Tuesday afternoon the Vancouver 2010 bid committee released its bid book – a three-volume set that covers 18 themes and answers 200 questions posed by the International Olympic Committee.
The bid book covers a variety of topics, including plans for sport venues, Olympic Villages, accommodation, security, medical and health services, media facilities, technology, transportation and culture.
According to the bid book the final operating costs of the Games will be $1.3 billion, with another $620 million to be spent on venues.
The bid book reveals that construction will start in May 2004 on a three- and four-lane upgrade of the Sea-to-Sky Highway from Vancouver to Whistler.
Bid spokesman Sam Corea says the book outlines “expenses that are the actual Games operating budget and the sport venue budget for capital construction”.
But Corea noted that the Vancouver-Whistler highway upgrade, called the “Achilles heel” of Vancouver’s bid, is not part of the budget. He says, “there is a mention of the Sea-to-Sky Highway as a non-organizing-committee cost”.
The federal and provincial governments have promised to split the costs of building new venues such as:
– $65 million US for a Nordic centre at Whistler for cross-country skiing, ski jumping and Nordic combined.
– $35 million US for a bobsled and skeleton track in Whistler.
– $44 million US for a speed skating oval at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.
– $26 million US for a ice hockey facility at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
– A $14-million curling facility in Vancouver.
Visitors to the Games will rely on buses and passenger ferries to travel between the two cities.
A planning group is being created to cover security for the Games. The RCMP will be involved, along with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Vancouver Police and the military.
The book reveals the most recent Ipsos-Reid public opinion poll that shows 80% of Canadians and only 62% of Vancouverites support the bid.
John Furlong, president and chief operating officer for the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation said “the bid book is the embodiment of the more than three years of hard work and vision by more than 30 working groups and numerous bid staff and volunteers. We believe it to be a strong technical bid and we hope one of the most innovative the IOC will have ever received for a Winter Games. It sets out our commitments to sport and community legacies, as well as our focus on the principles of sustainability and inclusivity”.
You can view the entire bid book at www.Winter2010.com.
