With the heat and crowds of the successful Beijing Olympics behind us, focus now turns to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.  Exit the the sweltering 35° Celsius temperatures and 13 million Beijing population.  Enter the minus Celsius weather and the mere 600,000 in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia where the Olympics will be held from February 12 – 28.   This cosmopolitan and culturally diverse city, in the far southwest corner of Canada, will host these 21^st Winter Games – having won the bid in July 2003 amidst a pool of seven other candidate cities.

The promotion for these Games is set into high gear, with all Canadians looking forward to hosting their third Olympic Games (1988 Calgary Winter and 1976 Montreal Summer Olympic Games).  The Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) has received much praise and approval from the IOC during its recent vistit in August.  And it’s no wonder why, VANOC has successfully conducted several test events at its city and mountain venues, and is busily working with city officials to further improve its transportation system. Furthermore, its published “Protecting the Brand” lengthy document describes extensive measures to ensure the Vancouver Olympic symbol and Olympic Rings are not infringed upon.