One would assume that with New York bidding for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and an Olympic Games in North America two years apart very unlikely, Americans would hope that Vancouver would lose its bid for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
But four U.S. states near British Columbia have all passed resolutions endorsing Vancouver’s 2010 bid. They are Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska.
The reason? The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reports the four states want the Games on the West Coast because they believe a jump in tourism will boost the entire area’s economy by several hundred million dollars.
Washington State Representative Jeff Morris said, “we have a lot of what we call ‘circle tourism’ in the region”. He said that people may land in Vancouver but they quickly travel to other nearby destinations.
Some American politicians in the Pacific Northwest are solidly behind B.C. saying that it’s not about loyalty to a country but rather to a region’s economy.
Morris adds, “the reality is that the Vancouver Olympics would have a huge impact here economically. The New York Olympics would not be a blip on our radar screen”.
