Liquor stores in downtown Vancouver were forced to close their doors at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The Vancouver Police Department asked the B.C. Liquor Control and Licensing Branch to order the early closings in an effort to curb the open consumption of liquor and public intoxication.
"The Olympic fans aren't a problem for us, it's those who are coming into the city exclusively to get drunk." said Const. Jana McGuinness in a statement.
"The strategy behind this is to stop the supply of alcohol to the streets. We are seeing people replenishing their stock at nearby liquor stores and then openly consuming the liquor in the streets."
It remains to be seen whether early store closures will continue for the duration of the Games.
"This is a temporary measure and must be reassessed on a day by day basis," McGuinness told ctvbc.ca.
Premier Gordon Campbell told CTV News Saturday night that early closings were necessary.
"There's a huge number of people downtown and we have to make sure everything goes well for everyone," he said.
"I think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
One liquor store owner told CTV News that the bulk of his business is from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
"I think it's going to be devastating to my business," said Mike Jahnke, owner of Jimmy's Cold Beer and Wine on Homer Street.
Jahnke said it's unfair that the order only applies to licensed retail stores like his and not to other businesses, such as pubs with off-sale liquor.
"We are definitely being singled out," he said.
Downtown liquor store managers said they received notices from the province in writing and were visited by Vancouver police, as well.
About 150,000 people were out on downtown streets Friday night following Jon Montgomery's win in the men's skeleton event, police have said.
Many of the revelers were drunk, and some of them continued to openly drink liquor outdoors – a ticketable offence that carries a $230 fine.
