City Hands Over Athlete's Village To Olympics

JEREMY HAINSWORTH

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — With 100 days to the opening of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, the athletes village was handed over to the Games organizers Wednesday.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Winter Games now begins preparing the 1,100-unit village to house 3,000 athletes.

The eight-acre site has waterfront views of the two stadiums that will host the opening ceremonies and hockey events. Beyond are the snowcapped mountains of Canada's pacific coast.

The steel, concrete and glass buildings surround a central courtyard open to Vancouver's picturesque waterfront.

Vancouver Olympic CEO John Furlong said the location of the village, with its views of water, mountains and downtown towers, will help inspire the athletes to the performance of their careers.

The village will have a bank, cafe, stores and a post office.

The $940 million village did not come without controversy, going millions of dollars over budget and requiring the city of Vancouver to come to its financial rescue after New-York-based hedge fund Fortress Investment Inc. pulled their backing when global economic crisis hit.