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2010 Olympic logo to be unveiled Saturday

Whistler athletes, officials attending launch in Vancouver

Young athletes, city officials, business owners and hosts of other Olympic supporters from the Sea to Sky corridor will head by bus to Vancouver this weekend to celebrate the launch of the new logo for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

"There are 150 people going as a community delegation," said Maureen Douglas, director of community relations for Whistler for the 2010 Vancouver Organizing Committee.

"We have a great contingent from sport including the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, figure skating, and the Whistler Nordic Club with their junior cross country program. We did a big reach and it is very cool that all these folks will be riding the bus and then be the Whistler-Sea to Sky cheering section."

They will be joining thousands of others at General Motors Place on Saturday night for the unveiling of the logo.

"From the stands at General Motors Place to living rooms and gathering places across the country, Canadians will get their first look at the emblem that will become one of the most recognizable logos in the world," said Vancouver organizing committee CEO John Furlong. "This is the first chapter in the story of the 2010 Winter Games and that will unfold over the next five years."

The emblem was selected by an international judging panel following a nation-wide 2010 Olympic Emblem Design Competition that drew more than 1,600 submissions from throughout Canada.

The first wave of tickets for the event, which starts at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., sold out quickly, but more were issued recently.

The audience can look forward to a line-up of top entertainers.

VANOC has plenty to cheer about as the recent visit of the International Olympic Committees co-ordination commission went well. Commission chairman Rene Fasel praised VANOC saying, "(It) has successfully made the transition from bid to organizing committee with the help of its partners.

"VANOC is now delivering winning results: attracting high quality experienced staff, attracting impressive sponsors and preparing thoughtful plans."

Furlong welcomed the praise and said: "Our vision is clear – to touch the soul of the nation and inspire the world by delivering an extraordinary Games experience in 2010, with lasting legacies."

During the visit commission member Gian-Franco Kasper did voice some concern over the future of ski jumping in Canada, according to the Vancouver Sun.

VANOC decided some months ago to make the ski jumps in the Callaghan Valley’s $110 million Nordic centre temporary. This is troubling many in the skiing community because the current jumping facility in Calgary may be shut down due to uncertainty in funding.