Olympic Rings using energy efficient bulbs

COAL HARBOUR, BRITISH COLUMBIA - A set of 14-metre tall Olympic Rings floating in Coal Harbour that will shine throughout the Games were lit today by Premier Gordon Campbell to mark the start of the 100-day countdown to the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

"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," Campbell said.

"When Canadian athletes win medals, these rings will put on a programmable light show that will spread the excitement of their success across the city, throughout British Columbia and across Canada. These rings were also designed and built by B.C. firms and showcase the kind of green-technology innovation taking place in our province."

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.

"As we kick off the 100-day countdown to the 2010 Games and as we celebrate the first days of the Olympic Torch Relay, the excitement is building in every corner of the province," Campbell said.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our communities, our province and our nation, and we will all share in the pride when those Olympic Rings light up in celebration of Canada's first medal of the 2010 Games."

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

The inner harbour rings are moored at Brockton Point and will be moved for lightshow events.