74 Days

Engineers at the University at Calgary have invented a tracking mechanism for the Canadian ski team that uses GPS to help correct any mistakes the skiers make as they race down a course. A sensor placed on the skier can track speed and position, with results that can then be read on a monitor. Since ski races can be won or lost by such small increments of time, any slight correction can make a huge difference. The 2010 Canadian ski team is hoping this helps come the Olympics in February. This certainly seems to give the Canadians an edge and it'll be interesting to see how the International Olympic Committee reacts to new technology like this.

There was a 74 year gap from the time Curling was first included in the Winter Olympics in 1924 until it was played again, this time as an official sport in 1998, in Nagano, Japan. In 1924, curling was played as a demonstration sport, but in 2006, the I.O.C. retroactively made the 1924 competition an official event and awarded medals to the winning countries.

A total of 74 men and 74 women will compete in the figure skating events at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. There are 30 spots available in both the mens and ladies fields, 20 spots for pairs and 24 spots in the ice dance event. Each country is given 1 to 3 spots based on how their athletes performed at the previous World Championships, and then the remainder of spots are up for grabs in other Olympic qualifiers. Each country determines which skaters to send based on their National Championships and how well their athletes have performed over the season.