News
TRH visit the site of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
7th November 2009
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall today visited the site of the Olympic Athletes’ Village, 99 days before the start of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
The Prince and The Duchess received a traditional greeting by First Nations people, and met athletes and the three mascots of the Games.
TRH were given a tour of some of the facilities where they saw a number of the environmental features of the regenerated industrial site.
The housing complex in Vancouver will be home to around 3,000 competitors during next year's Winter Games.
Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia gave The Prince and The Duchess a tour of the site. He said: "They are very enthusiastic not just about our Olympics but the London Olympics coming up in 2012.
"And this is a very sustainable community and The Prince, as you know, has been very concerned with regard to sustainability, liveable communities, revitalising communities."
He added: "I think all of this helps to build the energy behind the Olympics and the excitement behind the Olympics."
The Prince, President of The Prince’s Youth Business International (YBI), then attended a Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) event.
The YBI network encourages youth entrepreneurship throughout the world. Since 1996 CYBF has invested in more than 3,000 Canadians aged 18-34, helping them to develop businesses that have generated millions of dollars and created an estimated 16,600 jobs.
The Duchess visited Van Dusen Botanical Garden where she planted a tree. She presented some seeds from The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, as well as receiving ones to take back to Kew.
The Duchess, President, the UK National Osteoporosis Society, then visited the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility at the Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre.
The first of its kind in Canada, the Centre travels to communities across British Columbia’s Lower Mainland around the province to collect information on mobility and bone health.
The Prince visited Inspire Health, meeting staff and patients and hearing about their experiences.
InspireHealth, Canada’s leading integrated cancer care centre, is a not-for-profit organization that has cared for more than 5,500 cancer patients since 1997.
Later, The Prince, President, The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment, took part in a seminar on Sustainable Urbanism at the Simon Fraser University.
The Prince and The Duchess closed the day by attending an official dinner hosted by the Province of British Columbia, Victoria, at Government House, where The Prince made a short speech.