Italian skier Peter Fill has ruled himself out of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in February after rupturing tendons in a training accident.

The silver medallist in the Super-G at last season’s World Championships had surgery in September and was expected to return in time for the Games but he now says there is no chance.

“I have it in my head, it’s the most important competition but I can’t allow myself to race. My fitness definitely won’t be ready,” he told Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport.

http://www.peter-fill.com/

The Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad, presented by Bell, is adding more international flair to its impressive lineup of music, theatre, visual arts, dance, and digital programming in its largest announcement of 2010 projects to date — more than 70, including hardcore troubadour Steve Earle, an inspiring Ugandan dance troupe and an all-star lineup of emerging Canadian talent brought together by an American music producer, often called the inventor of the modern tribute album, saluting the godfather of grunge: Neil Young.

After four years off and two kids, Aleisha Cline is seizing the Olympic opportunity. Tackling sleep deprivation by night and Olympic training by day, Aleisha Cline is probably the world’s fastest mom on skis. Cline, 39, came out of retirement last year to try for the 2010 Olympics and finds competing overseas with the national ski cross team is “almost a holiday” compared to parenting a preschooler and toddler who tends to wake for milk at 4 a.m.

Skydivers parachuting in from above, top regional musical performers, giant puppets, a dazzling light show, foot stomping Acadian fiddlin’, towering snow and ice sculptures, a huge tepee, as well as a kazoo band: that is just a sampling of the unique local flavour almost 200 torch relay celebration communities plan on showcasing when they welcome the Olympic Flame and potentially the world to their part of the country.

Looking for a chance to create lifetime memories as part of a huge international event with thousands watching live and millions more tuning in around the world? Five thousand spots are available starting today for volunteers wanting to be a part of the breathtaking and inspiring Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

“Vancouver is ready for 2010”, said the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Coordination Commission for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games through its Chairman, René Fasel. For its ninth and final visit (25 – 26 August) to the next Olympic and Paralympic Host City, the Commission was joined by representatives of the Olympic Winter International Federations, who were able to bring their expertise to bear in the discussions with the Vancouver Organising Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) relating to the sporting elements of the Games, as well as by observers from the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee.