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Timeline
Bidding for the Olympic Winter Games dates back to the early development of Whistler in the 1960s. In 1970, Vancouver-Whistler was a finalist to host the 1976 Olympic Winter Games. Here is a timeline of the key dates for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games.
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Canadian Olympic Committee selects Vancouver to present Canada's bid for the 2010 Winter Games. |
| 1998–2003 | Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation develops a Games delivery plan with a vision of creating sustainable legacies for athletes, sport development, host communities, and the Olympic and Paralympic Movements. |
| July 2, 2003 | International Olympic Committee (IOC), at its 115th session in Prague, selects Vancouver as the Host City of the 2010 Winter Games over Salzburg (Austria), and PyeongChang (South Korea). |
| 2004 | Chiefs and Councils of the Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations sign a historic protocol agreement before the establishment of the Four Host First Nations Society. |
| Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre (VCEC) groundbreaking event highlighting the partnership between Infrastructure Canada, Western Economic Diversification Canada and Industry Canada. VCEC will house the International Broadcast Centre, with the Media Centre next door at Canada Place. The Centre is an important 2010 milestone showcasing green environmental technologies and sustainability. Completion date is 2008. | |
| Royal Canadian Mint unveils the 2004 sterling silver Lucky Loonie to celebrate Canada's Olympic and Paralympic athletes and their commitment to excellence. | |
| Natural Resources Canada announces $1.1 million in funding for the B.C. Hydrogen Highway ™ which will connect Vancouver to Whistler in time for the 2010 Winter Games. | |
| 2005 | United Nations International Year of Sport and Physical Education. |
| Human Resources and Skills Development Canada announces $7.8 million over four years for a partnership project that will connect Aboriginal people in the Vancouver area with job opportunities arising from the upcoming major construction projects for the 2010 Winter Games. | |
| Unveiling of the new 2010 Winter Games emblem. The emblem is named Ilanaaq, the Inuktitut word for friend. | |
| Venue construction begins in Whistler, Richmond, and on Cypress and Blackcomb Mountains. | |
| Launch of the Own the Podium – 2010 initiative. Own the Podium is a vision and plan to enhance the recruitment, development and preparation of high performance athletes as they strive to make Canada the number one nation at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and to place in the top three at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. | |
| 2005–2006 | Venue construction begins. |
| 2006 | Canada's Olympic and Paralympic athletes and to wish them the best of luck at the Torino Winter Games. |
| Unveiling of the official Paralympic emblem for the 2010 Winter Games. | |
| February 10–26, 2006 | 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. |
| March 10–19, 2006 | 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. |
| 2007 | Vancouver 2010 Winter Games mascots are selected. |
| Winter 2007–2008 | Games venues become available for athlete training. |
| February 2008 | VANOC begins recruiting the estimated 25,000 volunteers required to stage the Games. |
| February 1 – March 21, 2008 | Cultural Olympiad 2008 |
| 2008 | Media accreditation begins. |
| August 8–24, 2008 | 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, China. |
| September 6–17, 2008 | 2008 Paralympic Summer Games in Beijing, China. |
| Fall 2008 | Vancouver 2010 Winter Games' ticket sales begin. |
| Winter 2008–2009 | Official test events conducted for the 2010 Winter Games. |
| February 1 – March 21, 2009 | Cultural Olympiad 2009 |
| Fall 2009 | 2010 Olympic Winter Games Torch Relay begins approximately 100 days prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony. The relay will originate in Olympia, Greece. |
| February 12–28, 2010 | XXI Olympic Winter Games. |
| January 22 – March 21, 2010 | Cultural Olympiad 2010 |
| March 2010 | 2010 Paralympic Winter Games Torch Relay. |
| March 12–21, 2010 | March 12–21, 2010 X Paralympic Winter Games. |
