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There are still affordable Olympic tickets
By Darah Hansen
January 29. 2010
Vancouver, BC — Unlucky in the Olympic ticket auction? Or maybe you’re just now catching 2010 fever. No matter.
If you’re not too fussy about what you see, there are still plenty of affordable seats available for latecomers looking to catch some world-class sporting action.
As of Friday afternoon, tickets for men’s and pair’s figure skating training sessions were up for grabs for $30.
Women’s preliminary hockey games were going for $25, and seats at several Vancouver nightly victory ceremonies, featuring musicians such as Billy Talent, Stereophonics and — briefly — Nelly Furtado were a mere $22.
There are also tickets available in each sporting discipline in Whistler, though not necessarily for each event, session or price category.
There is a catch however: Vancouver residents or those who live outside the Sea to Sky corridor won’t be able to buy any.
With the Olympic bus service up to the alpine venues long ago filled up, left-lover tickets are now only available at the Whistler Main Ticket Centre or event venues. Keep in mind, the Vancouver Organizing Committee isn’t selling to anyone who can’t prove they either live in the immediate region or have secured rental accommodation.
Of course, those who don’t mind splashing out a little more cash have plenty more options open to them.
Scores of Olympic tickets to dozens of events — ranging from curling and short-track speed-skating to hockey and freestyle skiing — are posted for resale on the Vanoc-approved “fan-to-fan marketplace” website.
Prices range from relative lows of $155 for the men’s ski jump qualifier to $45,000 for a chance to witness the opening ceremonies up close and personal.
Those looking to buy or sell using the fan-to-fan site should remember to include Vanoc’s 20-per-cent purchase fee.
The fee, which is on top of the posted ticket price and will be split between the buyer and seller, was deemed necessary to keep the resale prices low, Dave Cobb, senior vice-president, revenue, marketing and communications, said in an earlier interview.
Those picking up tickets at the downtown kiosk at Robson Square should expect lineups.
The tickets are heat sensitive and, if lost, can be replaced with some bureaucratic hassle and a $5 fee.
Transit is free for ticket holders on the day of their event.
Tickets can also be found on Craigslist and other unofficial sites, ranging in price from $125 for the men’s luge event to $6,900 for two seats at the men’s gold medal hockey game. However, it’s “buyer beware” when purchasing tickets from anywhere other than the official Games outlet.
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2010 Winter Olympics News Index
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Canada unveils its 2010 Olympic Pavilion
By Jeff Lee
January 29, 2010
VANCOUVER, BC — It lacks the Canadian cache of the log house done for the 2006 Turin Winter Games, but Canada's white tent pavilion for the 2010 Winter Games should still be a hit.
That is the view of Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore, who on Wednesday said the pre-fabricated structure will be the public face of Canada's $1.23-billion involvement in the Olympics.
In showing off the outside of the two-story temporary building at the LiveCity Downtown site, Moore defended the pavilion's $10.4-million price tag and said visitors will see Canada at its best.
"I think the pavilion more than adequately will serve the Canadians who want to come down here and have an experience of the Games," he said.
Workers for an American construction company that won the $9.29-million construction contract were putting the finishing touches to the facility. Another $1.1 million is being spent on programming and operations for the structure, which is being built on the same public space behind the Queen Elizabeth Theatre as the government pavilions for Manitoba and the City of Vancouver.
Moore said the Canada pavilion will show off Canadian talent and culture. There will be interactive displays showing off Canadian sport history and keyboards to send messages of support to Canadian athletes.
Breaking news will scroll across a screen throughout the day.
The second floor of the building includes glass-fronted offices where Moore said ministers and bureaucrats will be able to conduct business meetings.
"The Canada Pavilion is an essential element of Canada hosting the world," Moore said. "The building is going to be open in time for the Games, ahead of schedule, ahead of most of the provincial pavilions in their construction phase, and it is going to serve us incredibly well as a hosting venue for people around the world."
It's a far cry from the log BC-Canada Pavilion Ottawa shared with the province in Turin at an overall cost of $6 million. It's also nothing like the three-storey $14 million extravaganza B.C. and Ottawa put together for the 2008 Beijing Summer Games that included a slick main-floor exhibition and hosting services upstairs that leveraged millions of dollars in new Chinese business.
Moore said Canada chose not to partner with B.C.'s extensive pavilion at Robson Square because all other provinces have their own pavilions and Ottawa felt it should also do the same.
Joyce Murray, the Liberal Opposition Critic for the Olympics and Amateur Sport, questioned whether Canada Pavilion in Vancouver is worth the money.
"I think this project has been botched up from the beginning, and is still being botched," she said.
She said the government has never satisfactorily answered why it gave the construction contract to Chicago-based Exhibitgroup/Giltspur, which won the deal on a two-week tender in November.
"This is a project for which the bid was not posted until November of 2009, and that was two and a half months before this project had to be completed. An unnecessary, last-minute job," she said.
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2010 Winter Olympics News Index
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