Organizers of the 2010 Olympics Thursday unveiled the first venue that's ready for competition, even as preparations continued for the border security to handle an expected games-related business boom.
Near Vancouver, the slopes for the freestyle skiing venue at Cypress Mountain are ready several months ahead of schedule, according to the organizing committee. The news is a turning point for the games, though construction on structures at the site continues and overall preparations are far from complete.
It also underscores the need for infrastructure to handle increased traffic around the region leading up to the event. This week, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire asked the U.S. Homeland Security department to try an altenative to requiring passports to cross the international border. Instead of current plans to require passports starting in 2009, she proposed testing handheld drivers-license scanners that would read security bar codes. Gregoire and B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell have stepped up contacts to address hurdles such as the border crossing.