“It’s our turn”, says Jack Poole, the president and chief executive officer of the Vancouver-Whistler 2010 bid corporation.
Poole told the Toronto Star, “we have a very fair shot at this. We’re not overconfident by any means, but we feel pretty well positioned here to compete”.
And Vancouver-Whistler officials will be able to pitch it’s bid for the 2010 Winter Games to IOC officials and through the media at the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Games.
But Vancouver-Whistler, the only bid from North America, will have to compete against Berne, Switzerland; Salzburg, Austria and Muju, South Korea. And there may be other cities submitting bids.
According to the Toronto Star, Vancouver-Whistler may have to face its toughest challenges at home. Staging the Games is projected to cost $1.2 billion for everything from feeding the athletes to refrigerating the arena. Revenues are pegged at $1.5 billion for broadcast rights, tickets, merchandise and sponsorship and $250 million is needed to build necessary facilities such as a speed-skating oval, curling rink, cross-country ski course, another hockey rink and a bobsled and luge run, as well as athletes’ villages.
And after the Sept. 11 attacks, more money will be budgeted for security.
Major infrastructure improvements are needed, including widening the highway between Vancouver and Whistler, and expanding the city’s convention centre.
Prime Minister Chretien endorsed Vancouver-Whistler’s bid but unlike his moral and financial commitment to Toronto’s failed 2008 bid, he didn’t offer any money, telling reporters “now is not the time to fight over dollars and cents. We’re together and the money will be there”. But the IOC will want proof of a financial commitment by the time the final bids are made.
Although the B.C. government strongly endorsed the bid in its inaugural throne speech in July, it was before the U.S.-Canada softwood lumber dispute caused many sawmills in B.C. to close forcing lay-offs of thousands of workers in the lumber industry; and the Sept. 11 attacks providing a blow to the tourist industry, further damaging the frail economy.
Also, the B.C. government announced that as many as 11,500 civil-service jobs – up to one-third of the workforce – will be cut over the next three years.
But according to the newspaper, Poole says, given the potential for jobs, tax revenues, tourism exposure and the construction of infrastructure, he’s confident specific government commitments will be there before bids are short-listed next fall.
“This is a return-on-investment project for both levels of government. They’ll be a fairly early payback. At times like this, when the economy is struggling, that is absolutely the time for a bold initiative like this”.
