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2010 News and Information
Record Setting Richmond Olympic Oval to Open in April; Legacy Conversion to Continue into Summer
3 March 2010Conversion of the Richmond Olympic Oval into a centre of excellence for sport, health and wellness has already begun, with the re-opening of public programming planned for early April.
Following a successful Games hosting period that attracted over 100,000 spectators to the venue and saw three Olympic records set - in the Men’s 5000m, 10000m and Team Pursuit races - the Oval will shed its long track speed skating configuration for a multi-sport layout that will accommodate ice, track, court, paddling and fitness users. While the long track speed skating ice could return for a major international competition, the changes are intended to maximize community and athlete usage of the venue.
“The Richmond Olympic Oval has unparalleled potential,” says John Mills, General Manager of the Richmond Olympic Oval. “Thousands will be introduced to sport, fitness and better health. And for those with the talent and passion, there will be opportunities to achieve international sporting success. Furthermore, the Oval and its programming team will provide a pathway between the two, producing the next generation of locally grown champions.”
The Oval’s re-opening in April will begin first with group fitness, followed by the venue’s expanded 23,000 square foot Fitness Centre. Filling out the rest of the venue’s 3 levels and 512,000 square feet will likely continue until the end of summer 2010.
For more on the legacy conversion of the Richmond Olympic Oval, including a full list of planned features for each level, please visit www.richmondoval.ca/legacy_video.htm.
