POSTED: Wednesday February 17th 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Vancouver 2010 legacy cauldron now visible from above and closer at street level

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Games cauldron is located in downtown Vancouver and set against the scenic backdrop of the majestic snow-capped North Shore Mountains and the waters of Burrard Inlet.

VANCOUVER, Feb. 17 - People wishing for an up close look at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Cauldron will now be able to take photos of this unique and symbolic structure from a nearby rooftop affording an unobstructed view of the cauldron in its waterfront location. In addition, to better afford street level photos while maintaining the necessary security perimeter of the Main Media Center, the safety fence in front of the cauldron has been moved forward so that viewers can stand closer to the cauldron. The fencing includes a viewing window stretching 30 metres at an average eye level height.

The rooftop viewing area opens today and is free to the public. It is located atop a one-storey building at 1055 Canada Place, adjacent to Jack Poole Plaza where the steel and glass cauldron is set against the backdrop of the North Shore Mountains and Burrard Inlet. The rooftop viewing area also offers sightlines to Vancouver's famous Stanley Park and the floating Olympic Rings on the water.

The roof, designed as a scenic lookout point, can accommodate up to 150 people at a time on a railed pedestrian pathway and is also accessible by elevator. Vancouver 2010 volunteers are posted in the area to welcome visitors and to assist with people movement. The viewing deck will open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily until the Olympic Flame is extinguished at the close of the Olympic Winter Games on February 28, 2010.

"The Olympic cauldron is a powerful symbol and the desire to get as close to it as possible has been remarkable - more than we expected. We are pleased to provide enhanced opportunities for all to see the cauldron in its spectacular waterfront setting - at its best," explained John Furlong, chief executive officer for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). "We invite everyone to come and enjoy it from this vantage point."

"Terasen Gas is delighted with the tremendous public response to this legacy cauldron from both B.C. residents and visitors," said Randy Jespersen, Terasen Gas Inc.'s president and CEO. "This setup greatly enhances the visibility of this iconic symbol of the Games while addressing necessary security requirements." In a celebration of the 2010 Winter Games, the Olympic and Paralympic cauldron is a permanent landmark through a legacy partnership announced on February 12 between Terasen Gas Inc. and VANOC.

A fact sheet on the cauldron is attached detailing design and operational elements.

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the 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 http://www.vancouver2010.com.

  FACT SHEET
 
  The Cauldron of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
 
  -  The Vancouver 2010 Winter Games cauldron is located in downtown
      Vancouver and set against the scenic backdrop of the majestic snow-
      capped North Shore Mountains and the waters of Burrard Inlet.
  -  Thanks to a legacy partnership between Terasen Gas Inc. and the
      Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic
      Winter Games (VANOC), the waterfront cauldron will remain at its
      location as a permanent legacy and reminder of the 2010 Winter Games.
  -  It was designed by David Atkins, producer of the Opening and Closing
      Ceremonies, on behalf of the VANOC to reflect one of the themes of
      the Olympic Opening Ceremony: "fire in ice."
  -  The cauldron was lit by Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky at the
      conclusion of the spectacular Olympic Opening Ceremony at BC Place on
      February 12, 2010. Gretzky is the all-time record holder for goals
      scored in the National Hockey League (NHL) and was executive director
      of the Team Canada gold medal-winning men's hockey team at the Salt
      Lake City 2002 Winter Games.
  -  The cauldron will remain lit for the duration of the Olympic Winter
      Games. It will also be used for the Paralympic Winter Games, which
      officially begin on March 12, 2010.
  -  The cauldron is located on the west side of the International
      Broadcast Centre at Jack Poole Plaza at 1055 Canada Place. Poole, the
      founding chairman of VANOC's board of directors, passed away in
      October 2009 just hours after the Olympic Flame was lit in Greece
      signalling the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.
  -  The cauldron stands nearly 10 metres high and 12 metres wide. Each of
      the four arms of the cauldron is 16.5 metres long and 1.2 metres
      wide.
  -  The waterfront cauldron is an exact replica of the one lit indoors at
      BC Place during the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
  -  It is made of steel clad with polycarbonate and furnace glass.
      Parabolic mirrors have been installed behind the cladding to give it
      a crystalline "ice" effect.
  -  The cauldron weighs approximately 33,600 kilograms in total (the arms
      weigh 7,500 kg each and the centre crystal weighs 3,600 kg).
  -  The steel and glass pieces were made locally in British Columbia, the
      Host Province of the Games.
  -  Each piece of glass is custom built and is unique.
  -  The cauldron was assembled on site over a period of approximately one
      month.
  -  The cauldron burns natural gas, the same fuel source used for the
      Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games cauldron.
  -  The footprint of the Olympic cauldron(s) is based on the total amount
      of fuel expected to be consumed. It is estimated to be approximately
      one per cent of the direct footprint of the 2010 Winter Games (1,100
      tonne of CO(2)) that VANOC is offsetting.
  -  Offsetters, the Official Carbon Offsetter of the 2010 Winter Games,
      equates one tonne of CO(2) as the same weight as:
      -  Five four-man bobsleds, excluding crew (bobsleds are 210 kg each)
      -  25 skeleton sleds (40 kg each)
      -  52 curling rocks (19.1 kg each)
      -  6,135 ice hockey pucks (163 grams)

For further information: Media Contact: VANOC Communications, Tel: (604) 403-1611, E-mail: mediarelations@vancouver2010.com

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Keywords · Vancouver 2010 · cauldron

Name: Vanoc Communications
Organization: VANOC
Email:
Phone: (604) 403-1611
URL: http://www.vancouver2010.com

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