On 12 February, flames from the Olympic torch will light up the Olympic Stadium in the city of Vancouver in Canada, for the 21st Winter Olympic Games.

The Winter Olympics began in 1924, and like the Summer Olympics, happen every four years. The modern games are based on Olympic Games that took place in ancient Greece almost 2,800 years ago.

All sports ar the winter Olympic Games take place on ice or snow.
Can you name the seven main sports?
Find out about the Olympic sports

The Mascots

The Olympic mascots of Vancouver are Sumi, Quatchi, and Miga

Sumi — An animal guardian spirit who wears the hat of the orca whale, flies with the wings of the mighty Thunderbird and runs on the strong furry legs of the black bear.

Quatchi — A sasquatch.

Miga — A mythical sea bear, part orca and part kermode bear.

Miga and Quatchi are mascots for the Olympic Games, while Sumi is the mascot for the Paralympic Games.

Can you name the symbols of the Olympic Games?
Find out about the symbols

Quick Facts

The Olympic Games took their name from the Greek city of Olympia in honour of the Greek God, Zeus.

The French town of Chamonix in the Haute-Savoie hosted the first Olympic Winter Games in 1924.

The last Winter Olympics was in 2006 in Turin (Torino), Italy.

The next winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia in 2014.