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Keys for Vancouver 2010 Village handed over
November 4 -The Olympic Village for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games was officially handed over to the organisers for its final preparations today, an event that coincided with the 100-day countdown to the opening ceremony.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson gave the keys to John Furlong, chief executive of Vancouver 2010, at a special ceremony to mark the important date.
Robertson said: "With its green buildings, energy and water use reduction, sustainable transportation and remarkable public spaces, it is an incredibly proud moment for our city."
Furlong expressed thanks to the City of Vancouver and its Village team to make "this home away from home", one of the "most spectacular villages in Olympic and Paralympic history".
During the Games in February and March, 2010, the Village will accommodate nearly 3,000 competitors and officials.
It offers extraordinary city skyline, mountain and ocean views.
After the Games, the Village will become a residential community.
The Village is claimed to be a leading model of sustain ability in North America out of a former industrial brown field site.
But the C$1.2 billion (£683 million) Village has not come without controversy, going millions of dollars over budget and requiring the city of Vancouver to come to its financial rescue after New-York-based hedge fund Fortress Investment Inc. pulled their backing when global economic crisis hit.
Furlong said: "This has not been an easy project."
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