87 Days to Go

It is 87 days until the Olympic Torch lights the cauldron in Vancouver, signifying the official opening of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The Olympic Torch started its journey on October 30 in on the steps of the Provincial Parliament in Victoria, British Columbia. Besides the standard runners, the torch has been transported by airplane and dogsled through towns and villages across Canada. It has now crossed to the eastern parts of Canada. Most recently, on November 13, torchbearer Michael Dinn crossed Petty Harbor, Newfoundland in traditional fishing dory (boat). The many unique transport methods used in this Torch Relay illustrate both the diversity and the size of Canada.

View of Whistler Olympic Park

Thirteen days ago, Max Saenger, there was no snow at the biathlon venue in the Whistler Olympic Park. The dearth of early snow did not faze VANOC Biathlon Sport Manager who commented, “As of now there is no snow at the Whistler Olympic Park. Historically, lack of snow is not a problem here. Our concerns are about the potential of too much snow.”

Winter has arrived since then; making the venues at Whistler Olympic Park look like the Games could start tomorrow. It is easy to keep track of the weather and snow conditions at the venue, as a live webcam shows a view of the cross-country stadium as well as several other Whistler locations. Watch the snow pile up at http://www.weatherbonk.com/weather/camDetail.jsp?id=cam_1255539814042

Biathlete on Breakfast Television Program

Top US Biathlete Tim Burke was part of the US Olympic Committee’s 100 Days celebration in New York City. Burke appeared on the NBC TODAY Show, modeling some of the casual apparel that the US Olympic Team will receive for the Vancouver Games. The customized shirt, with his name on the back made the Burke stand out in the crowd. The TODAY show is the most popular breakfast program in the USA, reaching over 5.1 million viewers daily.

Burke and World Cup teammates Lowell Bailey and Haley Johnson spent the rest of the day at a special demonstration area at Rockefeller Center, where the general public tried their hand at biathlon shooting with a laser rifle. Over 2000 people got a taste of biathlon in the heart of New York City.

Nagano to Vancouver

It has been 12 years since the 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games. Although biathletes can have long careers, many of the athletes who competed there are now retired. However, there are several prominent names from the Nagano competitions who we can expect to see at the Whistler Olympic Park.

Most prominent are two Nagano Gold medalists, Ole Einar Bjørndalen (Sprint) and Halvard Hanevold (Individual). Both were also part of the Silver medal winning Norwegian Relay team. Bjørndalen, who will be young 36 years old by the time the Games open, shows no signs of slowing down. Hanevold’s 40^th birthday is December 3, the day of the 20K Individual in Östersund, the first men’s competition of the new season. He admitted earlier this year that he thrives on big competitions like the Olympic Winter Games (2 Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze) “I do not like trials races and time trials. I am good at preparing for and competing in the biggest events.” If Hanevold is on the Norwegian Team for Vancouver, it will be his fifth Olympic appearance.

Included among the other athletes who competed in Nagano who should be in Vancouver are Jay Hakkinen (USA), Eva Tofalvi (ROM), Pavlina Filipova (BUL), Paavo Puurunen (FIN) and Tomasz Sikora (POL). Sikora competed in both Albertville and Lillehammer in 1992 and 1994. Vancouver will be Sikora’s sixth Olympic Winter Games!