Olympic Anniversaries in Canada
Vancouver, Whistler, Cyprus Mountain and Richmond celebrated “two years to go” to the 2010 Winter Olympics. The next Winter Games uses existing facilities where possible, and almost all additional facilities have now been completed. At Whistler the Winter Park complex that incorporates ski jumps, cross country and biathlon facilities has recently been completed. At Cypress Mountain the freestyle arena and in-ground superpipe have also been completed.
Canada’s Olympic past has also been celebrated in Calgary and Sun Peaks.
Calgary celebrated 20 years since they hosted the last Winter Games in Canada by inviting legendary British skier Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards back for a nostalgic visit.
Looking back a further 20 years, Nancy Greene has been celebrating 40 years as an Olympic Gold Medalist. Today Director of Skiing at Sun Peaks, Nancy won gold in the Giant Slalom at the 1968 Grenoble Olympics , on February 15th. She won the race by a margin of 2.68 seconds, still considered to be one of the most decisive wins in Olympic history.
The Olympic Gold Medal boosted Nancy’s profile in Canada and inspired skiers around the country to take up the sport. The Nancy Greene Ski League began as a grassroots program in Southern Ontario the same year Nancy won gold in Grenoble. The program has given thousands of children the opportunity to learn alpine skiing and many of Canada’s top international skiers spent time in Nancy Greene Ski League programs.
Nancy is the most decorated racer in Canadian ski racing history and was named Canada’s female athlete of the century in November 1999. Nancy continues to inspire skiers of all ages and abilities and is available on a daily basis to ski with guests at Sun Peaks Resort in the BC Interior. To ski with Nancy, simply meet her at the top of Sun Peaks’ Sunburst Chair at 1pm.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc
