The
2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the
XXI Olympic Winter Games (French: Les
XXIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as
Vancouver 2010, informally the 21st
Winter Olympics, were a major international
multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010, in
Vancouver,
British Columbia,
Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of
Richmond,
West Vancouver and the
University Endowment Lands, and in the
resort town of
Whistler. Approximately 2,600 athletes from 82 nations participated in 86 events in fifteen disciplines. Both the Olympic and
Paralympic Games were organized by the
Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC), headed by
John Furlong. The 2010 Winter Olympics were the third
Olympics hosted by Canada and the first by the province of British Columbia. Previously, Canada hosted the
1976 Summer Olympics in
Montreal,
Quebec, and the
1988 Winter Olympics in
Calgary,
Alberta.