metroXpress
Mar 24, 2009, 3:41 PM
Largest Olympic Games venue will be located here in Delta
When the 2010 Winter Olympics roll around, organizers will be flocking to Delta to get what they need to make the Games happen.
When the 2010 Winter Olympics roll around, organizers will be flocking to Delta to get what they need to make the Games happen.
South Delta happens to be the site of the largest Olympic venue, however, no one will be competing for a medal here.
Instead, a 500,000-square-foot warehouse just off River Road will be used to store anything and everything needed to pull of the Winter Games -- from cleaning supplies to beds for the athletes and everything in between.
"This is a big deal; this is big money coming into Delta," said Alison Antonio, executive director of the Delta Spirit of B.C. Committee.
She said Olympic organizers will be hiring more than 80 people to work at the storage facility.
Antonio made the discovery when she attended the Canadian Olympic Academy in June.
She describes the academy as a "life changing" experience where the students were immersed in everything Olympic. Antonio and the other students, who were chosen from thousands of applicants from across the country, heard about and discussed a variety of Olympic-related topics, including judging issues, genetic drugging, fair play, political boycotts and making the Vancouver Games a nationwide event.
She said the students debated how to make 2010 "Canada's Games."
"It was a huge honour to be chosen," she said. "The week was educational and inspirational filled with outstanding speakers and worthwhile workshops."
The Delta Spirit Committee kicked off the Summer Games in Beijing yesterday with an early-morning breakfast and live feed of the opening ceremonies from China. A group of bleary-eyed South Deltans donned some Canada gear and hunkered down at the Coast Tsawwassen Inn at 5 a.m. to watch the festivities.
In the spirit of bringing the country together behind the 2010 Games, a nationwide one-year countdown will start on Feb. 12, 2009.
"The academy emphasized that the Olympic movement is not just about sport," Antonio said. "Olympic values cross borders and cultural boundaries to bond 205 countries together in comradeship and excellence like nothing else in the world can do."
© (c) CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.
When the 2010 Winter Olympics roll around, organizers will be flocking to Delta to get what they need to make the Games happen.
When the 2010 Winter Olympics roll around, organizers will be flocking to Delta to get what they need to make the Games happen.
South Delta happens to be the site of the largest Olympic venue, however, no one will be competing for a medal here.
Instead, a 500,000-square-foot warehouse just off River Road will be used to store anything and everything needed to pull of the Winter Games -- from cleaning supplies to beds for the athletes and everything in between.
"This is a big deal; this is big money coming into Delta," said Alison Antonio, executive director of the Delta Spirit of B.C. Committee.
She said Olympic organizers will be hiring more than 80 people to work at the storage facility.
Antonio made the discovery when she attended the Canadian Olympic Academy in June.
She describes the academy as a "life changing" experience where the students were immersed in everything Olympic. Antonio and the other students, who were chosen from thousands of applicants from across the country, heard about and discussed a variety of Olympic-related topics, including judging issues, genetic drugging, fair play, political boycotts and making the Vancouver Games a nationwide event.
She said the students debated how to make 2010 "Canada's Games."
"It was a huge honour to be chosen," she said. "The week was educational and inspirational filled with outstanding speakers and worthwhile workshops."
The Delta Spirit Committee kicked off the Summer Games in Beijing yesterday with an early-morning breakfast and live feed of the opening ceremonies from China. A group of bleary-eyed South Deltans donned some Canada gear and hunkered down at the Coast Tsawwassen Inn at 5 a.m. to watch the festivities.
In the spirit of bringing the country together behind the 2010 Games, a nationwide one-year countdown will start on Feb. 12, 2009.
"The academy emphasized that the Olympic movement is not just about sport," Antonio said. "Olympic values cross borders and cultural boundaries to bond 205 countries together in comradeship and excellence like nothing else in the world can do."
© (c) CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.