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21th Olympic Winter Games: Vancouver 2010

2010-03-21 10:49 COC

Date: 12-28 February 2010
Country of the host city: Canada
 
- 17 days of Olympic Games events
- 7 sports
- 15 disciplines
- 86 events
- 615 medals awarded
- 9 competition venues
- 3 Olympic training facilities
- 82 participating National Olympic Committees (NOCs)
- 6,500 athletes and team officials in total
- 2,566 athletes
- 18,500 volunteers
- 10,000 media representatives
- 3 billion television viewers worldwide
- 275 million visitors to www.vancouver2010.com

Candidate cities:
Salzburg (Austria)
PyeongChang (Republic of Korea)
Bern (Switzerland)

The 21st Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver witnessed athletes from 26 countries winning medals from the 86 events of 15 disciplines in seven sports, as around 2,500 athletes from 82 countries and regions competed in Vancouver, Richmond and skiing resort Whistler.

After winning the Games' last gold in the men's ice hockey, Canada not only shook off the nagging scar of being the Olympic host country twice without winning a single gold medal either, but also set a record of 14 gold medals from a single Olympic Winter Games. The previous record was held by the Soviet Union in 1976 and Norway in 2002 who each won 13 golds.

Despite losing the last final 3-2 of ice hockey in overtime to the hosts, the United States, however, collected 37 medals, including nine golds, to break Germany's 36-medal record at the Salt Lake City Games eight years ago.

Failing to top the tally for the fourth straight time, Germany still clung to the second with 10 golds and 30 medals overall, becoming the only NOC to win medal every day as Axel Teichamann placed second in the men's 50km cross-country classic skiing on the closing day.

Vancouver will also be remembered as the harbour where Asian powers made breakthrough and traditional winter sports leader Russia suffered a shocking fall.

China reaped brilliant achievements with 11 medals, including five golds, two silvers and four bronzes, for an epoch-making seventh place, the first time into top-eight of the Winter Games medal table. In both Salt Lake City and Turin, China finished consecutively with two golds apiece after making its Winter Olympic debut in 1980. With these achievements, plus two new world records and four Olympic records, Vancouver 2010 marked a historic breakthrough in China's winter sports, particularly in short-track speed skating, speed skating, snowboard and curling.

The Russians, however, declined to admit the failure as Plushenko's coach Alexey Missin said: "There have always been ups and downs for athletes and teams. Russia will come back to the podium in another four years."

Asian entries, however, were still hunting for the status in winter sports against superficial boom in medals achieved in Vancouver.

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