The countdown has begun for Vancouver's 2010 Olympic Bid, as the bid's new logo was unveiled some weeks ago. The final three candidates, Vancouver (Canada), Saltzberg (Austria), and Pyeonchang (Korea), are now heading into the final stretch.

Vancouver's $2-billion Games pitch is well-positioned, and bid chairman and CEO Jack Poole and the bid team are very optimistic. “Our bid is very solid and received high marks from the IOC [International Olympic Committee]. With the recent announcement by the B.C. government of a $670-million upgrade the Sea to Sky Highway to three and four lanes, we've satisfied the IOC's single transportation concern, and we're very confident in our bid's chances,” said Poole in a recent press conference in Toronto, Ont. Poole added that the Vancouver team received valuable input from the group behind Toronto's failed Summer Olympic bid.

With an estimated $2.5 billion in future tourism dollars, the Olympics are a high-stakes game with huge payoffs. The Salt Lake Games reported a $100-million (US) profit, and Poole hopes for a similar result. According to late-August polls, Vancouver's Olympic bid received 82% popular support, so officials are buoyed and the stage is now set.

Candidates must submit a bid book by Jan. 10, 2003. Then, IOC delegates visit candidate sites for final evaluations in February and March 2003. On July 2, the final presentations are made in Prague, the Czech Republic, and the winner is announced