Media Advisory - City of Vancouver to hand over Olympic and Paralympic
Village to VANOC

VANCOUVER , Nov. 2 /CNW/ - The City of Vancouver will hold a ceremonial handover of the Olympic and Paralympic Village to the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) on Wednesday, November 4 .

    
    WHEN:   Wednesday, November 4, 2009
            Media Tour of Olympic and Paralympic Village: 9:00 am - 10 am
            Official Handover Ceremony: 10:30 am

    WHERE:  Salt Building
            West 1st Avenue at Manitoba Street
            Vancouver, BC
    

Media Tour of Olympic and Paralympic Village

The media tour will consist of two locations on the site ending at the Salt Building, a heritage building that will act as the Village "living room" and common gathering place for athletes during the 2010 Winter Games. The other locations are:

    
    -  The Civic Centre - a building targeting LEED(R) Platinum designation
       that will act as the main hub for all retail, banking and information
       services for athletes; and
    -  Parcel 6 - athlete living quarters and future market housing
       (including a room dressed to look as it will at Games time).
    

The site tour, which will provide media with information on both Games-time and legacy use of the buildings, will begin promptly at 9 am at the Salt Building. Past Olympians and Paralympians will also join the tour. Late arrivals will be not be able to join tours in progress. Portions of the tour will be outside and participants are advised to dress appropriately for the weather.

Official Handover Ceremony

Mayor Gregor Robertson will officially hand over the keys to the Olympic and Paralympic Village Vancouver to VANOC CEO John Furlong . Other ceremony participants include:

    
    -  Peter Malek (CEO, Millennium Development Corporation)
    -  Aleisha Cline, 2010 Olympic hopeful (Ski Cross)
    -  Sonja Gaudet, Paralympian (Wheelchair Curling) and 2010 hopeful
    

The ceremony will also include First Nations drummers, a blessing by Musqueam First Nation Elder Larry Grant and a performance by the Vancouver School Board District Honour Youth Choir.

Parking

Recommended parking is in the pay parking lot at Science World (1455 Quebec Street). A limited amount of special event parking will be available for guests and media on West 1st Avenue between Columbia and Ontario Streets, and on Manitoba, Ontario and Columbia Streets (between West 1st and West 2nd Avenue) on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For further information: Media contacts: City of Vancouver Corporate Communications, [phone]; Erin Mikaluk, Vancouver 2010 Communications, [phone], [email protected]