Whistler, B.C. - As the 2012 Summer Games kick off in London, visitors to Whistler can relive the experience here, watching coverage of the Games in the village and exploring the local legacies of the 2010 Winter Games.

To continue the Olympic spirit and celebrate the London 2012 Games, the resort hosts Whistler Presents: CTV Olympic Games Broadcast in Whistler Olympic Plaza. Through an agreement with CTV, the Resort Municipality of Whistler will broadcast Summer Games coverage as part of the festivals, events and animation (FE&A) program aimed at enhancing the visitor experience to Whistler.

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games will be broadcast live on big screens in Whistler Olympic Plaza beginning with the opening ceremonies from 1-4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 27. Broadcasts will continue at various times throughout the duration of the Games, including CTV Olympic Primetime coverage and the Closing Ceremonies. View the broadcast schedule here.

To relive some of the excitement of the 2010 Winter Games in Whistler, guests can explore local venues. The 2010 Winter Games redefined the visitor experience to Whistler with a focus on new activities and the official legacy venues:

Whistler Sliding Centre
During the 2010 Winter Games, the Whistler Sliding Centre was the official venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton. Today, the 1,450 metre facility remains open for athlete training and youth recruitment. One of only two sliding tracks in Canada, the facility sits on the southeast slope of Blackcomb Mountain, minutes away from Whistler Village, with a top elevation of 938 metres and a bottom elevation of 786 metres. Throughout the summer months, self-guided interpretive tours are available. In winter, the sliding centre offers bobsleigh and skeleton programs for the public, with the opportunity to experience the sliding centre track first-hand. With the skeleton experience, participants travel the fast and technical track head first, reaching speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour. Participants in the bobsleigh experience travel up to 130 kilometres per hour on a piloted four-man sled.

Whistler Olympic Park
Whistler Olympic Park was the first Winter Games venue to include all three traditional Nordic sport stadiums in one site: cross-country, ski jumping and biathlon. Today, the venue is a legacy for the enjoyment of residents, visitors and athletes. The Experience Biathlon program is offered in both the summer and winter seasons, allowing the public to shoot at the biathlon rage using authentic biathlon rifles. In winter, the program combines cross country skiing and rifle marksmanship and 56 kilometres of cross-country ski trails, expertly groomed for both classic and skate skiing, are available. In the summer guests can also take a self-guided interpretive tour, enjoy the biking trails or horseback riding.

Whistler Olympic Plaza
Home to nightly victory ceremonies, concerts and the closing ceremony for the 2010 Paralympic Games, Whistler Olympic Plaza is now a permanent venue for recreation, arts and culture. It features a lawn, playground, outdoor performance spaces and public art celebrating the 2010 Winter Games, not to mention the Olympic Rings and Paralympic Agitos which have now become one of Whistler's iconic and most photographed structures. In winter, the area houses an outdoor skating rink.

In addition to the Olympic coverage and ongoing street entertainment throughout the summer, Whistler hosts a number of concerts this summer. Upcoming Whistler Presents concerts include: The Mocking Bird and Wil on July 27 and Chantal Kreviazuk on July 28. Jason McCoy performs August 3, Spirit of the West August  4, Great Lake Swimmers August 5, Vince Vaccaro Band and Blackie and the Rodeo Kings August 31, The Boom Booms and Kytami September 1 and Emmanuel Jal September 2.

Also in August, the resort welcomes Whistler Presents: Celestial Cinema brought to you by the Whistler Film Festival with free outdoor film screenings. Film lovers can grab their blankets and lawn chairs and head to Whistler Olympic Plaza for free outdoor film nights beginning after 8 p.m. All ages are welcome and all films are rated G or PG (General or Parental Guidance). The Whistler Film Festival is programming the new Celestial Cinema screening series which includes the following: Midnight in Paris (August 1); The Whale (August 8), and Marley (August 22). A fourth film on August 29 will be announced at a later date. The series is weather permitting and will move to nearby Millennium Place in the event of inclement weather. The decision will be made at 6 p.m. on the evening of the screenings.

For the most up-to-date information regarding programming visit www.whistler.com/events.

Whistler-based travel consultants at whistler.com can customize vacation packages, taking care of flights, ground transportation, accommodation and activities. Whistler.com offers the largest selection with no booking fee for accommodation and activities. Call 1.800.WHISTLER (1.800.944.7853) to request a no-obligation quote or visit whistler.com for more details and offers.

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Whistler is Canada's premier year-round leisure and meeting destination located in the Coast Mountains 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Consistently rated the top ski resort in North America, Whistler was the Host Mountain Resort of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The resort offers an extensive range of accommodations totaling 10,000 bedrooms among 24 hotels as well as townhomes, condos, B&Bs and chalets. Whistler also boasts more than 100 restaurants and bars, 200 retail shops, 25 spas and countless activity options from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and golf, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents.

Tourism Whistler is the member-based marketing and sales organization representing Whistler, operating the Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler Golf Club, Whistler Visitor Centre, as well as 1.800.WHISTLER and whistler.com - Whistler's official source for visitor bookings and information. As the convention and visitors bureau for the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Tourism Whistler represents more than 7,000 members who own, manage and operate properties or businesses on resort lands including hotels, restaurants, activity operators and retail shops.

Media can visit whistler.com/media for Whistler facts, media releases, story starters, local personality profiles and access to images and B-roll.

Suggested Tweet: Relive the Olympic experience in #Whistler; 2012 Summer Games to be broadcast in Village; 2010 legacies ready to be explored 

Media Contacts

Tourism Whistler
Patricia Westerholm
Manager, Corporate Communications
T: 604.938.2748
E: pwesterholm@tourismwhistler.com
W: www.whistler.com/media
T: www.Twitter.com/mediaTWhistler
F: www.Facebook.com/GoWhistler

Resort Municipality of Whistler
RMOW Communications
T: 604.967.3030
E: Communications@whistler.ca
W: www.whistler.ca
T: @RMWhistler
F: RMOW



Note to media: A video news release featuring the 2010 Winter Games legacies is available for viewing here.

Broadcast-quality clips are also available for use; please email the contact below if interested. Whistler images are available for editorial use on Tourism Whistler's online media room