First of all, here is the CBC's (Canadian Broadcasting Corp) "Road to the Games" website: www.cbc.ca/sports/countdownto2010/.

When I visited Vancouver the past summer (July 2008), we visited many of the venues which are completed and often already in use!

The BIG controversy at home (Canada) is whether the "jinx" can be broken!  Canada is the only host country as of yet unable to win a gold medal (see the article).  In the article, the CBC assesses the possible contenders.  Having hosted the Summer Olympics in Montreal (1976) and the Winter Olympics in Calgary (1988), the Canadians are still working on achieving the milestone!  The Canadians HAVE won gold medals, just not while hosting the Games!

Here is a picture of the Richmond Olympic Oval (14 km south of Vancouver) from the Richmond, B.C., Canada website.