It might be the home stretch for Toronto’s 2008 Olympic bid, but should the city lose, there’s another Canadian city waiting to to make its mark.
Vancouver-Whister is bidding for the 2010 Winter Games, and because of an Agreement with Toronto, it has been quietly listening and learning from Toronto’s 2008 bid.
Marion Lay, chair of the Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Bid Corp. said, “we’ve tried to learn what we can. They have been sharing with our bid basically any information we have asked for. Part of it has been looking at those things they feel they have done well and those things they would have liked to have done differently”.
If Toronto fails to land the Games on July 13, Vancouver-Whistler can begin working on its estimated $23-million bid. But should Toronto be successful, Vancouver-Whistler can decide if they want to go ahead with a full-blown bid attempt, knowing many in the IOC might be reluctant to host back-to-back Games in the same country, or make a reduced effort with the goal of laying the groundwork for landing the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Lay said, “we’ll have to consider in what format we’ll go ahead. It’s whether or not we’re going to go with a researching bid or are we going to go full force”.
Should Vancouver-Whistler go ahead with it’s bid, it has learned some important lessons from Toronto. It’s bid should make athletes an intricate part of the process, seek their opinions and involve them in strategy committees. “That has made their bid technically, and from the athletes’ point of view, one of the best bids out there”, said Lay.
Vancouver should establish a secretariat so the various government departments have a mechanism to respond. Lay said it was important to find an effective way to communicate with federal, provincial and municipal agencies, ranging from security to transportation, accommodation, health and immigration.
The bid should explain how the Olympics will benefit the community, especially low-income and disadvantaged groups.
And Vancouver should develop relationships with IOC voting members. It’s important for the bid committee to explain to IOC delegates why bringing the Games to Vancouver-Whistler will leave a sports legacy that will benefit both Canada and the Olympic movement in general, said Lay.
