The 2010 Winter Paralympic Games are coming to Vancouver, March 12th until the 21st, as our city hosts the world once again celebrating athletes who are the very best in their sport. In case you were wondering just what exactly the Paralympics entail, I thought I would put together this quick reference guide.
Paralympic History
“In 1948, Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition involving World War II veterans with a spinal cord injury in Stoke Mandeville, England. Four years later, competitors from the Netherlands joined the games and an international movement was born. Olympic style games for athletes with a disability were organized for the first time in Rome in 1960, now called Paralympics.
In Toronto in 1976, other disability groups were added and the idea of merging together different disability groups for international sport competitions was born. In the same year, the first Paralympic Winter Games took place in Sweden.” – International Paralympic Committee
Events
The Cultural Olympiad is still going strong as well, presenting performances until March 21st. Nightly medals ceremony concerts in Whistler are listed here.
Transportation
The following routes will continue to have “no stopping” regulations through March 21, 2010
Hastings St between Main St and Burrard
Smithe St between Expo St and Howe St
Nelson St between Thurlow St and Beatty St
King Edward Ave between Oak St and Sophia St
Cambie St between King Edward Ave and 37th Ave
2nd/6th Ave between Hemlock St to Main St
Main St from 2nd Ave to Terminal Ave
There is a full Paralympics transportation plan available from the City of Vancouver.
Tickets
Event tickets start at around $15 or $20 so if you didn’t have the chance to go to an Olympic sporting event, this may be your chance to get in on some world-class athletic competition.
Torch Relay
The Paralympic Torch Relay will begin March 3, 2010 and conclude at the Opening Ceremony March 12th in Vancouver.
Ottawa, Ontario — Lighting Ceremony on March 3, 2010
Quebec City, Quebec — March 4, 2010
Toronto, Ontario — March 5, 2010
Esquimalt/Victoria, British Columbia — March 6, 2010
Squamish, British Columbia — March 7, 2010
Whistler, British Columbia — March 8, 2010
Lytton, British Columbia — March 9, 2010
Hope, British Columbia — March 9, 2010
Vancouver Paralympic Centre, British Columbia — March 10, 2010
Maple Ridge, British Columbia — March 10, 2010
UBC Thunderbird Arena, British Columbia — March 11, 2010
Vancouver (downtown), British Columbia — A 24-hour event will start around Robson Square in downtown Vancouver as the Paralympic Flame is continuously carried and passed between torchbearers — March 11, 2010
Vancouver (downtown), British Columbia — The 24-hour event continues and concludes around Robson Square, prior to the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games at BC Place — March 12, 2010
Torchbearers
CBC’s Rick Mercer will represent the province of British Columbia as a torchbearer in the 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay Lighting Ceremony on March 3 in Ottawa. There will be other recognizable names along the way which you can look up online.
Coverage
The Opening Ceremony will not be aired live Friday night on CTV. According to their website: “The opening ceremonies will not be broadcast live. Instead, they’ll be tape-delayed by CTV until Saturday, and packaged with Canada’s first sledge-hockey match.”
“The good news is that social media and the internet are picking up where traditional media is failing. Paralympic Sport TV — the Internet TV channel of the International Paralympic Committee — will offer free live broadcasts worldwide via Internet.” – Via Glenda Watson-Hyatt.
Update There are some reports that the Opening Ceremony will air live only in BC. This is yet to be confirmed by CTV however News1130 has spoken with them. They have been assured that the Opening Ceremony will air live, locally.
I have not been accredited to cover the Paralympics, due to late application, however this event will be a part of our city over the next month and anything that keeps the Olympic spirit alive is worth documenting and promoting in my books.
Update: VANOC has approved my accreditation, so it looks like I’ll be able to cover this even more. Thanks for all the support!
The Olympic flame will be lit again for the Paralympic Games in Vancouver and Whistler starting March 12, 2010 which means the party isn’t over yet. You will have time to check out some of the pavilions once again and many acts will be hitting stages during the Paralympic medal ceremonies.
From March 19 to 21, Whistler event medals will also be awarded in-venue so the plaza can prepare for the Closing Ceremony. The concerts will be free, Whistler Medals Plaza gates will open at 5:30pm daily, and the venue can accommodate 5,000 spectators. More information is available on the Vancouver2010 website.
Hearts for Haiti: An evening of Art and Jazz is an upcoming event that involves an art auction in support of the Canadian Red Cross‘ relief efforts in Haiti.
Over 50 pieces of art will be available for auction at the Pacific Palisade Hotels on Robson, including paintings, sculptures and ceramics.
Marla Guloien, a local jazz artist, will entertain throughout the night as well. The fundraiser takes place March 6th, 2010 with doors at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25 and they include a drink and appetizers.
On the very last day of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games I cried twice. Once, when Sidney Crosby’s goal got past a stellar Ryan Miller, and once again when Neil Young was singing as the flame disappeared from the Olympic cauldron. It’s been seven years in the making and even though it’s gone, I did my best to document every waking moment.
My Olympic journey started in 2003 with everyone else and picked up in November of 2009 when I visited the IOC and the Olympic Museum in Switzerland. From Lausanne, to Prince George, and to Surrey, this has been an amazing journey.
What I am taking away from these Games is that our city isn’t perfect, but man is it full of some amazing people. We need to help each other out and get that friendly ‘say hi to a stranger on the bus’ vibe going year round. I discovered how much I really want to see St John’s, Halifax, Nunavut, Edmonton and Winnipeg with my husband. I also realized that I would really enjoy a vacation getaway where neither of us has to work.
We made friends, we welcomed people from all over the world, we were guided by hundreds of helpful blue jacket volunteers, and we cheered our hearts our for our athletes. If you haven’t yet seen the video essay by Stephen Brunt, I encourage you do so as it puts words to much of what I am feeling.
“We’ve been through some things together/ With trunks of memories still to come,” sang Neil Young at the Closing Ceremony. “We found things to do in stormy weather/ Long may you run.”
My sincerest thanks to all of the provincial representatives, volunteers and media personnel. Jack Poole, John Furlong, the BCIMC staff, the Alberta Train, Canada’s Northern House, the Royal Canadian Mint, Karyo Edelman, House of Switzerland Canada, John Biehler, John Bollwitt, Kris Krug, Robert Scales, and especially Dave Olson for convincing me that documenting the Olympic Games is well worth every drop of sweat, and every tear.
My Day 17 involved packing up and heading to the BC International Media Centre one last time. Lugging my laptop across town, going through the security screening, and taking photos at a press conference with Jasey-Jay Anderson followed by the gold medal men’s curling team.
Then of course, we watched the hockey game.
John and I headed home to watch the closing ceremony together, curled up on the couch, tears streaming down my face as throngs of red and white revelers cheered outside our window. Words cannot express how I have felt over the last 17 days, even though I’ve been writing my way through the Games. Thank you, Vancouver.
Paralympic History
