Plastics on display at 2010 Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver are on, and the focus of much of the world’s attention is turned understandably towards the athletes (and the unpredictable weather, too).

By comparison, the role of plastics in many aspects of the games hasn’t received much notice. But as Mark Badger, president and CEO of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) points out, if you take a closer look at the venues and athletic performances, you’ll discover that plastics is helping to make the 2010 Winter Games possible.

”From helmets and jerseys to the plumbing system of the Athletes’ Village, from skis, skates and bobsleighs to ‘ag bags’ for composting, from speed suits to the ‘green’ roof on the convention and exhibition centre – plastics are playing a major role,” he noted.

Even the quickest checklist of plastics applications at the 2010 Winter Games, Badger continued, would include a wide variety: high density polyethylene hockey pads, high impact-resistant helmets made of composite plastic lined with plastic foam core padding, goalie facemasks made from kevlar, goal netting made from nylon mesh, plexiglass windows around the hockey rink; more than three million board feet of energy-saving Styrofoam extruded polystyrene foam insulation materials manufactured by Dow Chemical Canada used in the roof of the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre; bobsleighs with fiberglass cowlings on steel frames; and plastics piping making up the plumbing system at the Athletes Village.

“As Canadians, we can be proud of the innovations our industry has brought to the 2010 Olympics,” Badger said. “Today’s intelligent plastics are vital to the modern world. These materials enhance our lifestyles, our economy and the environment.”