On July 13, when the International Olympic Committee votes for the 2008 Summer Games host city, each of the five bid cities will have a chance to make a 45 minute presentation.
Although Toronto’s Olympic bid committee is keeping its plans secret, sources told the Toronto Star that TO-Bid’s presentation will feature a “sea of faces that reflect the city’s cosmopolitan nature, show the strength of the government’s commitment to the bid and showcase TO-Bid’s commitment to making the 2008 Summer Olympics the best Games ever for athletes”.
The presentation will open with native Canadians in full ceremonial dress, there will be speeches from Canadian Olympic athletes Sandra Levy and Marnie McBean, a talk by Bahadur Madhani, leader of a drive that saw more than 80,000 people sign up to act as volunteers should the Games be awarded to Toronto, and there will be comments from Canada’s Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Ontario Premier Mike Harris and Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman, aimed at demonstrating the public commitment to Toronto’s bid.
One bid official said, “we want to make this look like Sydney North. We want to tell the IOC that if they liked what they got in Australia in 2000, they’re going to love what they get in Canada in 2008”.
Toronto mayor Mel Lastman will speak about Toronto city council’s almost unanimous support for Toronto’s bid, (54-2); Prime Minister Jean Chretien, leader of Canada, whose first language is French will be a valuable asset; but according to the Star the most important person could well be Ontario Premier Mike Harris, who has pledged that Ontario taxpayers would pick up any deficits that might occur if Toronto wins.
Meanwhile, at a press conference in Paris, TO-Bid chief operating officer Bob Richardson was asked about the differences between the countries bidding for 2008.
Richardson said, “I told them that we have stayed away from politics and that we are focused on the athletes. But I did say that, like France, Canada has long-standing support for human rights, for free speech and for a free press”.
“I indicated to the reporters that if they come to Toronto in 2008, they can write what they want, travel where they want and take pictures of whatever they want,” he said.
