OTTAWA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The competition schedules for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were released Saturday, after it was approved by the International Olympic Committee in China.

    The events will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12-28, 2010.

    The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) said the release of the schedules comes just two months before tickets to the Olympic Winter games go on sale to the public on October 3.

    "This is a major milestone we can share with our sport and broadcast partners who worked closely with us to develop a balanced Games schedule that satisfies the respective International Sport Federations (Ifs), television audiences around the world and spectators who will attend the Games," said Cathy Priestner Allinger, VANOC's executive vice president, Sport and Games Operations.

    "As with all Games, the schedule will maintain a degree of flexibility in timing," she said.

    Some highlights include, the Opening Ceremony at 6:00 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2010 The final sport event of the Olympic Winter Games, the men's gold medal hockey game on Feb. 28, at 12.15 p.m. in General Motors Place in Vancouver.

    The first Paralympic sport event will be on March 13, when the men's and women's alpine skiing competitions begin at 9.30 am at Whistler Creekside.

    The final Paralympic sport event will be on March 21, when the men's and women's one-kilometer sprint finals in cross-country skiing take place at 12:00 pm at Whistler Paralympic Park.