[1] There were four other cities vying for the hosting honour, that had been dropped by the International Olympic Committee: Andorra la Vella, Harbin, Jaca and Sarajevo.

Earlier in February, Vancouver's residents voted in a referendum accepting the responsibilities of the host city should it win its bid.

[8] Across Canada, and especially in the province of British Columbia, celebrations broke out amidst the announcement made by IOC President Jacques Rogge, as evidenced on the CBC, by the network's chief correspondent, Peter Mansbridge.

[9][10] While Vancouver and the rest of British Columbia celebrated, the mood was bittersweet in Toronto which had aspirations to host the 2012 Summer Olympics which were awarded to London.

[11][12] Wayne Gretzky made this evident in Prague, as he served as an ambassador and contributor to the games and was part of the presentation team.