CSC Pacific Billet Program Athlete & Coach FAQs

Who is eligible to refer Guests?
To be an eligible athlete who can refer a Guest, a person must be a Canadian team athlete competing in the Games, as verified by the Canadian Olympic Committee (the “COC”), the Canadian Paralympic Committee (the “CPC”), or the athlete’s National Sport Federation (“NSF”).

To be an eligible coach who can refer a Guest, a person must be a technical coach (i.e. event or head coach) for the Canadian team (that is a technical coach who is a member of the Canadian Olympic or Paralympic team) competing in the Games, as verified by the COC, the CPC, or the coach’s NSF.

Who can I refer as a Guest?
To be an athlete’s Guest, a person must be an eligible family member of an eligible athlete, including a parent, sibling, spouse, partner, child, boy/girl friend, or another relative who may be crucial to the eligible athlete’s success. Close friends who are regarded as critical members of an athlete’s support team will be considered, but are subject to NSF approval. All Guests under the age of 19 must be accompanied by an adult.

Family members of Canadian athletes should note that they may also have an opportunity to participate in the Petro-Canada Canadian Athlete Family Program. Canadian athletes should contact the COC or the CPC for information regarding that program. Those who choose to participate in the Petro-Canada Canadian Athlete Family Program may also participate in the CSC Pacific Billet Program.

To be a coach’s Guest, a person must be an eligible family member of an eligible coach, including a spouse, partner, or child. All Guests under the age of 19 must be accompanied by an adult. Upon request of the coach, another family member, including a parent, sibling, or mother or father-in-law, may be substituted for a spouse or partner to accompany children.

What am I responsible for?
As an athlete or coach, you are responsible for completing the Athlete/Coach Referral Form by October 16, 2009. Your completed Referral Form will reviewed by your NSF and/or the COC or CPC and the CSC Pacific Billet Program Coordinator for approval.

Your Guest is responsible for completing the Guest Application Form by October 16, 2009. Guests and Hosts will be matched when both the Guest Application Form and Athlete/Coach Referral Form have been received by Program staff.

Applications and Referrals received after October 16, 2009 will be accepted and handled if there are still Host families available.

If circumstances permit, making time to thank the Host in person would be an ideal means of showing your appreciation. Please note that this is a recommendation and not a Program requirement.

How much will it cost my Guests to participate in the Program?
There is no cost to participate in the CSC Pacific Billet program. Guests of the Program will be matched with Host families who have volunteered to provide complimentary accommodation, as well as daily breakfast throughout the Games. All expenses other than the complimentary accommodation and breakfast, including travel, ground transportation, meals, gifts, souvenirs, tickets, etc., will be the responsibility of the Guest.

We would like to remind Guests of the Program that they are being welcomed into a family’s home, free of charge. Although it is not required, we do recommend Guests bring a small gift for their Hosts as a token of their appreciation.

Will I be expected to meet with the Host during the Games?
Hosts understand that the Olympic and Paralympic Games are a very hectic and demanding time for athletes and coaches. However, if circumstances permit, making time to thank the Hosts in person would be an ideal means of showing your appreciation. Please note that this is a recommendation, and not a Program requirement.

I won’t know if I’ve made the 2010 Canadian Olympic or Paralympic Team until two or three weeks before the Games. Should I still apply?
Yes. We encourage athletes and coaches who may be named to the Canadian Team to refer their Guests to the Program before October 16, 2009, so we may tentatively match them with a Host. The match will be confirmed once you have been named to the team. CSC Pacific must receive the corresponding Guest Application Form before matching the referred Guests with a Host.

Please note that completing a Referral Form is not a guarantee that your Guests will be matched with a Host.

What if I’m not selected to the 2010 Canadian Olympic or Paralympic Team?
If you and your Guests are still interested in attending the Games and Host accommodations are available, best efforts will be made to accommodate your request, pending NSF and COC or CPC approval.

Where will my Guests be located?
All Guests will be matched with Hosts living in the Metro Vancouver area. If you are unfamiliar with this area in relation to the venues, the following webpage may be of assistance: http://www.vancouver2010.com/dl/00/54/73/-/54738/prop=data/9a2jze/54738.pdf.

Please note: the CSC Pacific Billet Program will not be providing accommodation in the Sea-to-Sky corridor (Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton).

Are there Hosts available in Whistler?
No. The CSC Pacific Billet Program will not be providing accommodation in the Sea to Sky corridor (Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton). Transit information to these areas will bee available closer to Games time.

Please refer to www.vancouver2010.com for the most up-to-date information regarding transit between Vancouver and Whistler.

If my Guests are staying in Vancouver, how will they get to Whistler?
The Olympic Bus Network is linked to park-and-ride locations throughout Metro Vancouver and will move spectators with valid event tickets to Whistler venues for a small charge, called a fulfillment fee. Movement between Vancouver and Whistler may be limited for those without event tickets.

For the most up-to-date information on transportation, please refer to www.vancouver2010.com

How long can my Guests stay?
Hosts are required to provide accommodation for eight days during the Games-time period. For the Guests of athletes and coaches who are competing over longer periods of time (more then eight days), best efforts will be made to secure accommodation for the duration of the competition schedule. To accommodate this type of request, these Guests may be matched with a Host that is further away from their coach or athlete’s venue and/or public transportation.

What if I will be competing for more than 8 days?
Best efforts will be made to secure Guest accommodation for the duration of your competition schedule. To accommodate this type of request, these Guests may be matched with a Host that is further away from their coach or athlete’s venue and/or public transportation.

How will my Guests get around during the Games?
Hosts will direct or assist Guests to the nearest public transit point each day of their stay. Public transit will be the most convenient, affordable, accessible and quickest way to move around during the Games. Further information about Games-time transportation can be found online at: http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/spectator-information/coming-to-vancouver-2010/transportation/-/34172/17n7udz/index.html or: http://www.translink.ca/en/Utilities/Olympics.aspx.

Two of my Guests will be taking part in the Petro-Canada Canadian Athlete Family Program. Can my Guests apply for accommodation with this Program either before or following their stay with Petro-Canada?
Yes. Please ask your Guests to note their involvement in the Petro-Canada Canadian Athlete Family Program on their Guest Application Form. We will work with representatives from the Petro-Canada Program to facilitate a smooth transition between programs for your Guests.

There are more than four people who are critical to my performance at the Games. Can you make any exceptions for the number of Guests I’m allowed to refer?
Additional requests will be considered, but CSC Pacific cannot guarantee that the Program will be able to fulfill requests of this nature.

My sport is not an OTP 2010 targeted sport. Can I still refer Guests?
Yes. This program was designed to enhance the performance of all Canadian athletes. Best efforts will be made to secure accommodation for all Guests. However, if there is a shortage of Hosts, accommodation will be allocated according to the OTP 2010 tiering system.

I’m having trouble submitting my form. What do I do?

For online email users (Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Gmail, etc.):
Once you are satisfied with the information you have entered into the application form, click the submit button at the bottom of the form.

If you have missed a required field (highlighted in red), you will receive a message informing you of this.

Once all required fields have been completed, you will be prompted to enter your name and email address. After entering this information, click on the send button.

Next, choose the “Internet Email” option and proceed. You will be asked to save the application to your computer. Be sure to save this file to a location on your computer that can be easily accessed.

Proceed to your online email account and compose a new email message. In the “To:” field, enter billet@cscpacific.ca, with the subject; “CSC Pacific Billet Program Application Form”. Once this has been completed, you will need to attach the completed application form (which you saved to your computer earlier) to this email. For instructions on how to attach a document to an email, please visit http://www.ehow.com/how_2194722_attach-file-email.html.

After you have filled in the correct “To:” address, the subject line, and attached the application form, hit send. You can ensure that your email has been sent successfully by checking your sent messages folder.

Once the CSC Pacific Billet Program has received your submitted form, the Program Coordinator will send you a receipt of application email.

If you continue to experience technical difficulties during this process, please contact the program coordinator at billet@cscpacific.ca or 604.333.3515.

For desktop email users (Microsoft Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook, etc.):
Once you are satisfied with the information you have entered into the application form, click the submit button at the bottom of the form.

If you have missed a required field (highlighted in red), you will receive a message informing you of this.

Once all required fields have been completed, you will be prompted to enter your name and email address. After entering this information, click the send button.

Next, choose the “Desktop Email Application” option and click OK. A new message window will appear. Simply click send, and your job is complete.

You can ensure that your email has been sent successfully by checking your sent messages folder.

Once the CSC Pacific Billet Program has received your submitted form, the Program Coordinator will send you a receipt of application email.

If you continue to experience issues during this process, please contact the program coordinator at billet@cscpacific.ca or 604.333.3515.

How will I know if my application has been sent/received?
If you are concerned that your email was not sent properly, simply check the sent messages folder of your email program. If the email appears, it has been sent. If not, try to repeat the process again. Once the CSC Pacific Billet Program has received your submitted form, the Program Coordinator will send you a receipt of application email.

If you continue to experience issues during this process, please contact the program coordinator at billet@cscpacific.ca or 604.333.3515.