Vancouver, Canada - From 14 to 16 May, the third official Project Review was held between the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).

A nine-member delegation from the IPC spent three days in Vancouver, Canada, to meet with several VANOC Departments to discuss the current preparations for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. In various parallel working group sessions, the IPC received a detailed update on the preparation progress from VANOC in areas such as ceremonies, budget, media operations, broadcasting, transport, ticketing and venues. In the final plenary sessions, outcomes were discussed and priorities set for the further planning process.
 
“This workshop was again a very good opportunity to discuss current planning. We had productive and beneficial meetings and we are confident that VANOC will deliver excellent Games in 2010. VANOC also presented possible solutions to accommodate the Paralympic Family and stakeholders in Whistler and we now hope that a final consensus can be found in the very near future,” said IPC CEO Xavier Gonzalez.

Highlights of the visit included a venue tour to key city venues and will be continued by a trip to the mountain venues tomorrow.

In addition to the project review meetings, the IPC Paralympic Games Committee led by IPC Governing Board member Greg Hartung will hold its yearly meeting in Vancouver today.

For more information about the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games and the Organizing Committee, please visit the official website at www.vancouver2010.com.

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Notes to the Editor:

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions. The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to developing sport opportunities for all persons with a disability from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

Founded on 22 September 1989, the IPC is an international non-profit organization formed and run by 162 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) from five regions and four disability specific international sports federations (IOSDs). The IPC Headquarters and its management team are located in Bonn, Germany.

For further information, please contact Steffi Klein, IPC Media and Communications Senior Manager, on tel: +49-228-2097-230, e-mail: steffi.klein@paralympic.org or go to www.paralympic.org.