Olympics Updates for Locals Only

Richmond - The city of Richmond is converting a huge area stretching from City Hall to Minorou Park into a giant outdoor mall called the O Zone.  The area is only a few blocks from the new Canada Line Brighouse Station and will feature the ‘Ice Gate’ art installation, an outdoor ice rink with disco-style light displays and a main stage hosting both multicultural and Canadian acts.

Noise Hours Extended – The City has temporarily extended its daytime noise hours to be 7am to midnight on weekdays and 8am to midnight on weekends.  This change is in effect from January 1^st to March 31^st and includes garbage delivery and regular maintenance and repairs.  In addition, from February 1^st to February 28^th downtown delivery will be allowed 24 hours a day and from February 12^th to 28^th downtown garbage pick up will begin at 5am on weekdays and 8am on weekends and go until midnight everyday.

Cultural Olympiad Art – January 19^th marks the start of ‘High Performance: Evolution and Innovation in Canadian Design’ at Emily Carr University on Granville Island which will run until March 7^th. From January 23^rd to March 21^st the Robson Street Façade of the Vancouver art Gallery will be lit up by innovative and compelling videos presented on a large LED screen.  A massive hand-painted mural by Michael Lin will cover the VAG’s Georgia street façade. 

Olympic Ticket Buy, Sell and Auction – The Fan-to-Fan Marketplace is now live on www.vancouver2010.com and enables ticket holders to sign into their existing Vancouver 2010 ticketing account and click the “sell my tickets” option for the seats they want to sell.  Ticket holders can set their selling price and buyers can browse for available tickets.  Both buyer and seller are charged a 10% fee which VANOC states is to cover the costs of setting up and maintaining this service.  Not only does this system help ensure there will be full venues at Games times, it also guarantees all tickets sold through this official channel are valid.  The marketplace also includes high demand tickets that are up for auction as well as the opportunity to donate tickets to community groups in Metro Vancouver and the Sea to Sky region through the Celebrate 2010 program.  There is no fee for the donation service or tax receipts issued.

Starting this Friday, December 11 at 10:00 AM (Pacific Time), there will be two new ways to experience the 2010 Winter Games:

1) Figure Skating Training Sessions
Watch the world's best figure skating athletes practice at the Pacific Coliseum before they go head-to-head in competition. Tickets are only $30*, while supplies last.