Set in the diverse landscape of the west coast of Canada, Vancouver hosted the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010. The Olympic Games have
been a successful global sporting event since 1896 when the first ever Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. The Olympic Winter Games were not far behind as the Games started in Chamonix in 1924 covering sports from speed skating to ice hockey. Panasonic's relationship started with the 1984 Olympic Games when the company provided the professional sound system and large screen video displays for the Los Angeles main stadium. This relation­ship has since progressed extensively and Panasonic became a member of The Olympic Partners (TOP) programme in 1987. Panasonic's exclusive product category is audio and video equip­ment, AV recording media, AV security equipment and car multimedia.

Sound and Vison for the Olympic Venues
During the run up to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, Panasonic has provided equipment such as 86 WS - LA3 RAMSA speakers for the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, a 42 m² Astrovision large-screen display during the Richmond Winter festival and a 79 m² Astrovision display screen for the IBU world cup biathlon at Whistler Olympic Park. These products were used for test events and count down events demonstrating Panasonic's support to the celebrated event.

Home to such sports as figure skating, short track speed skating and speed skating, the Pacific Coliseum located in Hastings Park was one of the largest venues for Vancouver 2010. With a capacity of 14,200 people, this venue attracted huge crowds of spectators to some of the most popular events. Located 840 meters above sea level in stunning snow-capped surroundings, the Whistler Olympic Park has a capacity of 12,000 in each of the three stadiums. It was the first time that the biathlon, cross-country skiing, Nordic Combined and ski jumping have ever been played at the same venue in Olympic Games history. The Richmond Olympic Oval can hold up to 7,600 spectators and was the venue for the speed skating competition. This specifically built stadium was completed December 2008 and after the Winter Games it will become an International Centre of Excellence for Sports and Wellness.

Panasonic has supplied the Vancouver 2010 venues with Astrovision and Professional Plasma Display equipment, AV security equipment, infra-red wireless system systems and RAMSA sound systems.

RAMSA (Research for Advanced Music Sound and Acoustics) is a range of revolutionary products aimed to enhance audio spaces. One of the main benefits of RAMSA is the ability to tailor make the sound system to the venue which allows for the best sound quality possible. The infra-red wireless microphone incorporates the progressive infra-red technology eliminating interception, so when the wireless microphones are used individually they do not conflict with each other and causes of interference, therefore enhancing the quality of sound. A total of 12 systems are being used to enhance communication between workforces.
Astrovision is a fully integrated LED large screen solution intended to provide easily viewable displays at large events and attractions. Panasonic‘s Astrovision is recognised as reproducing one of the highest colour images with 1 billion colours, full 10-bit colour gradation and its proprietary image-enhancing technology, the LED's can withstand wide variations in temperature which guarantees uninterrupted coverage, even in the freezing conditions. Approximately 2500 plasma televisions were supplied to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games including the famous 103" Professional Plasma Display. Panasonic's leading plasma technology produces exceptional quality images and the equipment supports the essential transmission to millions of viewers around the world. Panasonic Professional Plasmas are versatile & flexible which is essential for such a world renowned event on such a large scale. The display combines high-quality colour performance with a variety of connection options, resulting in a tailored ‘all-in-one' solution.

Network Video Securing the Games
Panasonic have also provided i-Pro network CCTV cameras throughout the Olympic venues. The range of professional IP security products provided to the Games enhanced efficiency and reliability. The WV-NW484S model, used mostly throughout, is a vandal resistant static IP dome camera featuring super dynamic technology which delivers 128x dynamic range natural contrast image correction. The vandal resistant property of the camera is achieved through a toughened polycarbonate hemisphere and heavy duty steel casing. The camera is IP66 rated which allows it to be used extreme weather conditions such as those exposed in the Winter Games. The camera also features auto back focus for easy set up, MPEG-4 and JPEG dual stream output for simultaneous live monitoring and high resolution recording. The day and night function allows the camera to automatically adjust to the light conditions. Other cameras which are featured are the external WV-NW964 and internal WV-NS954 IP PTZ dome cameras.