BC Place – The Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games will be held in BC Place Stadium in downtown Vancouver.
This will also be the site for nightly Victory Ceremonies presentations.
BC Place Stadium – will seat approximately 55,000 spectators for the Olympic and Paralympic Ceremonies and features the largest air-supported stadium roof in North America. The enclosed venue offers many advantages in addition to protection from winter weather, including an unprecedented opportunity to stretch the boundaries of ceremonies’ spectacle using state-of-the-art lighting, projection, sound and special effects technology.
Gates open 4 hours prior to the ceremonies & People will be let in 2 hours prior to the event.
Officially opening its doors on September 21, 1995, General Motors Place has become symbolic of Vancouver’s proud identity, serving as the city’s ambassador and host to the world of sports and entertainment.
A staple of downtown Vancouver, General Motors Place is one of the premier sports and entertainment facilities in all of North America. Highly praised for its comfortable seating and superior sightlines, visitor hospitality lies at the heart of this 475,000 sq. ft. building.
Home to the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League, General Motors Place has hosted numerous national and international events over the years, as well as welcomed a countless number of world renowned personalities including former US President Bill Clinton, HRH Queen Elizabeth II, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Serving as the primary venue for ice hockey in 2010 at the XXI Winter Olympic Games, General Motors Place will once again be front and center as the eyes of the world will be focused on watching Canada attempt to win Olympic Hockey Gold for the first time ever on home ice.
Since its inception as the leading entertainment venue in British Columbia, General Motors Place has welcomed over 15 million visitors through its doors!
“The false creek area will be at the heart and centre of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.”
Historical tour of False Creek
During World War I, the easternmost part of False Creek, which formerly ran to Clark Drive, was filled in by the Great Northern Railway and Canadian Northern Pacific Railway to create new land for their yards and terminals. Talk of draining and filling the inlet to Granville Street continued into the 1950s, but that never occurred.
The False Creek area was the industrial heartland of Vancouver through to the 1950s. It was home to many sawmills and small port operations, as well as the western terminus of the major Canadian railways. As industry shifted to other areas, the vicinity around False Creek started to deteriorate.
The future of False Creek south was subsequently shaped by debates on freeways, urban renewal, and the rise of citizen participation in urban planning.
Through the 60s, the ruling NPA city government and senior city bureaucrats had hatched a plan – with little or no public consultation – to run freeways through the city. In the same period, the City razed large portions of Strathcona under the aegis of urban renewal. A group of influential citizens formed The Electors Action Movement (TEAM) to oppose the freeway and to radically change the way decisions were made on land use. A key figure amongst these people was Walter Hardwick, a Geography professor at UBC who envisioned the retrofit of this brownfield industrial site into a vibrant waterfront mixed-use community.
First elected to City Council in 1968, Dr. Hardwick led the City’s redevelopment team and helped secure the participation of the Federal Government which owned Granville Island. A major public involvement and co-design process followed which established public priorities for an accessible waterfront seawall; mixed-tenure housing including market condominiums, co-op and low-income housing and live-aboard marinas; and a vibrant waterfront market. These plans were formalized in a 1972 Official Development Plan. The form and mix of development were revolutionary for Vancouver at the time. A third of the site was set aside for housing at 40 units/acre with the balance converted to park, waterfront and commnuity uses.
The North Shore of False Creek was further transformed in the 1980s, as it took centre stage during Expo 86. Following Expo, the Province sold the NFC site to Li Ka-shing who brought ideas of a higher density waterfront community to the downtown peninsula. Vancouver’s experience with South False Creek and the public participation that shaped it was key to developing NFC as a livable high-density community. For example, Ka-shing’s company wanted to develop “islands” of market condo’s on the waterfront but was soundly rebuffed by the public and by planners who favoured the extension of a 100% publicly accessible waterfront and seawall. The 1991 Official Development Plan enabled significant new density commensurate with the provision of significant public amenities including streetfront shops and services, parks, school sites, community centres, daycares, co-op and low-income housing. Since then, most of the north shore has become a new neighbourhood of dense housing (about 100 units/acre), adding some 50,000 new residents to Vancouver’s downtown peninsula.
On December 1, 1998, Vancouver City Council adopted a set of Blueways policies and guidelines stating the vision of a waterfront city where land and water combine to meet the environmental, cultural and economic needs of the City and its people in a sustainable, equitable, high quality manner.
South East False Creek has been developed and will serve as the athletes’ village for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Fully built out, South Ease False Creek it will eventually become a residential area for 16,000 people.
With 24 days remaining on the countdown clock today, the city is quickly filling up with Winter Games sponsored advertising. Here are a few examples I captured on a short downtown photowalk this afternoon.
One sponsor has taken over two sides of the TD Building on the corner of Howe and Georgia. On the other corner we see the city’s patriotism, while we wait for the clock to count down the few remaining days until the festivities begin.
This rotating billboard on Seymour and Nelson, has all three sides showing games related sponsors.
Robson Square decked out with logos on the pillars, the glass and on the ice from the rink’s sponsor.
Entire buses have been covered! This one was spotted on the corner of Howe and Nelson.
This entire building is plastered with advertising for the official Games clothing, on the corner of Granville and Georgia.
Great big displays, including event mascots, in the hallways of Pacific Center.
With the Games fast approaching, and the more sponsorship ads we start to see, Vancouver2010 fever and fan excitement will surely spread like wildfire soon enough!
Molson Canadian Hockey House at Concord Place offers two distinct types of passes for you to enjoy all the excitement surrounding Canada’s run for Gold! Both pass options offer all the exciting men’s and women’s Olympic hockey action on giant HD screens, live nightly entertainment – including bands like the Barenaked Ladies, Sam Roberts, Tom Cochrane, and Colin James, all in a state of the art venue right across the street from the arena. Take a look at the two pass options and check out everything that is going on at the Games, and within Molson Canadian Hockey House, every day in our Entertainment Line-up.
Molson Canadian Hockey House will have it all during the 2010 Olympics — top-flight entertainment, food catered by renowned chef Wolfgang Puck and a chance to rub shoulders with past and present Canadian hockey heroes.
FAN ZONE PASS BENEFITS ($99 pp)
Access to Molson Canadian Hockey House and all the exciting Olympic action, from watching Canada’s men’s and women’s teams go for Gold to all of the live nightly entertainment on the main stage.
*Full day pass
*Complimentary food
*Cash Bar
*In and Out privileges
VIP LOUNGE BENEFITS (from $450 pp)
Molson Canadian Hockey House’s most exclusive area, guaranteed to deliver a once in a lifetime experience.
*Full day pass
*Complimentary full open bar
*Complimentary gourmet meals prepared by the world-renowned Wolfgang Puck Catering team
*Daily visits from Hockey Canada Alumni
*Guaranteed seating within a luxurious upscale Lounge environment
*Access to host/hostess service
*In and Out privileges
VisionCo. is an equal partner in the venture with Hockey Canada and the International Ice Hockey Federation. Hockey Canada will have a 15,000-square-foot Hockey Canada House for hockey players and their families, while the IIHF will have a 9,000-square-foot lounge for its special guests.
Construction of the 81,000-square-foot facility — to be the largest temporary freestanding pavilion ever built in Canada
Vancouver Canucks icon Stan Smyl will be the venue’s “official ambassador,” hosting special guests and hockey alumni who visit the facility. Former Canuck Trevor Linden also will help out in a similar role.
Games-time appearances at the venue are expected by former NHL stars Paul Coffey, Cam Neely, Luc Robitaille, Peter Mahovlich, Danny Gare and Russ Courtnall.
The Holland Heineken House is the official home of the Dutch Olympic Committee NOC*NSF and is facilitated by Heineken. The 5.000 square meters of the Minoru Arenas consists of two ice hockey rinks, which will be removed especially for this occasion. MinoruArenas is only a 5-minute walk from Canada Line Skytrain Station Richmond-Brighouse and a 15-minute walk from the Richmond Olympic Oval, the location where the Dutch speed skaters will compete for the medals. The Holland Heineken House is in the beating heart of the special arranged Richmond Olympic Zone (O Zone) at Minuro Park.
Take a virtual tour of the Heineken House.
Medal Ceremony Hall The highlight of the Holland Heineken House experience is the main hall featuring celebratory medal ceremonies for the successful Dutch athletes and nightly performances by Dutch renowned artists and DJ’s. It can host about 3,000 – 4,000 people every night. The uniquely close relationship that Dutch sport fans have with their heroes – coupled with their penchant for the national color orange – makes for a vibrant and unforgettable atmosphere during celebrations and performances. More than 100,000 people visited the Holland Heineken House during Winter Games in Turin and 95,000 at the Beijing Olympics. At the last Summer Games, supporters were able to celebrate a total of 16 medals for the Dutch Olympic Team.
Epic centre Dutch sporting world Further features of the Holland Heineken House include a Lodge Restaurant and several food outlets, a Dutch Consulate information desk, ATP travel and ticketing desk, a special athletes’ room, VIP facilities for members of the Dutch royal family and government should they pay a visit, a business lounge for partners and suppliers of NOC*NSF and facilities for Dutch media. The organization expects more than 50.000 visitors during the Olympic Winter games in Richmond.
Sports fans can follow the progress of their heroes live on dozens of large screens throughout the Holland Heineken House, sharing in the achievements and emotions that are part and parcel of the Olympic experience. Should you be unable to obtain a ticket for your favorite event, there is no better way to enjoy the action than in the company of fellow fans.
Opening hours Open daily from 9 a.m. until 2 a.m., the Holland Heineken House is an ideal place to catch up on the latest of the Olympics or simply relax with something to eat or drink. Everyone is welcome who comes to the Olympic Games from 11 until the 28th of February 2010, including international guests, and most of all those with a Dutch Passport.
The refreshments offer a range from fast food and healthy snacks to the best of modern cuisine, of course with a Dutch and Canadian hint. Combined -of course- with a fresh and cold Heineken draught beer. Table reservations for lunch and dinner at the Lodge Restaurant (capacity 150 pax) already can be made by sending an e-mail to hhh@atp.nl.
The Heineken House is locate next to the O Zone and the Richmond Oval Centre where the speed skating events will take place… View Larger Map
More information on the Heineken House coming soon…
Coverage of the Olympic Games is dominated by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) contracted rights-holder and accredited major media conglomerates. However some feel there is a role for crowdsourced documentation of both sporting events and the cultural context in which it happens.
This expert panel discusses changes, challenges, and opportunities facing grassroots media makers around the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games.
Speaking about Citizen Journalism and Gonzo Olympic coverage at Media Democracy Day Vancouver 2008: Panel 3, The Battle for New Media and Open Communication from www.workingtv.com/mdd2008.html .
More information at www.mediademocracyday.org/vanc ouver.
