Rush for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver

With the exception of a few indoor winter sports, such as curling and ice hockey, the 2008/09 pre-Olympic season has now come to an end. The focus of athletes and fans is increasingly turning to Vancouver, where the Winter Olympics will be held next February. Most winter sports will take place in and around Vancouver; only the alpine and Nordic skiing events will be held at the Whistler Mountain winter sports resort, which is extremely popular with tourists even outside the Olympics.

Naturally, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver are already attracting great interest from winter sports fans around the world, nearly a year before the opening ceremony. Anyone hoping to attend this major sporting event in Canada should therefore look for tickets and hotel accommodation as soon as possible, as the remaining capacity is gradually running out—or has already sold out.

Ice hockey and curling, particularly popular in host country Canada, are expected to be among the biggest draws at the Vancouver Olympics. It will also be interesting to see how many winter sports fans line the slopes for the ski cross events, which are appearing on the Olympic program for the first time in Vancouver. From a German perspective, biathlon, cross-country skiing and alpine skiing (Maria Riesch, Felix Neureuther) look set to be among the gold-medal disciplines at the Vancouver Olympics.