Less than an 100 Days to the Winter Olympics

An impressive set of 14-metre tall Olympic rings were lit on Coal Harbour Wednesday night, marking the 100-day countdown to the opening of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Certainly took Nancy and and myself by surprise, as these are right outside our window.

"The Olympic Rings are one of the iconic symbols of these Games and this inner harbour showpiece will be a visual focal point for billions of people watching 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games worldwide and for visitors and residents to our province during the Games," B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell announced.

The rings have thousands of individual LED lights that can be programmed for complex light show displays and will be visible from around the harbour, the premier's office said. They measure 13.7 metres (45 feet) high by 29.3 metres (96 feet) wide. As part of B.C.'s commitment to a green games the lights in the display use energy efficient bulbs that consume approximately eight per cent of the electricity of equivalent incandescent bulbs.

There are now two sets of LED Olympic rings in the lower mainland. The other is near Vancouver International Airport.