Urban Vancouver

Countdown to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

By Robert Scales on February 12, 2007 - 3:10pm

Today, in Vancouver, shortly after noon, the Olympic countdown clock was revealed to the public in an event attended by supporters and surrounded by the chaos of protesters chanting and protesting the coming of the Olympics.

Here's VANOC official Press Release regarding today’s presentation:

“What’s six metres high, three metres wide, weighs 1,170 kilograms and is wrapped in a 15 metre by 12 metre gift box from Omega on the Vancouver Art Gallery’s northwest corner in downtown Vancouver?

It’s the new Vancouver 2010 Countdown Clock, presented by Omega, Official Timekeeper. Preparations are underway to unveil it to the citizens of Vancouver, rain or shine, in a fast-paced noon hour celebration on Monday, February 12 – the three-year anniversary to the start of the 2010 Winter Games.”

Over the last year, I have had the pleasure to travel a fair deal; Kris and I attended the 2006 Olympics in Torino, an Amazing experience which helped us prepare for the 2010 events. We also traveled to China twice in preperation of the 2008 Olympics.

The Olympic countdown is a tradition! In China, a similar clock is counting down to the next summer games in Beijing.

In Torino, it was not uncommon to see “Compassion Lives here” written on the wall, a graffiti replacing the Torino slogan “Passion Lives here”. I wouldn’t expect to see any sign of opposition. This is more of a coming out party for the Chinese but we are starting to see similar tags here… I know how I felt in Torino as I drove to my hotel seeing these graffiti, will the world question us, keep us accountable?

We are reminded by John Furlong that the clock is ticking and how much we have to do before the Opening Ceremony. As we countdown the last 3 years before we host the world and the next winter games, I cannot help but to ask; are we doing everything we can to ensure we have a sustainable economy, life and city past 2010 or just concentrating on the task of getting what needs to be done over the next 1124 days?