February 10, 2009... Whistler is getting ready to celebrate the one-year countdown to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Countdown Week swings into full gear tomorrow starting with a special community event in Whistler Village Square. Join us at 7 pm on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 for Celebration Plaza – The Facts. The Fun. This free event features CTV’s Pamela Martin, Juno Award-winning Jully Black, and medal-winning Canadian athletes.

The rest of the country will join in on the celebration on Thursday, February 12, the date marking the one-year countdown to the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. This milestone will be celebrated from Newfoundland to the Yukon Territories and everywhere in between.

Activities in Whistler start at 8 am in Whistler Village Square. Be a part of Canadian history as the 2010 Olympic Torch, designed and manufactured by Canadian business leader Bombardier, and the torchbearer uniform, designed by Hudson’s Bay Company, are unveiled to the world in Whistler. The 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, proudly presented by Coca-Cola and RBC and supported by the Government of Canada, will connect Canadians in every province and territory, in a 45,000-kilometre journey over approximately 100 days and involving 12,000 torchbearers.

Canada’s Olympic Spirit will sound off on Thursday, when VANOC is inviting people across the country to share a moment and make some noise – a lot of noise – at 6 pm (local time) wherever they may be. Whether you’re a sports fan, an Olympic booster or a proud Canadian, making some noise is about using whatever you have to get the job done. Whether with bells, whistles, boats, vehicles, clocks or voices, get out and make some noise! Canadians can let loose, show our pride and let our athletes know that we are ready to clap, cheer or sing them onto the podium in one year’s time.

Amidst detailed planning and preparations for the Games, Thursday will kick off a series of one-year countdown activities that will see Whistler come to life.

The Whistler Arts Council is bringing the cultural component of the Olympics to the forefront with the Whistler Winter Arts Festival.On February 12, the festival will showcase outdoor performances in Village Square, including musicians Wil Mimnaugh and The Paperboys. The festival runs until March 21, and features everything from award-winning snow sculpture exhibits to storytelling with the 2008 Giller prize winner Joseph Boyden.

Whistler will continue to host an unprecedented  nine World Cup events this winter. Successful Nordic combined, ski jumping, cross-country, bobsleigh, and skeleton have been successfully hosted at Whistler Olympic Park and the Sliding Centre, since January. The Luge World Cup begins on February 20 and is followed by alpine and biathlon Olympic and Paralympic events.

Download the full Countdown Week program. 

The Resort Municipality of Whistler is the Host Mountain Resort for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It will be the site of the alpine, Nordic, and sliding events for the 2010 Winter Games, as well as the Celebration Sites program featuring daily entertainment and the Closing Ceremony for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.