Held on February twelfth through the eighteenth, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver brought in over 2,600 athletes from all over the world. There were 86 different events featuring seven different sports, including:

• Bobsled • Skeleton • Ice Hockey • Luge • Figure Skating • Speed Skating • Short Track Speed Skating • Curling

Featuring summer and winter sports, The Olympic Games are a major international event that draws in millions of viewers. They are held every two years, rotating both summer and winter activities. So respectively, winter games are held every four years, as are summer games.

The games are typically sponsored by large selection of wealthy sponsors like Mcdonalds, Visa, Kodak, GE, and so on and so forth. This year, The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) has made the decision to become an official Olympic Sponsor. CEO and Chair Andrew Liveris announced on July 16th, 2010 that the company has become a Worldwide Olympic Partner via The Olympic Partners Program (TOP).

According to a press release by Bob Plishka of Dow, they will be know as the official "Chemistry Company" of the Olympic Movement. Congruently, they'll be partnering with the IOC or International Olympic Committee and National Olympic Committees around the world all the way through 2020.

The International Olympic Committee is composed of a large number of both national and international sporting organizations and federations, media partners, athletes, judges, officials and any other related institution that agrees to follow the rules of the Olympic Charter. They are response for the following duties:

1. Choosing a hosting city 2. General Planning of the games 3. Updating and approving the program at hand 4. Negotiating Sponsors and distribution of rights

In a statement to the press: "With our long-standing commitment to global sustainability, innovation, scientific excellence and addressing world challenges, we believe Dow is perfectly matched to the vision of the Olympic Movement, which is about peace, progress and the world coming together to celebrate our common humanity," said Liveris. He goes on to mention that the partnership will only create new opportunities for both organizations and be a great growth catalyst for Dow and some of its newer ventures. President of the IOC, Dr. Jacques Rogge, welcomed Dow with open arms at the same press conference, stating "We are delighted to welcome Dow to the TOP Program...As a Global leader in the chemical industry and an innovator in sustainability, Dow will provide much more than critical financial support to the Olympic Movement. They will also bring industry-leading expertise and innovation to the Games themselves. Dow will be an important partner in making our vision for sustainability and global cooperation a reality."

The temperature had warmed up to -29C (-20F) by 9am when my friend, Glen, picked me up. It was just after sunrise on the shortest day of the year, the first day of winter. We headed west to Lake Louise, about an hour's drive and by then it had warmed up to a balmy -26. This is the warmest it has been in a week and I have been staring out of ice crusted windows, Jonesing to get out skiing ... much to my wife's horror. She was sure that I would die - freeze to death, get caught in an avalanche, loose all my fingers and toes, etc.

Not that I take her concerns lightly. We were headed into the backcountry and at these temperatures you really don't want a mishap. You wouldn't want to break a leg or even twist an ankle. Skiing in the back country in the Rockies this time of year is a tricky thing. Some knowledge can make the difference between having a great time and not getting out alive.

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