• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, January 15, 2010

Yahoo doesn't plan to be left out in the cold when it comes to capitalizing on the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In addition to launching dedicated Web and mobile sites for the Games, Yahoo is setting up an entertainment center in the host city to run promotions and events.

The Olympic site from Yahoo Sports features extensive coverage of the event led by writers Dan Wetzel, Charles Robinson, and Martin Rogers. Yahoo has also lined up a team of ex-Olympians as contributors including 1998 figure skating silver medalist Elvis Stojko and 1996 gold-medal gymnast Dominique Dawes.

The latter will host a daily video recap of top stories and preview upcoming Olympic events. Yahoo will also have its own custom-built studio in Vancouver.

Other specialized content will include "Fourth-Place Medal," an Olympics blog authored by Yahoo Sports editors Chris Chase and Greg Wyshynski.

The mobile site, which debuts February 9, will provide the latest Olympics news, including medal counts, live results and athlete profiles.

Through its "Fancouver" entertainment center, Yahoo will offer Olympics visitors a free Wi-Fi lounge, photo booth, live video streaming "fan-cam" and games and giveaways. Yahoo is also running a sweepstakes in which fans starting Jan. 25 can submit their favorite winter sports photos for a chance to win prizes ranging from digital cameras to a trip to the U.S. Freestyle Skiing Championship at Squaw Valley, Calif. in March.

Acura is co-sponsoring the Olympic site, while Visa is sponsoring the medal count, athlete pages and mobile coverage as well as offering discounts in the Yahoo Sports Store.

Yahoo isn't the only Web portal providing coverage of the Vancouver Olympics. With its longstanding ties to Winter Olympics broadcaster NBC Universal, MSN has claimed the title of "official U.S. online home of the 2010 Winter Olympics." Following up their partnership on the Beijing Olympics last summer, the two have again launched NBCOlympics.com on MSN, promising live video streaming and more than 1,000 hours of on-demand coverage courtesy of Microsoft's Silverlight media player.

The Silverlight player also offers related data including results, statistics, bios, and rules.