Over 100,000 2010 Olympic Winter Games tickets on sale November 7 including
gold medal hockey, curling and ceremonies

Last chance to receive collectable souvenir-style tickets

VANCOUVER , Nov. 3 /CNW/ - The third and final phase of ticket sales for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games begins Saturday, November 7 at 10:00 am (Pacific Time ) at www.vancouver2010.com.

More than 100,000 tickets to all city events including gold medal hockey, curling, Opening and Closing and nightly Victory Ceremonies events will be available to the Canadian public on a first-come, first served basis. Paralympic tickets for high-demand events such as the Opening Ceremony, ice sledge hockey and alpine skiing will also be available.

This is also the last chance for spectators to purchase tickets in time to receive the highly collectable, full-colour and oversize tickets that prominently display Vancouver 2010 pictograms, sport and venue illustrations. The tickets are currently being printed and the window for purchasing these special tickets closes November 20 .

"The best winter athletes in the world will be here starting next February and the time to buy your Olympic and Paralympic tickets is now. This is the final major release of tickets to the Games and we expect demand will be high," said Caley Denton, vice president, ticketing and consumer marketing for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).

"To get a jump start, we suggest first-time buyers register a ticketing account with us beforehand and have a look at the schedules to determine what events work best for you. For return customers who want to purchase additional tickets, please log into your account ahead of time to make sure your information is up-to-date."

This final phase of ticket sales also marks a major sale of tickets to the nightly Victory Ceremonies. Further details on nightly Victory Ceremonies at BC Place will be released on Thursday, November 5 .

The full men's and women's hockey and curling schedules are available at www.vancouver2010.com. The curling draw includes all medal round matchups and preliminary competitions that feature Team Canada in nine of 12 sessions. Tickets are also available for all hockey games, including high-demand medal rounds in both men's and women's draws.

To ensure fair and equitable access to as many Canadians as possible, ticket customers visiting www.vancouver2010.com starting on November 7 will be directed to a virtual waiting room, where they will be randomly selected to enter the Vancouver 2010 ticketing website. Once signed into their account, customers will be able to purchase up to four separate events, with a limit of either four or eight tickets per event. If a customer wants to order more than the limit of four events, they will need to start a new transaction.

Tickets to Whistler events will not be on sale during Phase 3 because the Olympic bus network (OBN), the transport system for spectators originating in Metro Vancouver , has reached maximum capacity in Whistler.

    
    Helpful tips:
    -------------
    -   To save time, previously registered customers are advised to sign
        into their ticketing account at www.vancouver2010.com before
        November 7 to ensure their username and password are up-to-date and
        functional. New customers without an existing account can save time
        by pre-registering an account before November 7.

    -   The Competition Schedule, including the draws for the hockey
        tournaments for the Games and ticket prices, is posted on
        www.vancouver2010.com to make it easier for customers to plan their
        ticket buying strategy ahead of time.

    -   VANOC reminds customers that Visa is the only payment card accepted.

    -   Entry to the system is random - refreshing the web page will not
        reduce your wait time.

    -   Plan ahead for purchases and ensure you have sufficient credit
        available in your account as purchases will be charged immediately.

    -   Be wary of tickets offered for sale through unofficial channels. The
        only official sources for Canadians to buy tickets to the 2010 Winter
        Games are www.vancouver2010.com (in partnership with VANOC's official
        ticketing services supplier tickets.com) and official 2010 Winter
        Games hospitality partners Jet Set Sports and CoSport.

    -   Be vigilant about individuals or companies offering "guaranteed"
        tickets for sale. For most people, even a "money-back" guarantee is
        little consolation for the disappointment, inconvenience and
        embarrassment they will experience if they discover at the gate that
        their ticket is invalid.

    -   Customers may also purchase tickets by phone at 1.800.TICKETS
        (1.800.842.5387), and a TDD/TTY service is available for persons who
        are deaf or hard of hearing at 604.629.7140.
    

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information: Media Contact: Greg Alexis, VANOC Communications, [phone], [email protected]