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Whistler Ski Jumping, Nordic, Biathlon, Cross Country events

Winter Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies at BC Place Stadium

Ice Hockey Men’s and Women’s Preliminary, Quarterfinal, Semifinal, Bronze and Gold Medal Games

Speed Skating at Richmond Olympic Oval

Cypress Mountain Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding

If you want Vancouver Olympic medal ceremony tickets, just click one of the links above.

As we approach Games time we anticipate hotel rooms becoming available. This has been the case with past Olympic destinations. However, at this time the majority of hotel partners are not contracting any additional rooms or taking individual reservations.

Please explore the options listed below to help find accommodations.

* * Cantrav - Customized tour packages, accommodation, transportation, food and beverage management and host services. Group bookings of 5 or more rooms, min 2 nights stay. Group and Individual rooms available. Contact: Tom Ebner tebner@cantrav.com

* * Entrée Canada - Offering deluxe personalized travel programs to Vancouver and Whistler including pre and post packages, sightseeing, transportation, luxury hotel and private home rentals. Min 3 nights stay (hotel). Contact: Marc Telio marc@entreedestinations.com

* * TBA Global - Customized packages, accommodation, transportation, food and beverage management and host services. Contact: Jennifer Keenan jkeenan@tbaglobal.com

* Ludus Tours - Offering moderate 2-5 star options in Downtown Vancouver, Ludus is the Official Tour Operator for Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, Canadian Freestyle Ski and US Figure Skating. Contact: Adam Dailey, USA: (512) 351-7825, Vancouver: (604) 568-2529 or adam@ludustours.com.

* * PRIME has some great 4-star rooms still available for part and the whole duration of the Games in downtown Vancouver. First come, first serve! 100% non-refundable payment required to secure space. Credit card payments - Add 4% administration fee to total. 4 & 5 night minimums are required. Contact Greg Peart, (604) 689-3446 x 475 or greg.peart@pr1me.ca]

* Co-sport - Official hospitality services provider for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Create your own experience by selecting a Hospitality Package that meets your needs. Packages vary from Flex; includes accommodations and event tickets to Fully Inclusive: accommodations, event tickets, airport meet and greet services, meals, ground transportation, and host services. Accommodations Only are also an available offering. Check out www.Cosport.com.

On February 12, 2010 the world will focus its attention on Vancouver for the 21st Winter Olympic Games. The presence of the Olympics just across the U.S.-Canadian border has enormous implications for cross-border travel and reentry into the United States by its citizens. In essence, if youre traveling to the Winter Games by land or sea, youre going to need approved travel documents to get back home,” explained Jim Learned, president and managing director of the agency. The campaign encourages travelers to visit the GetYouHome.gov (http://getyouhome.gov/) website in order to learn about travel document options that will best meet their needs.

The Winter Olympics are the third most popular sporting event in the world involving thousands of athletes, officials and spectators from more than 80 countries. Whatcom Council of Governments (WCOG), a federally designated regional metropolitan planning organization, estimates the total number of attendees for the 2010 Winter Games to be at 525,000 people; of which almost 150,000 would be traveling northbound across the U.S-Canadian border.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative has been in full effect less than 9 months, so this will be a major test for basic compliance of the new WHTI requirements,” Learned said. When WHTI went into effect in June 2009, ports reported an average of 93% compliance during the first week of implementation. High compliance rates were attributed to the WHTI public outreach campaign.

The current set of ads features several athletes who will compete in Vancouver, including: Bill Demong, Nordic combined; Hannah Teter, snowboarding; Shani Davis, speedskating; Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker, pairs figure skating. In the ads, their faces peek through document picture windows, giving personality and purpose to the IDs. Being able to partner with the U.S Olympic Committee and work with the athletes on this effort enabled us to marry the creative treatment with global enthusiasm for the events, in a completely natural way,” Learned added.

I was really thrilled about being asked to participate in the WHTI advertising campaign and had a great time doing the spots with the people at Elevation. I was happy that I could help U.S. Customs and Border Protection tell the American people about the travel documents they will need to get home quickly after supporting Team USA in Vancouver,” explained Billy Demong, three time U.S. Olympian and medal hopeful for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Tourism Vancouver and Tourism Whistler want to dispel myths that Vancouver and Whistler are “sold out”, “too busy”, “under construction”, or “too expensive” in the months leading up to the 2010 Winter Games. These misperceptions are part of the Olympic aversion phenomenon which has been known to impact host destinations before and after the Games, leading visitors to stay away during what are actually great times to visit. Tourism Vancouver and Tourism Whistler want to be among the first to avoid this phenomenon.

In fact, there has never been a better time to visit Vancouver and Whistler. Here’s why:

* Great accommodation offers. Get breakfast included with your hotel stay in Vancouver, and a four-day lift pass included with your five-day stay in Whistler. Full details below.

* Sneak preview of the host destinations before the Games. With just 85 days to go before the Opening Ceremonies, get your photo taken beside the Olympic Countdown Clock and see the Olympic rings floating in Vancouver’s downtown harbour. Zipline past the Whistler Sliding Centre and view the village below while standing beside a 30-foot tall Inukshuk atop Whistler Mountain.

* Transportation has never been easier or more enjoyable. The $600 million upgrade to the Sea-to-Sky Highway linking Vancouver and Whistler is days away from completion. And you can now get to downtown Vancouver from Vancouver International Airport by SkyTrain. The new Canada Line train is clean, fast (about 25 minutes into downtown Vancouver), and great value (just $3.75 CAD per person).

* Experience the Cultural Olympiad prior to Games time. Starting January 22, Cultural Olympiad 2010 will offer dozens of free and ticketed cultural events in and around Vancouver and Whistler, weeks before the start of the 2010 Winter Games.

* Ski or ride the Olympic and Paralympic runs! The snow is falling in Whistler and on Vancouver’s surrounding mountains. Whistler Mountain (venue for alpine skiing) and Vancouver’s Cypress Mountain (venue for freestyle skiing and snowboarding) have both opened weeks ahead of schedule, with great snow and short lift lines.

“Vancouver is just a wonderful place to be right now,” said Tourism Vancouver’s Stephen Pearce, vice president of Leisure Travel and Digital Marketing. “All of our major Olympic preparations have been completed and the city has never looked better. Visit us now and you can be one of the first to see what the Olympic Host City has to offer.”

According to Tourism Whistler’s Arlene Schieven, vice president of Marketing, “Whistler is currently offering some of the best value for accommodation and lift ticket packages in its history, and the atmosphere here is more inviting and exciting than ever. With all the early snow, we are off to a great start this winter season.”

West Coast Fishing Club has have secured a prime Downtown Vancouver location to moor their handsome floating lodge throughout the coming February 2010 Winter Games.

Normally residing in the waters off Langara in BC’s Queen Charlotte Islands, the 2010 Lodge is a uniquely designed “floatel” which will be moved to False Creek and moored directly under the Granville Bridge, providing original and distinctive Olympic accommodation for up to 24 guests in one of the city’s most sought after locations.

Positioned at the heart of the action, the two-storey 2010 Lodge will be just a short boat ride from Olympic venues BC Place and GM Place, not to mention the daily celebrations at LiveCity Yaletown and Granville Island. When the sun goes down, relax on the handsomely furnished deck and enjoy a unique view of the nightly fireworks, reflected in the water.

Twelve well-appointed rooms each have en-suite bathrooms, there’s a spacious dining room, on-site commercial kitchen and comfortable lounge area with oversized windows, making the 2010 Lodge an unmatched setting from which to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime historic occasion.

A dedicated professional hosting team will be on hand to ensure valued guests feel at home throughout their stay and, upon request, the kitchen can be staffed with talented chefs to create a magnificent culinary component to the stay. The 2010 Lodge offers the ability to customize private events and guarantees a magical Winter Games experience for business or private groups alike.

Exclusive use of the 2010 Lodge throughout the 28 days costs $177,100 ($527 per person per night) for non-exclusive use or partial stays rates are negotiable. For further information you can visit www.westcoastfishingclub.com.

The arrival of the flame marked the beginning of the journey that will take the flame on a route across Canada and back for the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 12, 2010. The largest relay in history is scheduled to visit over 1,000 communities along its 106-day journey. In addition to the large media presence, in attendance were First Nations representatives, schoolchildren and dignitaries including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, VANOC officials and the mayors of the host cities of both Vancouver and Whistler.

With the advent of this season’s 2010 Winter Games, the trio prepares to write a new chapter in the North Shore history book. Although Cypress Mountain, venue for Olympic freestyle skiing and snowboarding events, is off limits for five weeks from February 1 - March 8, pre- and post-Games snow-sliding action runs full tilt there from when snowflakes fly until spring thaw. To help take up the slack, Grouse Mountain rocks non-stop, ‘round the clock during the 17 days of the 2010 Winter Games. Early risers can catch NBC’s Today show broadcast live each morning during the Games from the lodge’s 1,130-metre (3,700-foot) vantage point above the city’s inner harbour.

No matter what manner of snow sport you favour - downhill, tubing, or snowshoeing – one of the best rides on offer on the North Shore is the scenic 12-kilometre (7.4-mile) ascent up Mount Seymour Road to the “old school” oasis where it’s business as usual all winter long at Vancouver’s gateway to recreation. One of the highlights this season sees Mount Seymour hosting the World Snowshoe Invitational in February when winter sports enthusiasts from two dozen countries compete in North America’s biggest snowshoe race.

The 2010 winter games will be held in the greater Vancouver, BC area plus up the coast in Whistler Blackcomb. Some venues such as skating are in the suburb of Richmond, where the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is located.

If you are coming to Vancouver for the Olympic games, and wondering about things to do in Vancouver, here is some basic tourism information, with details about some of the recommended shopping and sightseeing attractions in the area.

Vancouver is one of the few cities (including New York with the famous Central Park) that can boast a sizable park as one of its features. Stanley Park is 1000 acres and is one of the largest urban parks in North America.

Vancouver is a coastal city with plenty of walking and biking trails. There’s something for everyone, whether you enjoy an easy pace viewing the waters of the Burrard Inlet along the paved sea wall or take on the wooded trails of Stanley Park where you’ll find impressive untouched forest as well as beautifully manicured gardens on your hiking or biking adventure.

Art Galleries, Shopping and More…

Looking to enjoy some shopping? Vancouver has plenty of interesting areas to shop. For the dedicated shopper a visit to Robson Street will provide designer boutiques as well as trendy coffee shops and restaurants, all with great people watching spots to take a break.

For those who are looking for something a little different than the usual step into Vancouver’s Chinatown. You’ll find beautiful imported items along with delicious Chinese cuisine along the streets with the red streetlamps and brightly colored signs.

Vancouver food

Granville Island, which is also the home to the Emily Carr Institute of Art, is a busy market along the water. Find fresh fruit, flowers and a wide variety of ethnic foods to enjoy. Browse the art and small specialty shops where you’re sure to find that special something to bring home for yourself or as a gift.

The Vancouver Art Gallery in the heart of the city also has something for the art enthusiast to enjoy, including presentations of the famous works of Vancouver’s Emily Carr.

Science World, Vancouver Aquarium - big draws for Young or Old.

Bringing the kids? The mirrored dome with lights will surely catch their attention but what’s inside this fascinating structure will impress them (and you) even more! Interactive and astounding you’ll be entertained and educated in this attraction originally built for Expo 86.

For a slower pace try the Vancouver Aquarium. Watch the Beluga show or visit the tropics for a memorable visit.

World Class Resorts, Hotels and Golf Courses

Not far from Vancouver is the world renowned Whistler Village Resort. Ideal for a luxury skiing vacation, it is also a popular summer destination with biking trails, golfing, white water rafting, ziplining and more for the truly adventurous.

Camping and RV parks are never far away or you can choose to stay in one of the highly rated hotels for a real pampered treat!

Vancouver is a culturally diverse city with many languages and ethnic attractions. Although well known for rain, Vancouver’s mild climate is ideal for the many gardens and parks that make up the city. Full of complimentary opposites, Vancouver is a harmonious blend for enjoying the outdoors and city life in one place.

Shop Online for Olympic Pins

A variety of the Olympic pins being sold contain images of mascots such as the YingYing, BeiBei, HuanHuan, JingJing, and NiNi. These all have different meanings all coinciding with the history of the Olympic games. First, each mascot is in a different color, each a different color of the Olympic Rings. JingJing, representing panda, BeiBei, representing fish, HuanHuan, representing the Olympic flame, YingYing, representing the Tibetan Antelope, and NiNi, representing the swallow, are all animals that are native to China itself, except of course for the Olympic flame. In addition, the first syllable of all the five names will read “Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni,” which can be easily translated into “Beijing welcomes you.” At an extremely cost efficient price, this well thought out and clever design is worth it.

Other pin designs can be slightly more touristic. Some designs of pins can be found with a Chinese lantern and the Olympic rings together, while some others may have a popular site seeing attraction present with the 2008 Olympics wording written on it. These pins can be considered as “logo pins.” The logo pins can be just as creative as the next pin, with sculpted designs of classic warriors or ancient style settings. Notably, there is one pin with the actual 2008 Olympic calendar, making this pin not only a valuable souvenir representing your memory of the games, but also very handy to have at the particular moment needed.

Newer, more desirable pins feature every collectible category such as the Olympic logo, the torch, all five of the Beijing mascots, and the dates of ceremonies. This pin is called the Ultimate Beijing Olympic pin, and is a limited edition, classic exclusive. More exclusive collectible pins, for a much higher price, include an entire pin set, including 35 of the mascot pins with each set double matted and framed with a glass casing. This set can cost you up to three hundred dollars.

These various types of Olympic pins serve as not only collectibles to the event of 2008, but also of a memory of the games and entertainment that was held. While some pins are indeed more ornamental than other pins, all serve a large role as being a collectible. For example, by collecting all of the HuanHuan, JingJing, NiNi, BeiBei, and YingYing pins, you have now not only completed a set of pins including the Beijing mascots, but you also now have a group of collectibles that serve a great meaning.

While pins may be small in size and light on a wallet, they commemorate the 2008 Olympic games as well as other collectibles may. Extremists can collect all pins, a set that could very well be worth more than five hundred dollars. Whether you want to go all out or if you just want one single pin, the Olympic pins are definitely not a bad choice.

Look For Olympic Pins Online

Browse Olympic Coins For Sale Online Now

Keeping memories or keepsakes in the form of memorabilia or collectibles is not a new idea. For the Olympic games, this idea came about around 1896, when the Olympic games reoccurred in modern times. Items such as Olympic stamps, Olympic coins, and other types of Olympic collectibles became very popular and extremely adored by the Olympian fans.

The Olympic Stamp collectibles were thought of by the Organizing Committee to simply balance the budget, making the stamps the first Olympic collectibles. The stamps could also be considered the first sponsors of the Olympics, because the stamps made it able for the Committee to construct four venues. The Olympic stamps are still very popular amongst Olympian fans and philatelists, people who study stamps, making them the survivors of several generations of collectibles.

In Athens around 1896, the first Olympic sports stamps came into circulation. There were seventy five thousand stamps, containing ten thousand Olympic stamps. These stamps can uncover all kinds of information about the mail services used in Athens at this time, such as the eight different marks on the stamps. Not only will the stamps reveal information on Athens during this time, but also on Stockholm in 1912, and Olympic hosting countries at later dates. Because of these stamps, the budgets of the Organizing Committee for the Olympic games, events, and the National Olympic Committee are safely secure.

In 1951, the Olympic coins began being circulated and now coin collectors became fans. Each coin collected will have its own background and its own history. Not only will an Olympic coin collectible serve you a memory, but also just thinking of where it’s been and what’s its past beheld should be fascinating. The very first modern Olympic coin was the 1951 Helsinki coin, serving its own very fascinating history. Coins are a huge token on the collectibles scale. Previous to carbon dating, a coin could determine when an activity had taken place and when a body had been buried, and they were considered extremely reliable when it came to this, as well. So for those who know the importance of a coin, and appreciate it, Olympic coin collectibles from 2008 can be bought and collected for your own personal set.

While some of the older, more classic and limited, Olympic coins might be a challenge to find, it is often not that hard to get your hands on these coins. With the world of today being introduced to the World Wide Web, it is increasingly simpler to buy a new coin to add to your set. However, the coin markets activity is growing, and your options of coins may be limited. There is a growing interest in the hobby of Olympic coin collecting.

It is obvious that the Olympic games have a major impact on millions of lives around the world, whether it is supporters, Olympians, coaches, or otherwise. The 2008 Olympic collectibles commemorate and represent all the hard work that has been done not only this year, but in past years as well. This is why Olympic collectibles are very popular and in abundance.