Venues
Vancouver Olympic Centre
Last Updated: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 | 6:42 PM ET
New York Times, for CBC Sports
The Vancouver Olympic Centre/Vancouver Paralympic Centre is the curling venue for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games being held in Vancouver. (Kim Stallknecht/Getty Images)The Vancouver Olympic Center/Vancouver Paralympic Center, adjacent to Queen Elizabeth Park in the heart of Vancouver, will host men’s and women’s curling, with about 100 athletes competing. The 108,000-square-foot site has four ice sheets and seats 5,600 spectators.
The centre uses the Eye on the Ice monitoring system, in which sensors positioned around the arena and near the ice surface take regular temperature and humidity readings. Ice technicians monitor these readings and make changes as needed to ensure the best playing conditions.
Aboriginal art will be installed at the venue as part of the Vancouver 2010 Venues Aboriginal Arts Program. The program will feature traditional and contemporary artwork by First Nations, Inuit and Metis artists from across Canada.
After the Olympics, the center will be converted into a community and recreation campus that will include a community center, library, skating rink and an indoor-outdoor aquatic facility. It will also serve as the home of the Vancouver Curling Club.
