Canadians who lost out on a ticket lottery for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games will be able to get tickets next month, reports The Canadian Press. But this time the more than 150,000 tickets won’t be offered in a lottery system. Those wanting tickets will have to log on to the official Vancouver 2010 website on June 6 and get into a “virtual line-up”. Purchasers will be chosen at random. Tickets will be available for all events, including several thousand for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and thousands of tickets for hockey and curling.
Vancouver 2010 board members said Wednesday that the recession continues to loom over the Games. Vancouver 2010 chairman Jack Poole said the uncertainty has required the organization to monitor daily the sponsorship funds that have been committed but not yet received. Dave Cobb, Vancouver 2010’s marketing vice president said Wednesday that VANOC has achieved almost 99 per cent of its target on domestic sponsorship commitments, including a recent new signing not yet announced. He added, “we do hope to conclude negotiations with a couple of others we’re working on now in the next month or so, but we’re not going to stop there”.
Vancouver 2010 and its official online recruitment supplier Workopolis have announced the names of 13 volunteers chosen to represent their provinces and territories at the Games. They are among the first of 200 volunteers offered Games-time roles. Organizers are calling for 25,000 volunteers to help with Olympic and Paralympic events.
Queen Elizabeth and U.S. President Barack Obama could both be guests of honour at the Vancouver 2010 Games, reports Canwest. CEO John Furlong confirmed Wednesday that a formal invitation has gone out to Queen Elizabeth, “but we haven’t been given an answer yet”, he said. As for President Obama, Furlong said he doesn’t know whether he’s coming but the rumour mill is churning and a lot of heads of state are expected to attend.
VANOC confirmed Wednesday that the route for the torch relay through Canada has been finalized with the addition of 19 communities, including three that now will host Olympic flame celebrations. The first Canadian to hold the Olympic torch heading to Vancouver will be Governor General Michaelle Jean, reports The Canadian Press. Jean is reportedly going to Athens, Greece in late October for the symbolic handover ceremony. Canada’s Minister of State for Sport Gary Lunn will accompany her. The Governor General will begin the relay at the Panathenaic stadium. The flame, which is lit in the ancient city of Olympia, will travel 45,000 kilometres over the 100-day journey to B.C. Place Stadium.
