XXI Winter Olympic Games will take place on February 12-28, 2010 in the Canadian city of Vancouver on the Pacific coast and in its vicinity. An important part of Olympic competitions (Alpine and Nordic ski disciplines, bobsleigh, sledding, and skeleton) will take place in the alpine resort Whistler, 117 km from Vancouver which will also have its own Olympic Village. The onset of the economic crisis has not stopped the completion of the sports grounds. The opening and the closing ceremonies will take place “under the roof” for the first time in the modern Olympic Games history. They will take place in the gigantic hall BC Place (BC – British Columbia, the most western Canadian province) with the capacity of 60 000 spectators.

Slovak Olympic representation should be the biggest in the history of our participation at the Winter Olympic Games. The expected record number of 75 sportspersons was caused by unexpected success of our female hockey players who qualified by beating their rivals from Germany, Kazakhstan and France. After the first and only medal success at the Winter Olympic Games in a form from silver from Torino by Rastislav Žídek in snowboard cross we put out hope into biathlon, running and down-hill skiing. As in ice hockey, we are talking about sportswomen who dominate among our Olympic hopes. Slovakia has been so far represented by a total of 149 men and 39 women at the Winter Olympic Games; however, the Olympic positions were achieved by men and women in the same number – four times. Competition in Vancouver will show the real power of winter sports in Slovakia, a country which shall have the honour of applying for being the hosting country of the Winter Olympic Games. The decision-making on awarding the right to host the Winter Olympic Games is not only influenced by economic but also by sports position of the candidate country. Slovakia has to do a lot of good work in this area, too.   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Peter Osuský