Games chief wants gold finally won at home venue
Organizers for the 2010 Olympics believe this is the year for Canadian athletes to win gold medals, ending a drought that has been in place since the previous two Olympics Canada has hosted.
“We’d really like to get that monkey off our back,” VANOC CEO John Furlong told reporters on Tuesday.
“I would love to be in the brain of that athlete for 15 seconds to understand how it feels to be the first Canadian to win gold [at a Canadian-hosted Games].”
The 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary both failed to produce gold medals for Canada.
Furlong believes that winning medals in the other activities would be just as important as a men’s hockey final victory, but acknowledges that winning in hockey on the last day would “be a great finish.”
“If we are in the final, there will be nobody in the country not watching TV. I don’t know who will be running the country.”
Organizers believe Canada has a good opportunity to win multiple gold medals, with the amount of Canadian talent taking part in sports such as speed skating. The Olympics start on Friday and last through the end of February.
Celine Dion announces three-year Las Vegas residency
Confirming rumours that have been discussed for months, Celine Dion announced Wednesday that she will return to Las Vegas next year, in March 2011, to perform a new show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The residency will last three years.
“I’m coming back home to the Colosseum at Caesars Palace and I’m very excited about it,” Dion said in a statement. “With the orchestra and the band we’re going to be able to perform our songs like never before. The repertoire is going to be extraordinary ... I can’t wait!”
Dion had five years of consecutive sold-out shows in Las Vegas this past decade and embarked on a year-long world tour in 2008-09. She took the past year off for family time.
AEG Live, known for its variety of high-profile acts, is producing the show. Notably, AEG was putting together Michael Jackson’s “This Is It London” concerts before his untimely death last June.
Vancouver seeks to reduce traffic before Olympics
The City of Vancouver has issued a statement asking citizens to reduce vehicle traffic by 30 percent to help avoid any transportation lags during the Olympics.
“We need even more people to take transit, walk, or cycle to come downtown and celebrate the kickoff of the 2010 Winter Games,” said city manager Penny Ballem in a statement.
Residents and delivery drivers are “strongly encouraged to leave their vehicle at home” starting Wednesday, Feb. 10, until March 1.
An estimated 100,000 visitors are expected to flock to Vancouver’s downtown area for the opening ceremonies on Friday.
“We know we can give the world a fantastic experience at Canada’s Games and a great welcoming impression of the Host Region if everyone pulls together and does their part by travelling smart, knowing before they go, and leaving their vehicle at home,” said Terry Wright, executive-VP of services and Games operations for VANOC.
Organizers said that the overall number of drivers travelling downtown was down 11 percent last Friday, well short of the goal to make traffic run smoothly. But expectations are that most people will wait for the games to begin before switching to mass transit.
Compiled by Matthew Simon/Epoch Times Staff
