A look at the venues

Olympic fever is peaking in Vancouver. Soon, thousands of athletes (5,500 in the Olympic Winter Games; 1,350 in the Paralympic Winter Games), media (10,000) and volunteers (about 25,000) will embark on Canada's west coast for the biggest sporting events of the year.

With more than 80 countries expected to participate in the Olympic Winter Games and more than 40 expected for the Paralympic Winter Games, it seems that the Olympic motto, "With glowing hearts," taken from Canada's national anthem, is an apt one. The city is aglow.

There are 1.6 million Olympic events tickets, and there will be three billion television viewers worldwide watching the games take place. The 17-day Olympic Winter Games kicks off Feb. 12 with the Opening Ceremony, staged indoors at BC Place in downtown Vancouver (the local spot for major concerts and home of Canadian Football League team, the BC Lions). It's also the site of nightly Victory Ceremony presentations, when athletes take their place on the podium, followed by a concert finale. The first night features the All-American Rejects performing after live medal presentations in men's downhill skiing, ski jumping and women's biathlon. The Paralympic Winter Games begin March 12.

And once the party's in full swing, events take place in various venues stretching across a 75-mile zone from Richmond, through downtown Vancouver and north to the mountain resort of Whistler.

Here's a look at where all the events will take place for the upcoming Winter Games.

VANCOUVER VENUES:

Hockey at Canada Hockey Place
These Games are taking place in Canada, so it's no wonder that one of the most-anticipated events is ice hockey, taking place at Canada Hockey Place. In the heart of downtown Vancouver, Canada Hockey Place is otherwise known as GM Place, where the Vancouver Canucks hockey team hosts NHL games. The puck drops at center ice in Game 1 of the men's hockey preliminary round, when Team USA takes on Switzerland on Feb. 16. Hottest ticket in town: the men's gold-medal game on Feb. 28. Capacity: 18,630.

Hockey at UBC Thunderbird Arena
More hockey takes places at the new UBC Thunderbird Arena, on the grounds of the University of British Columbia south of downtown Vancouver. Catch women's hockey preliminary rounds here, and sledge hockey during the Paralympic Winter Games. Capacity: 7,200.

Figure skating and short-track speed skating at Pacific Coliseum
Pacific Coliseum is east of downtown and home to figure skating and short-track speed skating during the Olympic Winter Games. It's usually a big concert venue; hot band Muse plays here after the Games. There'll be plenty of glitter and star power on site. Capacity: 14,239.

Speedskating at the Richmond Olympic Oval
The Richmond Olympic Oval, on the banks of the Fraser River, is south of downtown Vancouver and across from Vancouver International Airport. It's home to the 400-metre speed skating track (and the main anti-doping lab of the 2010 Winter Games). And it's an eco wonder. The massive roof is made of local pine-beetle-ravaged wood, the largest surface ever covered by the salvaged wood. The view up at the arches of Lego-like pieces of timber is breathtaking. And on the ice below, catch a glimpse of Apolo Anton Ohno as he strives to add to his medal stash. Fans hope to cheer for him in the 500-meter short track speedskating finals on Feb. 15.  Capacity: 6,832.

Freestyle skiing and snowboarding at Cypress Mountain
Cypress Mountain, located in Cypress Provincial Park, is just a half-hour's drive north of downtown Vancouver. A fave spot for local ski bums, the commute and views (Vancouver's cityscape and harbor sprawled out far below) can't be beat. During the games there will be plenty of grinds, rolls and ollies going on; it's where the snowboarding and freestyle skiing competitions take place. First medal up for grabs here: the women's moguls final on February 14.

Curling at the Vancouver Olympic Centre
This venue is located just south of downtown at the base of Queen Elizabeth Park with views of Cypress and the North Shore mountains. Crews here hand-spray water to create perfect, pebbly curling ice. Watch Team USA break out the brooms and slide stones on the slick surface in men's round robin Session 1, starting on February 16. During the Paralympic Winter Games, the venue hosts wheelchair curling, starting with Team USA versus South Korea on March 13. Capacity: 6,250.

WHISTLER VENUES:

Ski jumping, nordic and biathlon at Whistler Olympic Park
Whistler Olympic Park, tucked away in Callaghan Valley (a 15-minute drive from Whistler via a winding road), will host 28 total Olympic events (a third of the Games' events). Watch ski jumping, nordic and biathlon events here (the first time in Olympic history all three are together on one site), sheltered amidst pristine wilderness. And little wind means possible record-breaking for ski jumpers like Team USA's Anders Johnson; watch him take flight starting February 12 in the normal hill individual qualification round.

Bobsled, luge and skeleton at The Whistler Sliding Centre
The Whistler Sliding Centre (one of only 15 sliding tracks in the world) is in Fitzsimmons Valley between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains on the shared traditional territories of the Squamish and Lil'wat First Nations. To the Squamish this spot is Wild Spirit Place; to the Lil'wat it is Spirited Ground. And it promises to be a lively venue for the combined bobsled, luge and skeleton events. Feel whiplash as you follow Erin Hamlin, the first U.S. woman to win the Luge World Championships when she did in 2009, hurtling down the course at speeds close to 85 miles per hour-with no brakes. Her medal race starts February 15.

Alpine skiing at Whistler Creekside
The Alpine Skiing events take place on world-famous Whistler Mountain. The Creekside slopes are now adrenaline-inducing courses for the downhill, Super G, giant slalom, slalom, and combined Olympic events. The Dave Murray Downhill, considered one of the top-three courses in the world, hosts all the men's events. The women's and Paralympic alpine course winds over Wild Card, Lower Jimmie's Joker, and Franz's before finishing on the Dave Murray Downhill. Eyes will be on Team USA's Lindsey Vonn, the reigning World Cup season champ. She gets in schuss position for the women's downhill on February 17.

BEYOND THE VENUES
If you didn't score tickets to witness the action at the competition venues, you can still follow live coverage on big screens at one of Vancouver's two free LiveCity sites. One's downtown, steps away from Canada Hockey Place and BC Place, and the other's in Yaletown, on the edge of the water and one of Vancouver's hippest neighborhoods. And it's just a water-taxi ride across False Creek from the Athletes Village and Granville Island, home to plenty of partying itself (House of Switzerland, Atlantic Canada House and Place de la Francophonie are all based here).

There's also the Robson Square Celebration Site, off of Vancouver's most happening street, and the Richmond O Zone (also home to Holland Heineken House), near the Olympic Oval. Whistler Live! sites are also scattered throughout Whistler village, with live music, art, street performers and entertainment, all getting in on the Olympic groove. Victory Ceremony celebrations for Whistler-based Olympic sports are also part of the nightly festivities, presented at Whistler Medals Plaza.

MORE CELEBRATIONS:
To add a bit of culture to the mix, the Cultural Olympiad 2010 is also taking place from Jan. 22 to March 21. The celebration of art features the best creative minds from around the world. Catch performances like The Blue Dragon, a multimedia extravaganza playing in Vancouver, and NiX, a theatrical event set in a geodesic dome amidst 200 tons of snow and ice at Whistler's Lost Lake.

Need more to see and do? Take in the huge outdoor art installations scattered around Vancouver's downtown core and seawall as part of the 2009-2011 Vancouver Biennale. It's all about celebrating international art in public spaces and adds yet another dimension to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Take in the art show as well as the larger sports one.

RESOURCES:
For more info on Olympic venues: www.vancouver2010.com.
For more info on Whistler during the Olympics: www.whistler2010.com
For travel info from the Olympic and Paralympic Transportation Team (OPTT): www.travelsmart2010.ca.
For more info on Olympic Celebration sites: www.livecityvancouver.ca
For more info on the Cultural Olympiad: www.vancouver2010.com/culturalolympiad.
Tourism Vancouver: www.tourismvancouver.com.
Tourism Whistler: www.whistler.com

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Barb Sligl is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.

Tags: Vancouver, Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Venues