Contrary to rumours going around town, no decisions have been made regarding an athletes’ village or transportation systems for the 2010 Olympic bid.
"All options are still open. We haven’t eliminated anything," Don Calder, chief executive officer of the bid corporation, said Tuesday.
Calder was in town with other members of the bid corporation for the opening of the bid’s community office. The office, which will be open Wednesdays and Thursdays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., is located next to the library and museum. It is intended to be a place for the public to access information about the bid and facilitate communication between the bid corporation and the community. Debbie Smythe has been hired to co-ordinate community relations and volunteer activities from the office.
Fireside chats will also be held at the office on a regular basis, starting with a session on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m., hosted by Steve Podborski.
Calder said the venues for the Olympic snow sports events at Whistler are technically as good as any site in the world. But transportation and accommodation are going to be the issues for the bid.
The original concept for the bid was that the athletes’ village would be in the Delta and Westin hotels at the base of Whistler Mountain. Calder admitted that is looking less likely now, due to a change in ownership of the Delta and the fact that no binding agreement with the two hotels was signed. However, he said the bid corporation is very aware of Whistler’s requirement that the bid conform with the official community plan.
"We’re re-examining all the elements of the original bid, updating our numbers based on what they expect for Salt Lake City," Calder said.
That includes counting the athletes at the ice events, which will be held in Vancouver, and the snow events, which will be held in Whistler. That will help the bid committee get a handle on what the accommodation numbers and capacity figures will need to be for Whistler.
"The snow events tend to be a series of individual events, on different days," Calder said. Once an athlete has finished his or her events they may return to Vancouver. By contrast, some of the ice events are team events and may require several heats or rounds of qualification over a number of days.
"We have to figure out the peak days for accommodation and transportation, and we’re working those numbers out now."
Calder noted that there will be accommodation in Vancouver for all athletes at the Games, so they can take part in the opening and closing ceremonies, but athletes that compete at altitude expect to be able to stay in accommodation close to that altitude.
As for transportation, Calder said rail has not been eliminated as an option.
"A very hard look is being taken at rail," Calder said. "The availability of rolling stock, passenger cars, is going to be an issue, and improvements in the rail line right-of-way have yet to be determined."
There are sections of the B.C. Rail line which would have to be straightened, which may involve some tunnelling, if rail is to be part of the transportation solution. As well, some sections may have to be double-tracked to facilitate passenger and freight traffic.
Whistler Mayor Hugh O’Reilly said with Whistler adopting a set of principles to guide its participation in the bid, including adhering to its official community plan, "It allows the creative juices to flow, to see if we can make it happen.
"We’re not going to pre-determine the outcome, because we don’t know if we can do it. But I’m very pleased we’re doing this on our terms," O’Reilly said.
"Sometimes the message we send is as important as winning. We may send a message we can’t do it on our terms."
O’Reilly added he has grown lot more comfortable with the bid corporation board and their understanding of Whistler’s position.
"I’ve seen a big transition in the last year," he said.
Terry Wright, who has been hired as general manager of bid development, is one of the people O’Reilly has been impressed by. Wright held a similar position with the Commonwealth Games Victoria hosted in 1994.
Wright made a presentation to Whistler council Monday night, updating members on the bid, including the working groups which have been formed to deal with issues such as accommodation, security, mountain venues, the Callaghan Valley, the environment and the international sport centre. Each work group has local representation.
"We don’t underestimate these challenges," Wright said. "This community has a clear vision of where it wants to go… Solving these issues and keeping with the community plan is a big challenge. I look forward to it."
Wright also told council that a major announcement regarding corporate support will be made in March, and the bid corporation should have secured two-thirds of the funds it needs for the bid by that point.
Under revised timelines announced by the International Olympic Committee, an IOC questionnaire is now due in June of 2002, rather than December, 2001, and the bid book is now due in mid-January, 2003.
Wright also reported that FIS executives visiting during the recent World Freestyle Ski Championships came away very impressed by the organization, the facilities and Whistler.
