the Richmond Oval’s massive 6.5-acre roof, constructed primarily of pine beetle damaged timber, was lifted into place. Designed by Cannon Design, the host venue for the speed skating events houses a 400-metre track within the new 33,750-square-metre facility. Key design elements include a state-of-the-art ice plant with superior air quality and climate controls.

Consistently ranked one of the top ski resorts in North America, Whistler welcomes more than two million visitors each year. This year Whistler Creekside hosts the Olympic and Paralympic alpine skiing at the 2010 Games. Improvements to the area have included contouring and reshaping the men’s and women’s downhill courses and making additions to the existing snowmaking system.

The Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park, a two-square-kilometre core area of the Games, includes three separate stadiums located about 500 metres apart. Each stadium has a capacity of 12,000 and provides the stage for the Olympic biathlon, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, ski jumping and the Paralympic biathlon and cross-country skiing. Approximately 14 kilometres of

competition trails for cross-country skiing (two separate five-kilometre loops) and biathlon (one four-kilometre loop) have been built, in addition to eight kilometres of training trails. Both ski jumps are visible to all visitors as they enter the venue.

The Whistler Sliding Centre, located on Blackcomb Mountain, will showcase sliding sports to the public, including bobsleigh, luge and skeleton. The construction of a new 1,450-metre competition-length concrete sliding track, refrigeration facilities, support buildings and access road began in June 2005, with the track completed in winter 2007.

Editorial , London