2009 $75 GOLD COIN - OLYMPIC SPIRIT

Citius...Altius...Fortius
(Faster...Higher...Stronger)

These three words, comprising the motto of the Olympic movement, encourage the athlete in all of us to give our best during competition, and to view this effort as its own victory.

The Olympic Games have a 3,000 year history of bringing people together to give their best in competition.  The Winter Games are the cold-weather complement to the original Olympic Summer Games.  Held every four years, the Olympic Winter Games feature winter sports, all of which are held on ice or snow.

The move toward a winter version of the Olympic Games began in 1908 when figure skating made an appearance at the Summer Games in London, but the International Olympic Committee did not sanction a separate Olympic Winter Games until 1924 which was held at Chamonix, France.  The 11-day event was a huge success and included nordic skiing, speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey and bobsledding.

The only Olympic Winter Games held in Canada was in 1988, in the city of Calgary, Alberta.  In 2010, Canada will proudly host the XXI Olympic Winter Games, this time in Vancouver, British Columbia -- let the Games begin!