Prague (pps) In 2010, the Olympic Winter Games will take place in Vancouver „from sea to sky“. By a margin of 56:53 votes over outsider Pyeongchang (South Korea) at the second ballot, the third largest Canadian city was awarded the XXI. Olympic Winter Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Prague on Wednesday July 2. The city of Salzburg was eliminated with 16 votes at the first ballot, in which Pyeongchang still led over Vancouver with 51 compared to 40 votes.

Only the ice sport, freestyle and snowboarding competitions will take place in Vancouver. The venue of the alpine skiing, Nordic Combined, biathlon, bobsleigh, skeleton and luge competitions will be Whistler, located about 125 kilometers north of Vancouver. There, the fourth artificial track in North America will be constructed in addition to the ones already existing in Calgary (Canada), Park City and Lake Placid (both USA).

Vancouver’s presentation at the IOC Session, the first of the three bidding cities, was of a very athletic nature. Ice hockey idol Wayne Gretzky, the Olympic champion in speed skating Catriona LeMay-Doan and the former downhill skier Steve Podborsky promoted the “magic of Games from sea to sky” in the West of Canada. Gretzky valued his participation in Olympic Games more highly than his four Stanley Cup victories: „Nothing is comparable to Olympic Games.“

Among other things Vancouver promised to shorten the distance of 125 kilometers between Vancouver and the skiing paradise Whistler to a 90 minutes’ drive by a highway extension. 50,000 free tickets are planned to be distributed to needy children and more than 55,000 spectators should be able to see the medal ceremonies live at the Vancouver Stadium.

FIL President Josef Fendt and Secretary General were also invited to the IOC Session and witnessed the elections live. Josef Fendt: „With Vancouver the elections were surely not won by an outsider. The IOC evaluation commission’s assessment of Vancouver was also very good. I would like to congratulate the 2010 Olympic city and am convinced that we will experience excellent Olympic Games there“.