There are four days to go before the world”s athletes take to the slopes and rinks at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, but the world”s artists are already drawing crowds to the Cultural Olympiad, which opened January 22 and runs to March 21.

The International Olympic Committee designates culture as one of the three pillars of the Olympic Games, along with sports and the environment. The cultural component was instituted when the first modern Olympics were founded in 1894 as a means of promoting peace and understanding among nations. For a time, beginning in 1912, artists were awarded medals for works created for the games. Since the 1950s, however, the Olympiad has followed a festival format.

Program director Robert Kerr has brought in more than 500 artists from 22 countries. Among the highlights is Red Sky”s Tono, seen at last year”s Luminato festival in Toronto, which combines the music, movement and throat singing of the indigenous peoples of Mongolia, North America and China. It runs Feb. 11-14 at the Vancouver Playhouse.