VANOC completes operational testing at Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre

Spectators experience up-close viewing at largest curling venue in Winter Games history

Vancouver, BC –The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) successfully completed its operational testing today at the curling sport event at the Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre­—the 108,000-square-foot facility that will seat approximately 5,000 spectators during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and is the largest curling venue at any Winter Games to date.

“Our goal is to create an optimal environment for athletes and an experience of a lifetime for spectators at the 2010 Winter Games,” said Jan Damnavits, VANOC’s director of event services and venue management. “Over the course of the last two weeks, our venue team has had the opportunity to test the venue’s operational readiness for both Olympic and Paralympic competition while fine-tuning the conditions and systems.”

The World Junior Curling Championships, which ran from March 5 to 15, were the second sport event to be held at the Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre and showcased the talent of over 100 athletes from 13 countries competing in two parallel events: both a women’s and a men’s tournament.

“We’ve really enjoyed the experience,” said USA Junior Women’s team member Tabitha Peterson, who has been curling for almost a decade. “The ice is great, the atmosphere is fantastic—it’s been fun playing and fun cheering in the stands.”

VANOC focused its operational testing on the following areas: ice maintenance, venue systems, spectator experience and workforce operations.

Field of Play

In keeping with the wheelchair curling sport event, VANOC concentrated on testing the ice and ice maintenance. Humidity levels in the building can affect the quality of the ice, so operational adjustments were made to the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in anticipation of various environmental conditions including spectator numbers and outdoor conditions.  Testing to date will allow VANOC to develop a systems baseline for future reference in order to optimize the field of play during Games time.

"The playing surface is excellent and we have been working with stakeholders, including the athletes, to achieve steady improvement with the new stones,” said Les Harrison, president of the World Curling Federation. “We are very excited about the calibre of competition we can expect to see a year from now."

Venue Operations

Spectator seating at the venue is extremely close to the field of play, making it an exciting and up-close experience for spectators and athletes alike.

A workforce of approximately 600, including around 400 volunteers, consisted of both technical sport volunteers and event services personnel.  Workforce training was highly attended and workforce check-in went smoothly using electronic scanners.

In keeping with previous sport events, VANOC also successfully tested press operations, timing, scoring and results, medical services and anti-doping functions.

Vancouver 2010 Sport Events

The World Junior Curling Championships are one of the last four sport events of the 2008/09 winter season, all four of which are being held this weekend. Since February 2008, VANOC has conducted operational testing at 17 sport events, with 16 taking place from October 2008 through March 2009. The final sport event, the Hockey Canada Cup - Women’s Hockey, will be held at UBC Thunderbird Arena and Canada Hockey Place from August 31 to September 6, 2009. Sport events (international competitions, such as World Cups or World Championships) have provided VANOC the opportunity to test Games-time operations and train potential Games-time volunteers. The sport events have brought the 2010 Winter Games sport venues to life, offering Canadians a chance to enjoy the sport disciplines that will be showcased at the 2010 Winter Games. The events have familiarized sports fans with the world's best winter sport athletes likely compete in 2010 and given media, officials and athletes a chance to experience their Games-time environment.

Over the course of the 17 events, the 2010 Winter Games host region has welcomed over 2,400 athletes from more than 30 countries, with an average of 120 accredited media covering each event (domestic and international) and a total estimated on-site spectator attendance of approximately 70,000.  The total budgeted cost for sport events is approximately $16 million.

About VANOC

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 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Contact
VANOC Communications
mediarelations@vancouver2010.com