The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and U.S. Olympians and hopefuls are commemorating the six-month countdown to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games with a look ahead to next February. The Opening Ceremony will be held six months from today - Feb. 12, 2010 - at BC Place Stadium in downtown Vancouver.

“The pinnacle of our sport happens once every four years, and we’re excited to be just six months away from reaching our Olympic dreams in Vancouver,” said three-time Olympic hockey medalist Angela Ruggiero. “We are going to use every day until then to become a better team.”

Approximately 5,500 athletes will compete in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, representing more than 80 countries.  The U.S. team will be made up of approximately 215 athletes.  The athletes will compete in 86 medal events in the sports of biathlon, bobsled, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, luge, skeleton, skiing (alpine, cross country, freestyle, Nordic combined, ski jumping, snowboarding) and speedskating (short and long track). NBC’s Today Show featured special programming this morning titled “Countdown to Vancouver,” with a look at the venues and the show’s home base during the Games, Grouse Mountain Resort, located 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver.

U.S. Olympic Team selection for all sports other than USA Curling, which has already named its team, begins shortly with the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Short Track Speedskating, Sept. 8-12, in Marquette, Mich., and will conclude officially on February 1 when the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team is named. And in between those dates, plenty of non-stop action awaits with key domestic World Cup events, U.S. Championships and additional 2010 U.S. Olympic Team Trials set to help determine Team USA representatives.

For more information, please contact the USOC Communications Division at 719-866-4529.