I’ve been quite fortunate in getting tickets to Olympic events here at the Vancouver 2010 Games! I’ve been lucky enough to acquire tickets to several events, all at face value. Events I’ve seen include speed skating at the Olympic Oval, men’s hockey at Canada Hockey Place, and women’s hockey at Thunderbird Stadium at UBC. I’ve also been to a Victory Ceremony and to the Molson Canadian Hockey House twice to watch hockey games there.

The best part about all of these opportunities for me is that I am able to take  photos of once in a lifetime events in our beautiful city!

Here are some of those images to give you a taste of my 2010 Olympics experiences:

Speed Skating:

On February 13th, after winning tickets in the Holland Heineken House ticket lottery for Dutch citizens, I went to my first speed skating event. It was unbelievable! The energy in the Richmond Oval was electrifying! And the fact that Holland’s Sven Kramer won Gold, made it that much better!

Gold Medalist, Sven Kramer of the Netherlands.

Victory Ceremony:

The first gold medal for Canada was awarded to Alex Bilodeau on February 15th. I was at the medal ceremony to see it happen!

\

Molson Canadian Hockey House:

On February 15th, Tom Cochrane played at the Molson Canadian Hockey House. Guests to his stage included Tyler Stewart of the Barenaked Ladies, and Donald Sutherland. It was an amazing show and the House was full of energy and excitement! A super fun time! If you have a chance to watch a game at the Molson Canadian Hockey House, take it! Included in the FanZone ticket is entrance, food, and non-alcoholic beverages. Beer is $7.50 tax and tip included.

Men’s Hockey:

I was at the USA vs Norway game on February 18th. We had seats right behind the photographers’ pit and I was able to sneak into the photographers area for about 20 minutes in the second period! It was amazing to be so close to the action and having the players bang up against the glass right in front of me! Here are some of the shots from that game.

Women’s Hockey:

On February 22nd, the Swiss played the Russians in Women’s Hockey at Thunderbird Stadium out at UBC. After a well-matched game, a few injuries, overtime and a shootout, the Swiss were victorious, winning 4th place in the 2010 Olympic standings! Congratulations Switzerland!

Believe it or not, there are still tickets available for upcoming events! We are into the final week of the Games and your final chances to see some awesome Olympic athletes in action! Try your luck for tickets at the Vancouver 2010 Fan to Fan site, Craigslist, or even right outside the venues from people trying to simply sell extra tickets at face value because they are unable to attend the event. It doesn’t always have to be pricey!A 10 Day

Amazing first week at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. Here’s some of the Highlights of my first week at 2010 Olympics…

Watching the Olympic flame Downtown… Hours before the Opening Ceremony. It was amazing to see the flame change hands as it was zig zagging through the streets of our host city on its last day (Day 106 of a 40,000 Kms).

A few hours later Wayne Gretzky will be the last torch barer, completing the journey riding in the back of a pickup, in the rain, to light the Cauldron…

Visiting the various hospitality houses:

• Holland Heineken House – The Holland is located at the Richmond OZone – (Minoru Park) and is within walking distance of the Richmon Oval, the long track speed skating venue. I had the opportunity to go there a few nights this week; I saw and met Sven when we celebrate him breaking the OR and winning a Gold Medal – Speed Skating, Men 5000m.  The music and Dj are great entertainment, the beer flow freely @ $4.50 for a 8 once glass, it falls in line with other Olympic prices. Overall I would say, a great venue to enjoy an evening. Note that the House is Close to “NON Dutch Passport Holder” on days when Holland wins a Gold Medal. Expect Long line up…
• Irish House - I was at their opening night, and as much as the space is fun, I didn’t find my space here. It feels like an extension of the Doolin’s Irish Pub, a large tent venue with comfortable seating, decent sounds and average cover bands. The beer is on the expensive side <$8, the entrance fee uncalled for! Seriously… The Irish House has received many noise complaints since it is open late. Expect long line up.
• German House. Great food, tasty beers, friendly Germans and a good spot to watch a game or just hang with friends. You can buy tasty sausages and other German grilled food. Expect Long line up…
• Sochi World – If you like the Olympics and are a fan, I would strongly recommend doing the trip to the Rusky World. Science World has been converted into a demo centre for the next Winter Games in Russia. The Second floor feature the sponsors, a great place to watch hockey, and an Info Centre for the Upcoming Olympic University. Expect very long line up. A must see IMO.
• Atlantic House - Possibly  one of the best place to spend an afternoon while learning about eastern Canada and enjoying tasty food, great beers,Screech (NF Rum). I hung out with friends and found the venue (Backstage Lounge on Granville Island) to be a great reflection of Atlantic Canada. Line up was not that bad on the day we visited the house.
• Switzerland House – I had the pleasure to go to their opening night and for the Canada vs Switzerland Man Hockey game. The food is tasty as you would expect; you can choose between Fondue, Sausage, cold cut plate and various other dishes. The bar is a good venue to enjoy a game. Expect a line up.
• La Maison Du Quebec - I went to La Maison Du Quebec on Quebec day and enjoyed a tall beer, some great music in a large open venue. I would say that overall this is a great location to enjoy a band, taste great bieres Quebecoise and spend a great evening. Line up varies, but they tend to move fast.
• HBC – Pin Trading Center – No Olympics would be complete without trading a few pins. Coca Cola and HBC have partnered up and there is a Pin trading centre at the downtown HBC olympic store. They have daily events, and you can find pro and amateur pin traders networking there throughout the day. A must see spot for anyone interested in Pin Trading or anyone who would like to know more about this unofficial Olympic sport.
• Molson Canadian Hockey House - Molson have been extremely generous to us and granted us access to the venue before the public opening and for a few games. Overall this is by far the best place to watch a hockey game. The fan zone passes are not cheap but if you factor in that this is a all day pass, which include food and “in and out” privilege and the bar serves more than just Molson Canadian. Although why would you want to drink anything else? No Lineup, lots of space, the entertainment is not conducted by your traditional PG 13 host Overall a must do experience for any Hockey Fan
• Club Bud – Burton Event – One of the most exclusive party of the 2010 games, the Club Bud party series will feature 5 different night co-sponsored with another outfit. This week Club Bud (Ustream channel for the red carpet) was hosting the Burton and NHL parties. I attended the Burton party. We got to share space with Karl Lewis, the USA Snowboarding team, talented snowboard artists and various Celebrities.. By Invitation only

Exploring the CODE

• CODE 1 – We attended the Opening Night and enjoyed the various instalations. See our posts on CODE 1 for more information.

• CODE 2 – Located at Emily Carr University on Vancouver Island, code two has a few instalation worth seeing. I would recommend taking the time to listen or watch all the media loops..Worth the time, no line up, and a fun thing to do while on Granville Island.

• Code 3 – Located on the lower level of the Downtown Vancouver Public Library – CODE 3 has a fun interactive air canon that shoot up airplane message with beacon light. A fun thing to do with the kids. Expect a line up but fun and creative.

John’s CODE Pictures &   KK’s CODE Pictures

Attending Sporting events

• Speed Skating – Attending an event where you get to witness an Olympic Record is something memorable. I really enjoyed the Richmond Oval. A bit out of the way, but a great legacy venue for after the Olympics.
• Hockey Game – USA vs NOR – The US team won in this amazing game. We scored great seats in the first round of tickets allocation and this was a great game to check out.

Nightly Victory Ceremonies and Themed Days

• Quebec Day – Alex’s Golden Moment - Music and Quebec Talent followed by the Victory Celebration for Canada’s 1st Gold on Canadian soil in 3 Olympics.. Overall I would say that at >$30 the nightly Victory Ceremonies are a good value for the family. Sadly the scalpers are selling tickets at criminal rates..
• PEI Day – Sean White get’s the Gold – Unfortunately we arrived late for the first part entertainment. But we witness Shaun White receiving his Gold Medal. Hedley was the headliner that night.

TNMH and other Events

• Hanging at the BCMC – The Robson Square Media Centre has become a central basecamp for us over the past week; it is a great venue to meet other media outlets, reporters and celebrities. This week we got to meet Canada’s Golden Boy; Alex Bilodeau, Ex-Terminator now Governor Arnold Swartzenergger, taste wine from various regions. Hug the Stanley Cup and get great support to create content for this blog…

• TNMH – Alternative Media Group founded to serve a missing need. Photowalk to the Olympic Cauldron – We held a #TNMH photowalk from the German House to Robson Square via the Olympic Cauldron;  we had a bit more than a dozen photographer come to the ad-hoc event and we where lucky to have a great sunny day for us to explore the Streets of Vancouver.

• Zip Line over Robson Square – By far the most fun I had in my first week, riding Zip Trek’s Zip Line over Robson Square was the highlight free activity of the 2010 Winter Game.

Zip Trek over Robert Square with @mariskar

Final notes; Despite the terrible rain on the opening ceremony night, we had amazing weather this week. I have never seen so many happy people people in vancouver> the streets a.re filled with helping volunteers and fans from over 90 nations.

No fun city? Not anymore, the police and security force has done a great job with crowd control in face of the massive all night street parties.

Overall it was an amazing first week at the 2010 Winter Games.

Bonus: Check out the great 3D view of the venues..

Yesterday was Quebec day at the 2010 Olympics and what could be more fitting than having someone from Quebec win the FIRST gold medal on Canadian soil and the 1st gold medal of the 2010 games for Canada!

Canada’s Golden Boy

Congratulation Alexandre Bilodeau for being the champion that you are! Congrats Canada for being such an amazing host nation and supportive fans.

Victory Celebrations at BC Place Stadium (Vancouver)

The nightly Victory Celebration Ceremonies are held in both Vancouver and Whistler. Last night I was lucky to have tickets to the Celebrations at BC Place and attending Canada’s first Gold Medal Ceremonies in 3 Canadian Olympics.. At 22$ a ticket, i think the victory celebrations are a good deal for fans and any family looking to do something fun and soak in the Olympic spirit.

BC Place is feeling magical and the space looks like a winter landscape / northern dream. The screens are well positioned allowing everyone to see clearly what is happening on the main stage. (They are only using a section of the stadium, with the main stage separating the space nicely.

I am going again on the 18th and I hope that we will have the honour of seeing more Canadian Olympians celebrating their victories…

Close

Above is a little peak at what the Molson Canadian House has to offer!

The Molson Canadian House is a great venue to visit. Located at Concord Place near Quebec House, Ontario Pavillion and Saskatchewan House.
Molson has put together quite an experience for the 2010 Olympics. Last night Tom Cochrane rocked the house and a special guest appearance from Donald Sutherland were some great highlights!

Things to note about the house

Fanzone Entry – $100.00
VIP Entry – $450.00 and up (depending on day)

Beers are $7.50 CND
Hard Liquor $10.00  CND

Cash or Visa only!

Close

After winning the first Canadian gold medal on home turf freestyle moguls skier Alex Bilodeau had a press conference this morning which I sat in on at the BC International Media Centre.

Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr / 2010.JohnBiehler.com

The very humble Bilodeau replied in both French and English, offering much praise to the Own the Podium program, his family (in particular his brother), and his fellow athletes. “This extraordinary effort does not come in isolation,” said Peter Judge, CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association. “First and foremost we are thanking Canada.”

Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr / 2010.JohnBiehler.com

Running on 3 hours of sleep after many media meetings, appearances and television spots in the last 18 hours, Bilodeau did a great job of even addresses tough questions from press about judging at sporting events like his. “The only thing I can control is my performance,” he noted.

When asked what his coach’s last words of wisdom were before he went down his medal-winning run he simply replied, “I said to him, ‘thank you’.”

Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr / 2010.JohnBiehler.com

With many more press conferences, interviews, and photo ops on his horizon Bilodeau is ultimately looking forward to seeing his family tonight. He added, “for me it’s just the beginning of a great party & all of Canada is invited.”

Submitted by Rebecca Bollwitt

This is the 2nd of several Vancouver 2010 Olympics photoessays created by Kris Krüg.

Vancouver is filled with energy now that 2010 Winter Olympic Games has officially started.

The last week has been filled with the excited fervor of the last month and anticipation of the upcoming weeks.

Here is a photographic look into the last week of adventure and celebrations, before the officially opening of the Games in Vancouver.

The Olympic torch was carried downhill on the Blackcomb mountain by world champion and olympiad Steve Podborski. Steve won a bronze medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Currently he is part of the VANOC and works within International Relations.

Premier Gordon Campbell seemingly is Canada's number one fan. Campbell has travelled around Canada for the entire length of the torch relay. Here he is handing out coveted British Columbia Olympic pins to fans at the Whistler Torch Celebration.

Vancouver is part of the Coast Salish territories and has a Four Host First Nation welcoming committee as part of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Willie Lewis, dressed in a traditional Aborginal outfit, was part of the Whistler Torch Relay Celebration.

Static Photography had the chance to hang out in Whistler for the weekend with Chris Wheeler who had been following the torch relay through all of Canada. We had the chance to do some zip trekking with him! Our longest run was 2200 m.

The Olympic Torch had an extended route through all of Vancouver with the relay going through all of the neighborhoods in Vancouver. The Vancouver city council accompanied by Mayor Gregor Robertson welcomed the torch when it came to City Hall. 

Vancouver Olympiad Lori Fung, with her gold medal, was present when the Olympic Torch came to the Vancouver City Hall. Fung was the first gold medalist awarded in the sport of Rhythmic Gymnastics during the 1984 Summer Olympics which were held in Los Angeles, CA.

Iain Black welcomed the public to the opening of the VX Forum in Vancouver, BC. Black is Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development in Canada and is pictured here with Nadia Nascimento and Dave Olson of Invoke Media which is the parent company to twitter-based application Hootsuite.

This is the first Olympic Games where people are full-on involved with technology and the internet. Many fans often have out their own cameras to capture their memories themselves. With this sort of documentation present for the Vancouver Winter Olympics, some of the best Olympic news coverage will be coming from the internet!

There are many different pavilions popping up all over Vancouver with all sorts of awesome installations and displays. This is a touch screen graffitti media installation in the DigiBC part of the BC Pavilion. Here one of the creators is having fun creating some interactive art.

Mayor Gregor Robertson has been a very busy man during the preparations for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Here he is outside of the W2 Media and Culture House in the DTES. He was the speaker at the ribbon-cutting of this independent media house which opened to the public.

The beautiful Olympic Athlete Village sits on the waters' edge of the False Creek. There was a bit of controversy when the athletes from Australia hung up their official Aussie flag, which is a copyrighted image. Despite some grievances with the IOC, Vancouver fought to keep the flag up!

Bombardier, the company who designed the Olympic Torch for the Vancouver Winter Olympics, also designed the Olympic Line, a train that runs from the Main Street Skytrain Station to Granville Island. Bombardier has given Vancouver two of their streetcars, on loan from Brussels, Belgium. The Olympic Line is a 60 day demonstration project so get a ride while you can! 

Visitors have been packing into Vancouver from all over the world for the 2010 Winter Olympics. This group of women associated with Ukrainian team were photographed on their way into the Opening Ceremony on February 12th. 

Another type of visitor that has been sighted in Vancouver is the increase in public security, with the influx of police from other provinces. These police officers are in fact from four different Canadian provinces! 

It was very exciting to watch the crowd gather for the Opening Ceremony at the German Saxony House. The place was packed with locals and visitors for the three hour televised event. Of course, everyone went nuts when the Canadian team was ushered into BC Place. 

The biggest secret of the 2010 Winter Olympics was the identity of the person who was to light the final torch in Vancouver during the official welcoming of the Games. Wayne Gretzky ended up carrying the torch from BC Place to the final outdoor giant torch at Waterfront station in a great fanfare. The night ended with a fireworks-filled sky. 

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games have only just begun. The city of Vancouver has ahead of it three weeks of events and celebrations!

This is only the beginning so make sure to check back for more photographic recaps from Static Photography! 

In case you missed it, here is our first photo essay about 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Thanks to Vancouver Access, Culture at the Olympics and the LA Times for republishing our first 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics photo essay!

For the past years, people from Canada and the world have been anticipating the 2010 Winter Games.

While the IOC and VANOC busted their buns around the clock getting ready to host the party, the rest of us continued with our daily lives. Meanwhile an army of athletes, volunteers, and officials are dedicating their lives to ensure that the spirit of the Olympics, the competitions and hosting the world largest cultural celebrations are successful for everyone (Especially their sponsors…).

I feel both a sense of satisfaction and sadness as I am living, experiencing these games. This has been something that I have been looking forward to for a long time and now it is here. What’s next on my Olympic journey?

Over 80 nations are competing in our city until February 28th. 2500 Athletes inspiring us and demonstrating what dedicated, hard working humans can achieve.

People from all over the world are walking these BC Streets, enjoy the various free venues and taking in the Winter Games Celebrations.

February 14th – aka Valentine Day

Today is Valentine Day, at the Swiss House they are doing chocolate fondue. On Robson square and in Richmond at the Ozone, they are celebrating BC Day, In Chinatown, a 3000 years old + culture is celebrating Chinese New Year..

Where where you for the Opening Ceremonies?

Having already seen the Opening Ceremony Dressed Rehearsal on February 10th, I opted to hang out with friends at a local pub and watch the actual opening ceremonies on the screen. I eventually made my way to the OZone in Richmond and ended my night at the Holland Heineken House..

Recap of Day Two

Saturday was a great first day of competition; I went to the 5000m Speed skating Medal Event at the Oval in Richmond, I was lucky enough to have front row seats in the dutch National team section and watch Sven Kramer break the Olympic Record and win the Gold Medal.

After a much needed nap and some tasty Japanese food at Modern Club Teppaniaki Restaurant, we return to the Holland Heineken House for the evening celebrations and attend Sven press conference with the dutch media.. (We are Accredited with the Holland Heineken House and will be covering various events there over the next few weeks)

I used Ustream to webcast his interview (in Dutch) from the Holland house…

Reflection on these past few days?

Despite the tragic event of Friday morning and the lost of the Olympian Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia. Despite the violent actions of protesters abusing their freedom of speech rights. Despite Canada not wining its first Gold (congrats Jen for winning the Silver, our first medal of the XXI Olympics for Canada!)

I would say that Vancouver/Whistler, BC and Canada are off to a good start hosting these games.

Photo credits Mariska Richters and John Beihler (Van Access team)

Today is the last day of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.

I had the pleasure seeing the torch up close and being passed on right in front of me, along side so many Vancouverites and Olympic fans..

“The Olympic Flame has a sacred history and symbolizes the principles of peace, brotherhood and friendship,” notes VANOC (the Vancouver Olympics Committee), and is “a 45,000 kilometre journey across Canada that will unify the country and build excitement for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.”

According to VANOC, the Vancouver 2010 Olympics torch relay is “the longest in history to be contained within the Host Country.”

Vancouver 2010 Olympics Torch Relay Statistics

Some interesting statistics, provided by VANOC in a media kit released in October, 2010.

• 106 days long (October 30, 2009 – February 12, 2010)
• 187 community celebrations
• 1020 communities and places of interest, including
  • 115 Aboriginal communities
  • 20 places of interest
  • 14 Canadian Forces Bases and Canadian Forces Stations
• 90% of Canada’s 32 million population (about 29 million) will be within one hour’s drive of the relay route
• 12,000 – number of torchbearers
• 45,000 – total kilometres traveled across the country
  • 18,000 – total kilometres by air
  • 1,000 – total kilometres by water
  • 26,000 – total kilometres by land
  • 100 – approximate number of different modes of transportation used along the way

The sheer length of the relay within the host country (with no international legs included) is what has distinguished it from previous Olympic torch relays.

Close