Lights in the shape of the Olympic rings light up Vancouver's Burrard Inlet as part of the ceremonies marking 100 days to the Games. (CBC)

As the countdown for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver hit the 100-day mark Wednesday, celebrations to promote the international event were held in several locations, from Whistler, B.C., to Washington, D.C.

The main celebrations were in Whistler, but Vancouver marked the occasion by officially handing over the $1-billion athlete's village to the Olympic organizing committee.

Vancouver also got a glimpse of a spectacle that will light up the city's Burrard Inlet from now until the end of the Games in March 2010.

Five massive Olympic rings aboard a barge in the inlet were turned on for the first time in a ceremony hosted by Premier Gordon Campbell and Games CEO John Furlong.

Earlier Wednesday, local and international media were invited for the unveiling. TV crews from Mexico, Germany and South Korea were taping everything, from the toilets and taps in the athletes' quarters to the view of downtown across the water.

Some Olympians on hand liked what they saw, not surprisingly. One 1,700-square-foot condo — with mountain views — on Wednesday's tour could eventually sell for $2 million. But before that, it will be home to four athletes.

"After you have done training or competing for that day, you need a place to unwind and the more comfortable, the better," said Brad Linnea, a paralympian at the Games in Torino in 2006.

City saved project

It has been a long haul for the city and the developers getting the athletes' village ready for delivery.

The controversial development made news during last year's municipal election when it was revealed the private financing for the massive condominium project had fallen through and the city would have to step in to fund it.

Construction of the Olympic sporting venues was completed more than a year in advance, but work on the Olympic Village was still dragging on, despite the official handover on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, Montreal hosted an event to promote the Games among francophones, and Canada's ambassador to the U.S. threw a party to unveil a countdown clock at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

The 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver and Whistler Feb. 12-28, 2010, with the Paralympic Games following in March.

With files from The Canadian Press.