VANOC offers special ticket opportunity for residents in Squamish to Mount
Currie region

    
    -   Residents must pre-register to take advantage of two-day sale
    -   Phase 3 of Canadian resident ticket sales to open November 7
    

VANCOUVER , Oct. 14 /CNW/ - Residents of the Squamish to Mount Currie region who register a ticketing account before Friday, October 23 will have an exclusive opportunity to take advantage of a special "Locals" Whistler Olympic ticket offer starting Saturday, October 24 . This two-day offer is the best remaining chance for residents in the region to get tickets for Olympic sporting events in Whistler and is in addition to the third - and final - phase of ticket sales in the Canadian market, which start November 7 .

"We've seen strong demand for tickets from the Sea to Sky community in the past, so we're really pleased to make these tickets to events at Whistler Olympic Park, Whistler Creekside, The Whistler Sliding Center, and Whistler Medals Plaza available to the residents and families and ensure they have the opportunity to be a part of history happening in their community," said Caley Denton, vice president of ticketing and consumer marketing for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).

The Olympic bus network (OBN), the transport system for spectators originating in Metro Vancouver , has reached maximum capacity in Whistler, and therefore Phase 3 of ticket sales to the Canadian public will largely be made up of sessions at city venues.

"For those living outside of the Squamish to Mount Currie region, it's time to start planning for our last phase of Canadian market ticket sales starting November 7 - we'll have more than 100,000 tickets available exclusively to events at city venues," continued Denton. City venues include Cypress Mountain, Canada Hockey Place, BC Place, Richmond Olympic Oval, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Center, and the University of British Columbia's Thunderbird Arena, also known as the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

    
    1)  Squamish to Mount Currie "Locals" ticket sale: October 24 to 25

    Key elements

    -   Program is open to residents with a mailing address within the
        Squamish to Mount Currie region.
    -   Customers must register a new account or edit existing account
        information prior to October 23 at 7:00 pm.
    -   Those with an existing account who live outside of the Squamish to
        Mount Currie corridor but who have a residence in the region can
        simply sign into their account and edit/update their address to
        reflect their secondary residence prior to October 23 at 7:00 pm.
    -   Tickets will be available for purchase beginning October 24 at
        10:00 am and will remain on sale while tickets remain, or until
        October 25 at 5:00 pm.

    Special opportunity for Whistler Victory Ceremony tickets

    -   As an exclusive bonus while quantities last, account holders will
        also receive two Whistler Victory Ceremony tickets - the first time
        these in-demand tickets have been available - when they pick up their
        "Locals" Whistler event tickets at the Main Ticket Centre in Whistler
        by December 31. The Whistler Main Ticket Centre will open November 26
        in a location near Whistler Medals Plaza. Whistler Victory Ceremony
        tickets will be available while supplies last.

    Program restrictions

    Tickets purchased through this special ticket program will be subject to
    certain restrictions:

    -   The tickets must be picked up in person at the Whistler Main Ticket
        Centre; as such, ticket accounts will not be charged a delivery fee.
    -   Tickets purchased through this program cannot be resold through the
        fan-to-fan marketplace at www.vancouver2010.com, which will launch
        later this fall.
    -   Tickets cannot be used to access the Olympic bus network. Tickets
        will have "No Olympic bus network access" printed on them, however
        tickets will still provide access to local public transit on the date
        of the event.

    Important reminders

    -   The only official sources in Canada for tickets to the 2010 Olympic
        and Paralympic Winter Games are www.vancouver2010.com/tickets and
        CoSport.
    -   In order to ensure access to the Vancouver 2010 ticketing website,
        previously registered customers who live in the Squamish to Mount
        Currie region are advised to sign into their ticketing account before
        October 23 to ensure their username, address and password are up-to-
        date and functional.
    -   There is no public parking at any of the Games venues.
    -   In recognition of Visa's longstanding support of the Olympic Games,
        the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games proudly accepts only Visa
        cards.
        -  Plan ahead for purchases and ensure you have sufficient credit
           available in your account as purchases will be charged
           immediately.
    -   Ticket purchasing by phone is also available at 1.800.TICKETS
        (1.800.842.5387), and a TDD/TTY service is available for persons who
        are deaf or hard of hearing at 604.629.7140.

    2)  Phase 3 Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Ticket Sales: starting
        November 7

    More than 100,000 tickets to sessions, including numerous prime events at
    all city venues and Cypress, will be made available for purchase by
    Canadian residents starting November 7 and will remain on sale while
    supplies last. Further details will be released in the coming weeks.
    

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

For further information: Media Contact: Jason Macnaughton, VANOC Communications, Tel: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]