Vancouver 2010 countdown marred by protests, arrests

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb 13 (Reuters) Protests and arrests marked the start of the official three-year countdown to the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympics.

While Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) officials unveiled a giant clock that will count down to the February 12, 2010 Games opening, a man ran on to the stage shouting obscenities and protesters hurled eggs and paint-filled balloons yesterday.

The protests were organised by Vancouver community activists who believe the Games are forcing the city's poor on to the streets as low-cost housing gives way to new Olympic developments.

A vocal group of protesters waved signs saying ''Housing Before Games'' and ''Stop to Clock'' throughout the ceremony.

''The Olympics are funnelling millions and millions of dollars into the Olympics for a two-week party,'' protester Mary Claremont told the Vancouver Sun. ''We oppose that because there are thousands of people dying in the streets due to HIV/AIDS, due to homelessness and poverty.'' ''We want people to be able to live comfortably and not to be poor and not to be homeless.'' REUTERS SAM HS0950