The Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver will welcome about 2500 athletes from around the world for the opening ceremony on February 12 2010.

But if financial concerns and the lack of snow have dampened the glitter of the event, organisers will do their best to redirect the focus on the event itself. 

And yet, even before the Olympics have started more than 30 competitors have already been disqualified after testing positive for forbidden substances. 

"Those athletes will not be coming to Vancouver because they tested positive for doping" John Fahey, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was quoted as saying  on February 11 2010 at a media conference held in Vancouver.

Fahey said he felt assured that the efforts of anti-doping organisations in the lead-up to the event, coupled with the measures implemented by the International Olympic Committee during the Games, would help protect the integrity of the competitions.

The Winter Olympics opening ceremony will be shown live on Bulgarian National Television (BNT) at 4am on February 13, and will be repeated again at 2.40pm the same day.

Prior to that, on February 12, BNT will air live a Vancouver run-up to the games at 7pm.

For the duration of the games, events will be shown both live and recordings on BNT and Eurosport Bulgaria. 

Meanwhile, Bulgaria's snowboarding hope Alexandra Zhekova, who was also chosen as the Bulgarian delegation's flag-bearer for the opening ceremony, finally made her first training run on the slopes of Cypress Mountain on February 12, Bulgarian website sportal.bg reported. 

Until now she was unable to train because of a "lack of snow", sportal said.