Vancouver 2010

January 11 2010 by Bryson Forbes

inukshuk-winter-olympics-wr.jpgOn July 2, 2003 (nearly 24,000 days ago!) the International Olympic Committee chose Vancouver as the host city for the XXI (21st) Winter Olympics. Since then, countless hours of blood, sweat and tears from more than 25,000 volunteers have gone into preparation for the world's biggest winter sporting event.

My Dad and I dropped in on Vancouver eager to see what changes have been made and how things are progressing to get ready for the Games. We checked into the Best Western Downtown Vancouver, a beautiful 143-room property which is one of five Best Westerns in the Vancouver area. After a quick workout in a panoramic fitness centre with a great view, we set out on foot to hit trendy "Yaletown" (only a five minute walk away) and both noticed two things immediately. For starters, the number of cranes that have been a staple on the Vancouver skyline have disappeared. It definitely gave us a sense of being in a more established city. Secondly, the city is clean. The streets, sidewalks and buildings all seemed very tidy and well kept.

During our stay, we informally polled a number of locals about all things Olympics and here are the top three things we learned:

  1. People are proud to host the event. We remarked at how everyone was excited and proud to showcase the area to the world. There's a palpable buzz in the city and it appears the Olympics has been a truly unifying force.

  2. People outside BC are more concerned about how much the event will cost. The original budget to host the Games, which was set in 2004 and pegged at $1.354 billion, was recently revised to $1.76 billion. Taxpayers are on the hook for $580 million and the biggest increase is for security which has grown to five times the original estimate!

  3. People want Canadian athletes to perform well. This marks the third time Canada will host the Olympics, following 1976 in Montreal and 1988 in Calgary. Astonishingly, a Canadian athlete has yet to win a single gold medal on home soil, and this is an angle that much of the marketing has pushed to change this year.


Which event do you feel we stand the best chance to win our first gold medal on home soil?

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