In less than a month, international athletes will begin arriving at Mount Washington to prepare for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games on B.C.'s Lower Mainland.

And after they're gone, facilities, infrastructure and relationships will remain so that the Comox Valley can compete for international sporting events, encourage youngsters to enjoy the outdoors, support local athletes, and help sustain the local economy, say supporters.

"It's a huge legacy," said Susan Kelsey, chairwoman of the Comox Valley Spirit of B.C. Community Committee, and holder of a bronze medal in swimming from the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

She's hoping that once they're back home, visitors will spread the word about Vancouver Island. "We are going to make sure all their needs are met," she said yesterday.

Schedules are changeable and more teams may arrive, but currently, 23 teams representing 14 countries with their skis and snowboards are expected on Vancouver Island between Jan. 20 and Feb. 23, although arrival and departure dates vary.

Competitors in biathlon, skiing and snowboarding are among the international athletes who will be on Mount Washington's slopes. Sweden's biathlon, freestyle ski, ski cross, cross-country, and PGS (snowboard race) teams will be here.

Canada celebrated when Sweden announced in March 2008 that it had selected Mount Washington for its pre-Games training camps. Sweden is a "juggernaut team," said John Watson, executive director of the Comox Valley Economic Development Society.

Teams from France, Germany, the U.S., Russia, the Czech Republic, Finland, the Netherlands, Australia, China, Belarus, and, of course, Canada, are also among those expected.

About $4 million has been dedicated to facilities and infrastructure on Mount Washington and on provincial parkland for athletes and their support teams, anticipated to reach between 400 and 500, organizers said.

Funding and support have come from than 20 individuals, organizations, and various levels of government.

Sports facilities -- such as an automated biathlon target system -- and a stadium (similar to a large open space for starting and ending biathlons) are part of the Games legacy on Vancouver Island. The targeting system is one of only four in Canada, said Don Sharpe, director of operations for Mount Washington Alpine Resort and board member for the Vancouver Island Mountain Sports Society.

Nordic trails have been improved to meet international standards, he said.

A planned 743-square-metre, 40-bed Vancouver Island Mountain Sports Centre on Mount Washington will be a further legacy, for training, school trips, and future top-calibre sporting events. The non-profit Vancouver Island Mountain Sport Society is spearheading that project.

The Sports Centre will likely see ground broken in May and construction finished by the end of 2010, Sharpe said.

As Canada heads into the Olympics, visitors to Mount Washington might very well find themselves sharing a chairlift -- and literally "rubbing elbows" -- with a world-class athlete, said Brent Curtain, spokesman for Mount Washington Alpine Resort.

The biggest potential for the Comox Valley and the Island lies in attracting international media to showcase this area to the world, said the Economic Development Society's Watson, who is aiming for about six international-rights broadcasters. "I think that would be a huge success."

Media representatives are starting to line up trips to the Island. Nordic skiing is as popular in Europe as the National Hockey League is in North America, Watson said.

International visitors will make a direct economic impact when they fill hotel rooms, make purchases, take in sights and use local transportation. Chalets, lodges and hotel rooms have been reserved.

The past several years have led to relationships within the Olympic committee and sports federations that should help the area bid on future events, often planned over one to two decades, Watson said.

Watson and Sharpe estimate spending at approximately $4 million. After the Games wrap up, Watson said, an economic-impact report will be prepared and made public.

cjwilson@tc.canwest.com