Circle Feb. 5 through Feb. 21 on your 2010 calendar. That’s when Vancouver has projected the 2010 Winter Games will take place, should it win the bid.
Add another 10 days for the Paralympic Games that run after the Olympics, and that brings you to March 3, 2010.
But Vancouver bid spokesman Sam Corea advised that the dates could change between now and next January, when the bid corporation’s final bid book is to be submitted.
Corea said weather was a primary factor for choosing the February period, which offers good snow in the mountains, but less chance of events being delayed because of storms and/or fog.
He said, “weather is one thing that every bid city deals with because you are in a winter festival and you have to deal with winter conditions”.
And weather is key. The International Ski Federation moved Whistler’s World Cup races to Lake Louise, Alberta after bad race weather forced event cancellations in 1996, 1997 and 1998. But Corea said those races were all in the less favourable weather-wise month of December.
Now that the date has been picked, Vancouver is cranking up its bid another notch. Canada’s leading outdoor advertising company, Viacom Outdoor, will provide ad space on transit shelters throughout Canada to help promote the bid.
Vancouver’s bid corporation will have access to Viacom’s inventory of more than 10,000 transit shelters throughout Canada.
Norm Gallicano, Viacom Real Estate Manager said, “millions of Canadians will see the bid’s messages which will help build up the excitement as we await the International Olympic Committee’s vote on the 2010 host city”.
Viacom is a Founding Media Supporter of the bid, contributing $1 million in advertising space on transit shelters in several Canadian markets.
Jack Poole, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation, said, “this generous contribution from Viacom will help us communicate the economic benefits and legacies of producing a winning bid for the 2010 Olympic Winter and Paralympic Games”.
