Olympics News and Info

Aboriginal youth from across Canada gather in British Columbia to celebrate, take part in Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games – News Releases : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

Vancouver, BC ― To help celebrate the world’s biggest potlatch ― the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games ― up-and-coming young Aboriginal leaders from across Canada are gathering today in British Columbia’s Sea to Sky region as part of an ambitious forum to explore and share their cultures through the Olympic Movement.

Over the next 16 days, more than 300 First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth, aged 19 to 29, will experience the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be at Canada’s Games in person and showcase their culture and region through a range of activities and special events.

As part of the gathering, participants will tour Olympic venues, watch the world’s best athletes train and compete and meet sport heroes, business leaders and Aboriginal elders in person. They will also take part in cultural performances at the 2010 Aboriginal Pavilion and the GG’s 2010 Olympic Truce Youth Dialogue: Promoting Mutual Understanding‬ hosted by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, on February 11.

“It is truly exciting to welcome all these young ambassadors from First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities across the country to the traditional lands of the Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations where the 2010 Winter Games will take place,” said Tewanee Joseph, executive director and CEO of the Four Host First Nations.

“This gathering is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be right in the centre of the action at the Games and play an important role in showcasing and sharing Aboriginal culture. The 2010 Winter Games mark a time of transformation for our people, where we focus on the positive aspects of our culture. These young people represent a great hope and a brighter future for Aboriginal people for years to come.”

The Vancouver 2010 Indigenous Youth Gathering is part of a larger ongoing program to achieve unprecedented Aboriginal participation in the planning and hosting of the 2010 Winter Games by the Four Host First Nations and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) with the support of many partners.

The Government of Canada is a key supporter of this vision and has worked closely with VANOC and the Four Host First Nations to ensure the Games leave a legacy of economic and social benefits for Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

“The 2010 Indigenous Youth Gathering will provide First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth from across Canada with a unique opportunity to connect with one another and to celebrate and showcase their cultural heritage through the Olympic Movement,” said the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

In addition to the Government of Canada, the gathering is supported by BC Hydro, Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Council of Yukon First Nations, as well as, the Aboriginal Youth Sport Legacy fund, 2010 Legacies Now, and regional and national Aboriginal organizations.

“The Province of British Columbia is proud to welcome these young Aboriginal leaders for this historic gathering as part of the 2010 Winter Games,” said the Honourable Gordon Campbell, premier of British Columbia. “This 16-day program is sure to take them on an amazing journey with lasting friendships made right here in British Columbia.”

The programming for the Vancouver 2010 Indigenous Youth Gathering, which runs until February 14, is connected to the pillars of the Olympic Movement: sport, culture, sustainability, as well as the objectives of the Olympic Truce (youth, action, legacy, awareness, and peace).

“The importance of recognizing and working in close partnership with Aboriginal peoples in Canada through the Four Host First Nations has been a primary focus for everyone as we developed our plans for the 2010 Winter Games,” explained John Furlong, VANOC’s Chief Executive Officer. “It is our sincere hope that this unique gathering and opportunity to live the excitement of the Games first hand will be an inspirational experience for these young Aboriginal leaders in Canada ― one they can take back to their communities and share as a lasting legacy of the friendships and knowledge they will gain here.”

Participants will be housed in accommodation sites located in the pristine and breathtaking Paradise Valley of Squamish in the Sea to Sky region. The sites offer educational programs on forestry and wildlife, salmon habitats, a bald eagle sanctuary, as well as traditional connections to the land.

“Squamish is pleased to extend a big welcome to the more than 300 participants of the Vancouver 2010 Indigenous Youth Gathering to our district, the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada,” said Squamish Mayor Greg Gardner. “We’re ideally located to host a group of this size and scope because of our proximity to Olympic and Paralympic venues in Vancouver and Whistler.”

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the 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. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

Modern Deep Left Quartet jams the network – Cultural Olympiad Features : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

Using the power of the Internet, techno-music powerhouse Modern Deep Left Quartet will make Canadian music history when they combine two music scenes into one in a landmark cross-country jam session. When the four electronic musicians, each acclaimed in their own right, take the stage in Vancouver on February 13, they will be accompanied, digitally, by a Montreal performance by dubstep/trip-hop five-piece Jedi Electro.

 “It’s something none of us have done before,” says Modern Deep Left member Mathew Jonson. “With delays in internet connections, we’re forced to play music that isn’t focused on timing. Even a couple of milliseconds delay will change the feeling of the music. It will be performance art.”

Like most of the group’s live performances and recorded tracks, this trans-Canadian event will be improvised. As all the members of Modern Deep are heavily influenced by jazz, improvisation is integral to the formally trained quartet. Jonson says this is essential in the interaction between the audience and the performer.

“Improvising comes naturally to us,” said Jonson. “The music we make is always new for us and new for the crowd. The energy between the crowd and the artist has quite a big influence on what we’re playing. It’s a lot more interactive.”

Jonson, Colin “The Mole” de la Plante, Tyger Dhula and Danuel Tate formed their quartet 10 years ago in Victoria, BC. Already established as solo artists, the four friends created their own unique sound, fusing jazz and dance music with computers and instruments. 

“What an honour to go home and play at the Olympic [Winter Games],” says de la Plante, who has been living and performing out of Berlin for the past two years. “There’s nothing better than playing for friends and family at home.”

The evening, which takes place at Great Northern Way Campus, near the Olympic Village Vancouver as part of CODE Live Night Life, will be a celebration of innovation and electronic music. The show will also feature techno artist Deadbeat, and in Montreal, the show will be broadcast using the Society for Arts and Technology’s PropulseART videoconferencing technology.

Musician Mike Shannon, founder of Cynosure Recordings, will be in on the fun. Shannon says he has been enthralled by the techno scene from a young age. “I love its futuristic perspective,” he says. “For me, techno was a gateway into another place, to things I hadn’t heard before.”

Shannon says his performance will also be largely improvised.

“It’s fun to do things spontaneously,” he says. “It’s amazing when you can express yourself and the people really enjoy the creations you’ve made. Magic is created.”

“Jamming the Networks: Modern Deep Left Quartet, Mike Shannon and more” is February 13 at 10:00 pm, Great Northern Way Campus, 577 Great Northern Way, Vancouver. Tickets are $20.

Tickets and more information on “Jamming the Networks: Modern Deep Left Quartet, Mike Shannon and more”

Spain: Seventeen Spanish competitors head for Vancouver – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

Madrid (AFP) – Maria Jose Rienda, a six-time World Cup slalom winner, leads Spain’s 17-strong squad for the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver from February 12-28.

Rienda, 34, won World Cup rounds in Are (Sweden) and Lenzerheide (Switzerland) in 2005, Aspen (USA), twice in Ofterschwang (Germany) and Haftjell (Norway) in 2006.

This will be her fifth Olympic Games.

Spain squad

Women (8):
Alpine Skiing: Carolina Ruiz, Maria Jose Rienda
Nordic: Laura Orgue
Snowboard: Queralt Castellet (Halfpipe)
Biathlon: Victoria Padial
Figure Skating: Sonia Lafuente

Men (9)
Alpine Skiing: Ferran Terra, Paul de la Cuesta
Nordic: Diego Ruiz, Vicens Vilarrubla, Javier Gutierrez
Snowboard: Regino Hernandez (snowboardcross), Ruben Verges (halfpipe), Rocio Delgado (skicross)
Feeestyle: Reyes Santa-Olalla
Skeleton: Ander Mirambel
Figure Skating: Javier Fernandez.

gr/sm/emc/jmt/dj10

At Vancouver Olympics, straw battles sun, rain | Beyond Binary – CNET News

With snow at a premium, Olympics organizers at one Vancouver, B.C., venue are using bales of straw to augment the white stuff as they construct runs for snowboarding, freestyle skiing, and other events.
Although there is plenty of powder at Whistler, B.C., where many of the skiing and sledding events take place, a combination of rain [...]

VANOC confirms team effort paying off to ready Cypress Mountain for 2010 Olympic Winter Games – News Releases : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

First athletes arrive for training February 5

Note to editors: B-roll and photo images of Cypress Mountain shot earlier this week are available by contacting VANOC Communications

Vancouver, BC ― In response to ongoing unseasonably warm weather, an aggressive and intensive effort by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) to implement its contingency plan to ready Cypress Mountain to host competitions at the Games is paying dividends.

Snow moving from higher elevations onto snowboard and freestyle courses will be substantially completed by Friday, January 29. The shaping and grooming of all courses has begun in earnest and snow will continue to be moved to build up existing stockpiles. This strategy is supported by numerous protection measures, such as using tarps and extra snow to build up courses to account for snow melt.

“The plan to stage the freestyle and snowboard events on Cypress Mountain is continuing full steam ahead,” said Tim Gayda, VANOC’s vice president of sport. “We’ve made great progress in preparing the venue thanks to our team that’s been working night and day to deliver on the contingency plan we had ready. We look forward to hosting some of the world’s greatest athletes on Cypress Mountain in just over two weeks.”

The venue team has implemented a variety of operational changes to ensure the integrity of all key considerations: the field of play for competition, as well as the television broadcast and live spectator experience.

“Changes to the design of the competition courses necessitate adaptations in other critical areas, including broadcast positions, seating access, technology, sport production, and overlay plans to name just a few. Every team ―  including those who are dedicated to other mountain venues ―   is pulling together to make the changes and provide the support that will ensure Cypress Mountain works well in every aspect during the Games,” said Dick Vollet, VANOC’s vice president of mountain venues.

In mid-January, VANOC and Cypress Mountain management agreed to close the West Vancouver ski resort’s alpine runs to the public in order to undertake the significant preparation required to ready the mountain for Olympic competition, especially in light of the unseasonably warm and wet weather.

Since then, a dedicated team of 45 people working 24/7 have used eight snowcats out of a fleet of 24 and two large dump trucks to move more than 300 truckloads of snow from the top of Mount Strachan ― where more than three metres of snow remains untouched in the Skychair area ― to the field of play on neighbouring Black Mountain. In the case of the of mogul and aerials venue, the steepness of the course requires the snow to be winched up Black Mountain by snowcats.

So far, 1,065 bales of straw, which will eventually be covered with a layer of snow, have been used to replace the base of packed snow originally anticipated. Of these bales, approximately 800 were airlifted into place by helicopter to shape and construct snowboard cross and ski cross course features, which will also be covered with a layer of snow.

On Tuesday, officials with the International Ski Federation (FIS), which is responsible for certifying the venue ready for athletes, expressed their approval of snow harvesting and course preparations after an extensive tour of the venue.

“FIS is confident that with the current amount of snow on the mountain, and the snow saving measures that have been taken, VANOC will be able to create a world-class venue for our snowboard events during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games,” said Marcel Looze, the federation’s snowboard race director.

Joe Fitzgerald, FIS’s freestyle ski coordinator, added: “I was pleased to see the heroic efforts of the Organizing Committee to prepare the snow on the freestyle courses. They have made every effort beyond expectations to create the best conditions.”

About Snow Making at Cypress Mountain

Cypress Mountain has a snowmaking reservoir of more than 22.7 million litres of water (five million gallons) and the terrain has been shaped to accommodate the construction of freestyle skiing and snowboard event courses with the minimum amount of snow needed.

State-of-the-art snow making using 35 snow guns has been operating around-the-clock since November 2009 and has converted over 95.3 million litres of water (21 million gallons) to snow needed to construct the courses. This snow has been stockpiled all over the mountain to ensure the terrain at Games time can sustain all weather conditions. It has been pushed down the mountain by snow grooming machinery to be shaped by machine and by hand to create the freestyle and snowboard courses, including the 160-metre-long superpipe, which is 19.5 m to 20 m wide and 6.5 m high.

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

Press Contact
If you are a member of the media, please contact mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

Play nice – Cultural Olympiad Features : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

Vancouver will be a hotspot for world-class theatre starting January 22 when mythical creatures, historical figures and cultural icons take centre stage for the 2010 Cultural Olympiad’s dramatic lineup.

After working as part of the creative team behind the opening ceremonies for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, performance art superwoman Laurie Anderson is back on the Olympic radar with her new solo opera, Delusion. Known for experimental performance pieces, including her 1981 hit O Superman, and for being NASA’s first artist-in-residence, Anderson’s new CODE-commissioned work is a series of short plays that weave between reality and mythology using music, visuals and electronic puppetry.

Based on the explorations of renowned Haida artist Bill Reid, Beyond Eden is the story of two friends who set out to rescue dilapidated totem poles from a deserted village off the north coast of British Columbia. The world première of this musical, starring Spirit of the West singer John Mann, illustrates the struggles, as well as joys, of two men on a particularly daunting journey.

Another first for Canadian theatre is arriving in the form of the 1987 opera Nixon in China, a dramatization of the American government’s first official visit to China. With dialogue pulled directly from 1972 headlines of the visit, this modern opera accurately portrays the historical visit with a libretto and musical score sure to please history and opera buffs alike.

Passengers with flight phobia will share their darkest fears through songs, monologues and movement on one bumpy cross-Canada plane ride in Fear of Flight. Recently named as one of Canada’s top 10 theatre artists by Toronto’s NOW magazine, Newfoundland-based director Jillian Keiley has collaborated with some of the country’s top playwrights for this remarkable performance.

Finally, no Canadian theatre roster would be complete without work from homegrown Quebecois director and playwright Robert Lepage. The Blue Dragon brings character Pierre Lamontagne back to life from Lepage’s 1986 hit The Dragon’s Trilogy. After living in Shanghai for 20 years, Lamontagne is visited by an old Canadian friend, whose presence challenges both characters’ preconceptions of culture and identity.

For more information or to buy tickets to all the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad events, please visit our listings page.

Snowboard: US sets Vancouver Olympic lineup – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

Park City (AFP) – Reigning Olympic champions Seth Wescott, Shaun White and Hannah Teter and season halfpipe star Kelly Clark were on the US Olympic snowboard roster announced late Monday.

Americans have dominated Olympic snowboarding since it debuted in 1998 at Nagano, Japan, and have expectations soaring as high as their competitors ahead of the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.

“We are going in to the 2010 Games with one of the strongest athletic lineups possible,” US Snowboarding coach Peter Foley said. “We’re hoping to go into Vancouver and build on the successes we saw in 2006. This team is in position to do great things.”

Defending men’s halfpipe champion White, known as the “Flying Tomato” because of his red hair, leads a lineup that also includes double corkers Greg Bretz and Louie Vito plus Scotty Lago.

“Shaun is truly an amazing competitor,” US halfpipe coach Mike Jankowski said.

Clark, Teter, 2006 Olympic runner-up Gretchen Bleiler and Elena Hight return are all back from the 2006 US women’s halfpipe lineup.

Reigning snowboard cross champion Wescott will be joined by five-time X Games champion Nate Holland, 2006 Olympian Graham Watanabe and newcomer Nick Baumgartner.

“It was a huge battle to make this men’s SBX team. Six different US riders have already been on the World Cup podium this season, and only four of them make the Olympic Team,” Foley said.

“Vancouver is going to be an incredible fight for the podium, and our guys are ready for it.”

Lindsey Jacobellis, who settled for silver at the 2006 Olympics, returns to the women’s snowboard cross lineup as a favorite, joined by Olympic newcomers Faye Gulini and Callan Chythlook-Sifsof.

Alpine racers include two-time Olympian and 2002 bronze medalist Chris Klug and 2006 Olympians Tyler Jewell and Michelle Gorgone.

“Klug’s hard work and perseverance have really paid off,” Foley said. “What an amazing accomplishment it is for him to make the Olympic teams in ‘98 and 2002, then miss the team in 2006 and now make the team again in 2010.”

js/lp10

Snowboarding: White, Clark, headline US halfpipe team – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

Park City (AFP) – Shaun White turned in a near-perfect performance Saturday to seal a halfpipe victory in the US Snowboarding Grand Prix and underscore his status as a gold medal favorite at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.

Reigning Olympic champ White and 2002 women’s gold medallist Kelly Clark headline the US halfpipe team for Vancouver announced on Saturday.

White, who had already secured his Olympic berth, isn’t taking it easy heading into Vancouver, winning Saturday’s event with a score of 49.50 – just half a point off a perfect 50.

White will be joined by Olympic newcomers Scotty Lago and Louie Vito.

Clark will be joined on the women’s team by 2006 gold and silver medallists Hannah Teter Gretchen Bleiler.

America has dominated the halfpipe snowboard event since it made its Olympic debut in 1998.

The full US snowboard team is to be announced next week.

bb

Play nice – Cultural Olympiad News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

Vancouver will be a hotspot for world-class theatre starting January 22 when mythical creatures, historical figures and cultural icons take centre stage for the 2010 Cultural Olympiad’s dramatic lineup.

After working as part of the creative team behind the opening ceremonies for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, performance art superwoman Laurie Anderson is back on the Olympic radar with her new solo opera, Delusion. Known for experimental performance pieces, including her 1981 hit O Superman, and for being NASA’s first artist-in-residence, Anderson’s new CODE-commissioned work is a series of short plays that weave between reality and mythology using music, visuals and electronic puppetry.

Based on the explorations of renowned Haida artist Bill Reid, Beyond Eden is the story of two friends who set out to rescue dilapidated totem poles from a deserted village off the north coast of British Columbia. The world première of this musical, starring Spirit of the West singer John Mann, illustrates the struggles, as well as joys, of two men on a particularly daunting journey.

Another first for Canadian theatre is arriving in the form of the 1987 opera Nixon in China, a dramatization of the American government’s first official visit to China. With dialogue pulled directly from 1972 headlines of the visit, this modern opera accurately portrays the historical visit with a libretto and musical score sure to please history and opera buffs alike.

Passengers with flight phobia will share their darkest fears through songs, monologues and movement on one bumpy cross-Canada plane ride in Fear of Flight. Recently named as one of Canada’s top 10 theatre artists by Toronto’s NOW magazine, Newfoundland-based director Jillian Keiley has collaborated with some of the country’s top playwrights for this remarkable performance.

Finally, no Canadian theatre roster would be complete without work from homegrown Quebecois director and playwright Robert Lepage. The Blue Dragon brings character Pierre Lamontagne back to life from Lepage’s 1986 hit The Dragon’s Trilogy. After living in Shanghai for 20 years, Lamontagne is visited by an old Canadian friend, whose presence challenges both characters’ preconceptions of culture and identity.

For more information or to buy tickets to all the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad events, please visit our listings page.

Nadal wins to set up Murray clash

Defending champion Rafael Nadal beats Ivo Karlovic in four sets to book a quarter-final meeting with Britain’s Andy Murray at the Australian Open.
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