VANOC celebrates opening of 2010 athlete training venues at Trout Lake and
Killarney

    
    Facilities designed as lasting Games' legacies for surrounding
    communities
    

VANCOUVER , Sept. 24 /CNW/ - Some of the world's most artistic and nimblest athletes on skates will conduct their final training sessions for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games on the ice at two brand-new community arenas, officially opening this week in Vancouver .

The $15.9-million Trout Lake Centre, which opens today to the public, will host training sessions for the world's top ladies, men, pairs, and dance figure skaters, while the $14.9-million community arena at the Killarney Centre, which opens Friday, will host training for short track speed skaters. The Pacific Coliseum will hold the Games-time competitions for both sports.

The arenas are managed by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and were funded by the board, the City of Vancouver , the federal and provincial governments via the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), and the Grandview Community Association and Killarney Community Centre Society. Construction started at Killarney in November 2007 and in March 2008 at Trout Lake. The arenas, which are both located in east Vancouver , replace and upgrade older community facilities.

"Congratulations to the Vancouver Park Board, the City of Vancouver , the surrounding communities, our venue team, and all of the workers on a job well done," said Dan Doyle , VANOC's executive vice president of construction. "These important training venues, built with the highest environmental standards in mind, will not only serve an important role during the Games but also continue as much needed community facilities for recreational athletes young and old - a fitting legacy of the Games that will last for years to come."

"These are stunning state-of-the-art ice arenas that will offer invaluable training space for athletes working to perfect their technique in the crucial days before they compete at the 2010 Winter Games," added Jan Damnavits, VANOC's director of event services and venue management, city operations. "These excellent training venues will have the same international ice size the athletes will compete on at the Games, as well as crash pads for the speed skaters at Killarney instead of the regular dasher boards used in hockey."

On January 15, 2010 , VANOC will take control of the arenas to prepare them for their Games-time usage. Both will open for daily training from February 4 to 26 on Olympic-sized ice sheets (30.5 metres by 61 metres). Close to 150 athletes and 250 team officials representing 35 nations will use Trout Lake, while approximately 120 short track speed skaters representing 20 countries will use Killarney. In order to ensure the athletes can completely focus on their training these daily sessions will be closed to the public.

The Trout Lake facility is bathed in natural light and features stunning wooden panelling in the lobby and corridor ceilings milled from Douglas firs felled in a 2006 windstorm that devastated Vancouver's picturesque Stanley Park . The building's other sustainability features include, reusing heat generated by the arena's refrigeration system to preheat hot water systems and change rooms warmed using heat pipe energy.

Blue vintage glass window panels are one of the most striking characteristics of the Killarney Centre's new arena. Salvaged from the site's original 1963 rink, the glass has been recycled into a beautiful work of Aboriginal art by Dionne Paul of Sechelt, BC, called The Eyes of the People, as part of the Vancouver 2010 Venues' Aboriginal Art Program. Additional sustainability features include, using waste heat generated by the arena's refrigeration system to warm spectator seating and change rooms.

Both buildings were constructed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and will be converted to community recreation use after the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games.

Note to Photo Editors: Images are available of Trout Lake Centre and Killarney Centre at http://vancouver.ca/parks/news/download/recfacilities.htm.

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.

For further information: Media Contact: Jennifer Young, VANOC Communications, [phone], [email protected]