Capped by its gently curving roof of light wood, Richmond's magnificent Speed Skating Oval truly is a House of Gold.
Some of Canada's 2010 speed skating hopefuls have already given it a test run -- and their full approval.
The first skates carved their signatures into the Oval's ice in mid-September, when Canada's long track speed skating team practiced on the sleek track even as construction continued.
Among those who showed up for that first training session at the $180 million venue was last season's 500-metre World Champion Jeremy Wotherspoon of Saskatchewan.
He gave it his seal of approval, declaring:
"Everyone's really excited to be here... and I think the building right now has everything we need to train."
The venue, Richmond's centrepiece contribution to the 2010 Winter Games, took three years to build and will host 12 team and individual events during the Games. The Oval can seat 8,000 fans.
Pre-Games events at the Oval include the 2008 and 2009 Canadian Single Distance Championships and the 2009 World Single Distance Championships, among other national and international speed skating and sport events.
A model for accessibility, the Oval will also host many wheelchair sports and events including the 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships.
Located on the banks of the Fraser River, the Oval is also home to the largest investment in public art in Richmond's history.
These include works by acclaimed Musqueam artist Susan Point, two enormous lantern sculptures in the Oval's Water Sky Gardens, and towering 8.95-metre tall skate blade sculptures by Buster Simpson.
Post-Games, the Oval's main activity area will be transformed into three Zones: the Ice Zone, holding two international-size ice sheets; the Court Zone, with eight gymnasiums; and the Track Zone, with a 200-metre running track and 60-metre sprint track. The Post-Games configuration also allows for possible reactivation of the 400-metre speed skating track as desired.
