The Richmond Oval is located along the banks of the
Fraser River only about 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver
and the Olympic and Paralympic Village. Those that have
a hotel near the Vancouver International Airport will
be just across the river for easy access to the Olympics
at the Richmond Oval.
The Richmond Olympic Oval is home to a brand new 400-meter track with a 33,750 square-meter facility. Features of the Richmond Olympic Oval include an ice plant, an indoor skating arena, with wonderful air quality and climate controls, along with timing and athlete monitoring equipment, and strength training and fitness areas. Construction was started in 2005 to prepare for the Olympics at the Richmond Oval and will be complete in the fall of 2008.
Spectators will enjoy not only the state-of-the-art facility but also the coming together of the greatest athletes in the world to compete in speed skating and other ice sports. The Richmond Olympic Oval will host speed skating in the form of men’s and women’s 500 meter, men’s and women’s 1,000 meter, men’s and women’s 1,500 meter, men’s and women’s 3,000 meter, men’s 10,000 meter, and women’s 5,000. The Olympics at the Richmond Oval will also include men’s team pursuit and women team pursuit.
The Richmond Oval will be a used for more than just the 2010 Olympics as it will be the center for a large variety of community activities. The Richmond Oval is just one of the fascinating Olympic venues that are under construction or renovation at this time to prepare for the 2010 Olympics.
Richmond, British Columbia is home to various attractions
that can be visited while you are waiting for your favorite
skating team to compete. One of the most popular attractions
is the Butchart Gardens,
a beautiful 55 acre floral park. If you want an adventure
of your own during the Olympics, then a visit to the Capilano
Suspension Bridge might be your best bet. Here you
will walk high above the rainforest and get a bird's eye
view.
