For the second time since 1988, Canada will host the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia in 2010.

2009 Proof 999.9 1/5oz Gold Vancouver Winter Olympics Set of 2 Coins

The first Winter Olympics was held 74 years ago and since that time the number of competitors and events has increased enormously and the current Games consists of over 60 competitions with about 1500 athletes from over 50 countries taking part. This year will see the winter sports take place over Vancouver. Vancouver is known for many things: the beauty of its mountains, the ocean at its door, bike and walking paths that circle the city, golf courses galore. It’s a wonderful place for outdoor enthusiasts, but it is also much more including the 2010 Winter Olympic sports. Eight of these winter sports are depicted on the two new crowns which have been separated by type of winter sport – ice sports and snow sports.

Free style ice skating – This sport was originally a mix of alpine skiing and acrobatics, and the first freestyle skiing competition was held in Attitash, New Hampshire in 1966 and the freestyle ski cross will be the newest Olympic Winter Games event in Vancouver in 2010.

2 man bobsleigh - Bobsleigh debuted at the 1924 Olympic Winter Games and has been contested at nearly every Games since. Women were able to compete in this event for the first time in 2002.
Vancouver is known for many things: the beauty of its mountains, the ocean at its door, bike and walking paths that circle the city, golf courses galore. It’s a wonderful place for outdoor enthusiasts, but it is also much more.

Luge - Lugging, which is the French word for “sled”, involves two racers sitting on their open, moulded fibreglass sleds and rocking back and forth in order to burst out of the start. After pulling away, they use spiked gloves on the ice surface for extra acceleration before they lie down on their backs with their feet stretched out in front of them. Luge racers steer using slight shifts of their legs and shoulders, and brake by putting their feet down and pulling up on the sled’s two runner blades.
There are two individual or “singles” luge events in the Olympic Games, one for men and one for women, and one two-person or “doubles” event.

Ice Hockey - The word “hockey” comes from the old French word “hocquet,” which means “stick.” At the Olympic Winter Games, eight women’s teams and 12 men’s teams compete in round-robin tournaments, where winning teams advance to the playoff rounds. A team must not have more than six players on the ice while play is in progress. The object is for one team to get the puck (a hard black rubber disc) past the other team’s goaltender and into the goal, similar to soccer. A regular game consists of three 20-minute periods, with a 15-minute intermission after the first and second periods.

Freestyle ski jumper - In ski jumping, an athlete skis down a long ramp, referred to as the inrun and launches into the air at speeds of up to 95 km/h. Technique is integral to ski jumping as athletes must perform a very precise and well-timed takeoff. Once in the air, an athlete assumes the V-style airfoil and adjusts his position to maximize lift and minimize drag. Competitors are evaluated on distance and style. While there is a very close relationship between distance and style, and the skier with the longest jump will often have the highest style points, an exception to this can be found in the landing portion.

Snow boarding - A snowboard is a single board that is both shorter and wider than traditional downhill skis. The snowboarder’s feet are strapped on the board, one in front of the other. There are three snowboard categories for both men and women in the Olympic Winter Games: halfpipe, parallel giant slalom and snowboard cross.
The halfpipe requires one snowboarder at a time to perform a routine of acrobatic jumps, twists and tricks, moving from one side to another on the inside of a half-cylinder-shaped snow tube or ramp.
In the parallel giant slalom, two snowboarders race head-to-head down the mountain through a series of gates. The fastest of each pair goes on to the next round.
In snowboard cross, four racers start in a pack down a course of jump ramps and obstacles. The fastest two racers from each heat move on to the next round.
Slalom – slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles (gates). A course is constructed by laying out a series of gates. Gates are formed by alternating pairs of red and blue poles. The skier must pass between the two poles forming the gate. (Strictly speaking, the tips of both skis and the skier's feet must pass between the poles.) A course has 55 to 75 gates for men and 40 to 60 gates for women.
Cross country - Cross Country Skiing has been used through the generations for both hunting and transport through the rough terrain. Racers use two basic techniques in cross-country: classical, where the skis move parallel to each other through machine-groomed tracks in the snow, and free technique where skiers propel themselves in a manner similar to speed skating, pushing off with the edge of their skis. Free technique uses shorter skis and is slightly faster than classical – on average about 8% faster over an entire race distance.
There are different Olympic cross-country skiing events for both men and women. The woman compete in the individual sprint, team sprint, 10 km individual start, 15 km pursuit, 30 km mass start and the 4x5-km relay. Whereas the men compete in the individual sprint, team sprint, 15 km individual start, 30 km pursuit, 50 km mass start and the 4x10 km relay.

The centre of the design is graced with the presence of a flame, similar to that which is traditionally lit on the first day of every Olympics and is a long standing Olympic tradition.

Approved by Buckingham Palace, the obverse bears a fine effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, by Ian Rank Broadley FRBS FSNAD. The coins are available in Sterling Silver and Proof Fine Gold. Each proof precious metal coin is struck four times to attain the superlative Pobjoy proof finish with a stunning mirror effect background.

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