Vancouver2010 Winter Olympics

The city of Vancouver has been elected the Host City of the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010 in the second round of votes.

The IOC members based their votes not only on the presentations made today by the delegations of PyeongChang, Salzburg and Vancouver but also on the detailed report of the IOC Evaluation Commission, chaired by Gerhard Heiberg.

Eight cities applied to host the Games: Andorra la Vella in Andorra, Bern in Switzerland, Harbin in China, Jaca in Spain, PyeongChang in Korea, Salzburg in Austria, Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Vancouver in Canada. Following an EB decision on 28 August 2002, the cities of Bern, PyeongChang, Salzburg and Vancouver were officially Candidate Cities. Bern dropped out of the race following a referendum on 27 September 2002.

Election Results:

1st round:
PYEONGCHANG: 51 votes
VANCOUVER: 40 votes
SALZBURG: 16 votes

2nd round:
VANCOUVER: 56 votes
PYEONGCHANG: 53 votes

Canada's Games

A Message from John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer
Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are Canada's Games!

This is our time to shine, our time to show the world who we are and what we can do - from coast to coast to coast.

Beyond the showcasing of outstanding athletic and cultural performances, we believe the Games can touch the soul of our nation. The Games have the capacity to inspire people of all ages, prompt community celebration and pride, foster unity, embrace diversity and instill a genuine spirit of peace in us all. Through the Games we can become nation-builders, champions at home and at play and we can become better citizens of the world.

Although the 2010 Winter Games will be held in Vancouver, the Games belong to us all - to all Canadians and to everyone around the world who share with us the ideal of a world made better through sport and the sharing of our many different cultures.

Come and join us - as a spectator, a worker, a volunteer, a fan - and be part of an extraordinary experience. It will be the time of our lives!

Be part of the countdown to 2010
The 2010 Winter Games are for all Canadians, and we are inviting people from throughout the nation to join the countdown to 2010.

By submitting your photo to the Countdown, you'll be a participant in a great journey that will lead all the way through to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler.

In time for the Beijing 2008 Games, the Royal Canadian Mint has brought back the Lucky Loonie - a special edition of the familiar one dollar coin featuring a Canadian loon landing on the water.

The Royal Canadian Mint - an official supporter of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games - has provided each member of the Beijing-bound Canadian Olympic and Paralympic teams with a Lucky Loonie. The Mint is also inviting Canadians to visit mint.ca/goodluck to share their personal stories of good luck and for a chance to win a one-ounce 2008 gold maple leaf coin and other Royal Canadian Mint Olympic-themed keepsakes.

"Canadians from coast to coast can wish our athletes luck by giving athletes special coins produced by the Royal Canadian Mint, including the 2008 Lucky Loonie," said Ian E. Bennett, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Canadian Mint.

Designed by Quebec wildlife artist Jean-Luc Grondin, the Lucky Loonies are distributed exclusively by RBC Royal Bank, a premier national partner of the 2010 Winter Games . Ten million of the 2008 Lucky Loonies have been issued and are now available at RBC branches across Canada.

Canadian coin exchange

As some 2008 Lucky Loonies make their way into circulation this month, there's a chance of finding the unique loonie among one's pocket change. The public are also invited to attend one of several coin exchanges being held at various RBC branches on July 29, 2008 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, including:

· Vancouver, BC - Royal Centre Branch, 1025 West Georgia Street

· Montreal, QC - Place Ville Marie Branch, 1 Place Marie

· Halifax, NS - Clayton Park Branch, 271 Lacewood Drive

Coin exchanges will also be held during regular business hours at Royal Canadian Mint boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg from July 25 to 27, 2008.

Royal Canadian Mint Vancouver 2010 commemorative coin program

The Mint is undertaking one of the most extensive Olympic and Paralympic Games circulation coin programs. During the three-year program, the Mint will put 17 Olympic and Paralympic-themed coins into circulation in Canada. Thirty-six limited mintage collector coins and sets will also become available as Vancouver 2010 nears.

For release dates of these special-edition coins, visit mint.ca

Bound to sweeten the Olympic and Paralympic story, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) today welcomed Wrigley Canada as the Official Confectionery Supplier to the 2010 Winter Games. The agreement enables Wrigley Canada to use 2010 Winter Games marks for promotional purposes for Wrigley brands including Excel®, Extra®, Juicy Fruit®, LifeSavers®, Hubba Bubba®, Doublemint® and Freedent®. As an Official Supplier, Wrigley Canada also receives sponsorship rights for the Canadian Olympic team for Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010 and London 2012.

Today's announcement was made from Wrigley Canada's Don Mills, Ontario facility and was attended by Bruce Atherley, Wrigley's Vice President of North American Confection Marketing and Canada General Manager; Dave Doroghy, Director of Sponsorship Sales, VANOC; Hayley Wickenheiser, women's ice hockey Olympic gold medallist; Paul Rosen, ice sledge hockey Paralympic gold medallist; and more than 350 Wrigley Canada associates.

"As a leading company with deep roots in Canada and world-class confectionery brands, we are proud to join the Vancouver 2010 team," said Atherley. "We are honoured to support our Canadian athletes and we look forward to helping VANOC create a distinctly Canadian Olympic and Paralympic experience in 2010."

"For over 100 years, Wrigley has demonstrated a continuous commitment to doing business the 'Wrigley way' - with trust, dignity and respect, values we also share at VANOC," said John Furlong, VANOC Chief Executive Officer. "With numerous innovative and flavourful brands and a good sense of fun, Wrigley Canada will help us promote the Games to Canadians of all ages. We welcome the Wrigley family to our team and thank them for their generous contribution, which will help make the Games possible."

To celebrate the announcement and as a token of its support of Canada's athletes, Wrigley Canada and its associates are shipping flavourful favourites such as Excel - the country's number-one selling gum - to the Canadian Olympic team competing at the Beijing 2008 Summer Games. In addition to Wrigley product, Wrigley Canada will also be sending an inspirational book written by Canadians for Canadians, and a mini-sized bottle of one of Canada's favourite condiments, maple syrup, which the athletes can enjoy themselves or share with fellow athletes.

Wrigley has identified a wide range of well-known and potential benefits of chewing gum. The more established benefits such as those found in the oral and dental health areas are supported by clinical studies by respected scientists and dental organizations around the world. Recently, Wrigley has begun to explore additional benefits in the areas of focus, alertness and concentration, stress relief and weight management.

ABOUT WRIGLEY
Wrigley Canada opened its first factory in Toronto in 1910, and now employs more than 700 associates across its operations in Toronto, Calgary and Montreal. The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company is a recognized leader in confections with a wide range of product offerings including gum, mints, hard and chewy candies, lollipops, and chocolate. The Company has global sales of $5.4 billion and distributes its world-famous brands in more than 180 countries. Three of these brands - Wrigley's Spearmint®, Juicy Fruit®, and Altoids® - have heritages stretching back more than a century. Other well-loved brands include Doublemint®, Life Savers®, Extra®, Freedent®, Hubba Bubba®, Excel® and 5%u2122.