Board, was pleased to participate in the special ceremony marking the beginning of construction. “This is an historic day for our project,” said Mr. Poole. “This start to construction supports our commitment to providing Canadian athletes with early venue access for training that will help them achieve podium success in 2010. This venue will provide a wonderful community legacy for generations of Canadians to enjoy in the future.”

Hillcrest/Nat Bailey Stadium Park is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2008 and will seat 6,000 for the Olympic curling and Paralympic wheelchair curling competitions. The wheelchair curling seating capacity is one of the largest in Paralympic Winter Games history.

Post-Games, the curling venue will become a multi-purpose community recreation centre that will include an ice hockey rink, gymnasium, library and eight sheets of curling ice. Attached to, and being constructed with the curling venue, is a new aquatic centre with a 50 metre lap and leisure pool to be managed by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.

The multi-purpose centre has been designed using leading environmental and business practices and is targeted for LEED Gold certification. An example of the environmentally sustainable features planned include the transfer of waste heat from the refrigeration plant to heat other building spaces, the adjacent aquatics centre and the venue site.

The Hillcrest/Nat Bailey Stadium Park is part of a $580 million investment for 2010 Winter Games venues that is funded equally by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia. The $38.0 million budget for the Olympic and Paralympic venue is provided by VANOC and its federal and provincial government partners. The City of Vancouver is contributing an additional $41.1 million of legacy project funding. The total cost of the Olympic and Paralympic venue and related projects, including the post-Games curling ice, aquatic centre and other legacy components is $79.1 million.

Also on hand for the ceremony were the Honourable David Emerson, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics; the Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia; Chief Leah George, Representing the Four Host First Nations Society; His Worship Sam Sullivan, Mayor of Vancouver, Ian Robertson, Chair of the Vancouver Park Board and members of the local curling community.

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010.

Contact

VANOC Communications
mediarelations@vancouver2010.com