Shortly before leaving Vancouver Thursday following the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) evaluation commission’s inspection of Vancouver’s bid for the 2010 Games, commission head Gerhard Heiberg held a media scrum outside the Pan Pacific Hotel Thursday.
With only a couple of reporters present, Heiberg said that the evaluation commission was very positive about Vancouver’s bid, “although I don’t think it was reflected enough in the press. I even show it by wearing this (pin)”. He added, “you have an excellent bid, no question about it”.
As for the challenges, Heiberg said he calls them “challenges, not “problems”, “of course they can be overcome”.
He said because of the importance of the evaluation commission people know that they really have to work hard and prepare hard to make the right impressions. “Here, we have an excellent group of very good people working well together and that’s strength”.
When asked if Pyeongchang 2010, which has already been evaluated, had a similar type of organization, Heiberg said, “I will not start comparing now. I will do that at a later stage”.
The IOC Commission is off to Salzburg Austria next week for a five-day inspection of its 2010 bid.
