Tourism 2010 Resource Centre

Printer Friendly | Email a Friend | RSS

Whistler Ready to Host Best Winter Games Ever

Archive Story, Fall 2009:
As the 2010 Winter Games approach, Tourism Whistler and its partners are working hard to address the Olympic aversion phenomenon by letting everybody know that Whistler is open for business this winter season.

We continue to debunk the myth that the resort is congested with ongoing construction. All competition venues were completed two years ahead of the Games, with thousands of athletes and visitors experiencing the facilities since 2008. The upgrade of the Sea to Sky Highway has been completed, the Athletes’ Village is ready and Whistler is now home to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, a state-of-the-art facility showcasing local First Nations culture.

Whistler will also be home to a Canadian first, with Tourism Whistler operating the Whistler Media House throughout February. It’s the first time in Games history that a Canadian destination marketing organization will operate a facility to support both unaccredited and accredited media.

Just a short walk from VANOC’s Vancouver 2010 Whistler Media Centre, and steps away from Whistler Medals Plaza at the centre of the resort, the Whistler Media House (WMH) will provide extensive support for working journalists with advanced technology and services specifically designed for television broadcasters.

WMH will provide workspace; a press theatre for media briefings and press conferences; support for coordinating interviews with athletes and local personalities; access to high-definition B-roll and image library; radio and webcast studio; bookable stand-up locations with connectivity for taped and live broadcast; as well as broadcast transmission, editing and tech support. Interested media representatives are being asked to apply for access by visiting www.whistler.com/2010mediahouse.

Tourism Whistler is also developing an extensive visitor services program to assist spectators, media, athletes, sponsors and other guests at Games time. The program is designed to deliver an exceptional guest experience, ensuring return visitation and positive word-of-mouth which will inspire others to make Whistler their destination of choice.

Four new visitor information kiosks will be added to the resort’s two existing Visitor Centres. Tourism Whistler will also support the spectator experience by working with VANOC at select competition venues to provide more than 140,000 people with information including transportation, activities, dining options as well as all things Games related – including venues, sports, results and Whistler Live! programming.

Whistler Live! is an outdoor network of stages, screens and performance sites that will provide free programming each day throughout the 2010 Winter Games. Over 27 days from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Whistler Live! will combine sport with live music, films, street performances and visual arts featuring artists from the Sea to Sky corridor, across Canada and around the world.

Whistler Medals Plaza, the centrepiece of Whistler Live! will showcase nightly victory ceremonies with athlete medals presentations and concerts. It will also be home to the Closing Ceremony for the Paralympic Winter Games.

Whistler will also showcase its international flare throughout the Winter Games as Canada, Austria, Jamaica, United States, Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, Germany and others establish special ‘houses’ throughout the resort.

The Resort Municipality of Whistler, in partnership the Canadian Olympic Committee, will use the Whistler Public Library as the satellite site of Canada Olympic House (with the main site in Vancouver). The Whistler Public Library will also be home to the Whistler Discovery Centre, showcasing the stories and history of Whistler.

Austria House will be situated in one of Canada’s first passive houses – so called because its unique design allows it to heat, cool and ventilate itself. Located on the edge of Lost Lake Park, the house is headquarters for the Austrian Olympic Committee and will be home to local cross-country skiing and mountain biking clubs after the Games.

The Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation is teaming up with Whistler's Savage Beagle nightclub in the centre of town to host one of the hottest spots in Whistler at Games time – the Jamaica Bobsleigh House. Games time visitors can rub shoulders with Jamaica Bobsleigh members from both past and present teams, enjoy Jamaican cuisine and specially-brewed Jamaican beer.

Other international houses and locations include USA House which will use a rented log home to host an estimated 5,000 people throughout the Games; Switzerland House at The Mountain Club restaurant situated beside Town Plaza; Norway House at Millennium Place (the same building as the Whistler Media House); Slovenia House at the Westin Resort & Spa; and Bavaria House which will also be used by the German Bobsleigh team at Nicklaus North Golf Club.