2008 News and Information
Richmond Olympic Oval to open December 12-13
21 October 2008The Richmond Olympic Oval, home of speed skating for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, will officially open on Friday, December 12 and Saturday, December 13. An innovative and memorable community celebration will mark the opening and will showcase the Oval’s unique design and include opportunities for members of the public to skate on the 400-metre track.
The opening night festival will be held Friday December 12 from 4:30 to 10 p.m. and will feature official opening ceremonies, special entertainment, building tours, and the first public skate on the Oval track. The festivities will continue from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 13 with a community open house featuring public skating, entertainment, building tours and more.
“We are inviting the entire community to join us on December 12 and 13 as we celebrate this significant milestone for Richmond,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “The Oval will provide incredible legacies and benefits for every member of the community and the opening activities will give everyone a chance for their first visit to this spectacular facility and begin enjoying all it has to offer.”
Opening night festivities will include the breathtaking aerial dance of the Aeriosa Dance as they perform their mid-air ballet suspended from the Oval’s spectacular wood roof.
At ice level, Quebec’s Le Patin Libre will entertain with their alternative take on an ice show, which combines figure skating, acrobatics, barrel jumping and fire breathing with hip hop and other dance and skating elements. Local skating groups will join in the performance which also features audience interaction.
The acclaimed 15th Field Artillery Regiment Band, popularly known as Vancouver’s “Army Band” will also perform. The evening’s entertainment will kick off with a performance featuring the Richmond Honour Choir and the Steveston Taiko Drummers, joined by drummers and dancers from Richmond’s Hugh Boyd and McNeill Secondary Schools.
Attendees will also have an opportunity to take tours of the new Oval - with a twist. Actors will guide groups of people throughout the various areas of the Oval, using comedy and participatory activities to excite and engage participants, while highlighting the special features of the facility.
All events will be free. Watch the City’s website at www.richmond.ca for more details on the opening.
The Oval will host its first major speed skating competition, the Canadian Single Distance Championships, featuring the top skaters from Canada’s national team from December 27-January 2. The World Single Distance Championships, an official sport event for the 2010 Games, will be hosted at the Oval from March 12-15, 2009. ticket details for this events will be announced shortly.
The popular annual Richmond Winter Festival, which will include a One-Year Countdown to the 2010 Games celebration, will also move to the Oval this February.
A wide variety of competitions ranging from speed skating to futsal (indoor soccer),volleyball and wheelchair sports will be held at the Oval during 2009, including some events for the BC Seniors Games, which will be held in Richmond in September, 2009.
Public programming including skating, fitness, futsal and other dry-floor programs will begin in the Oval in January. During the pre-Games period, the 400-metre speed skating track, will be complimented by a hardwood court area, large enough to accommodate up to four full-sized basketball courts. Also available will be specialized fitness studios for rowing and spinning, and targeted resistance programs. A general fitness centre, indoor rowing tank and a variety of multi-activity rooms will also be among the amenities available in the Oval when it opens.
After the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the Oval will expand to its permanent full-use model with the capability of hosting both summer and winter sports simultaneously. Indoor track, badminton, volleyball, basketball, combative and wheelchair sports, indoor soccer, gymnastics and special events are just some examples of the Oval’s many uses.
The Government of Canada and Province of BC have each contributed $30 million to the Oval through the $580 million capital budget for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In addition, the Government of Canada and Province of BC funded the Games Operating Trust, which will provide significant ongoing funding toward the operating costs of the Oval.
