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First Person: Gerhard Heiberg

The head of the IOC’s marketing committee offers his perspective on the 2010 Games
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Gerhard Heiberg knows a thing or two about how to host a Winter Olympics. He organized and chaired the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics and he has helped evaluate the bids for several Winter Games, including Vancouver’s, for the International Olympic Committee.

He joined the IOC shortly after the Lillehammer Olympics, despite initial concerns about the IOC’s integrity.

Born in Norway, he has degrees in economics and business administration, and since 2001 he has led the IOC’s marketing committee.

Heiberg was in Vancouver and Whistler last week to evaluate how the organizing committee for the 2010 Winter Games is progressing as it moves closer and closer to the Games.

Pique’s Clare Ogilvie sat down with the avid winter sportsman during his visit to Whistler, which also included an update tour of the venues.

Pique: Why did you decide to visit Whistler at this point in the preparations for the Games?

Heiberg : (At the time of Vancouver’s) original bid I was chairman of (the IOC’s) evaluation commission and I felt that Vancouver was absolutely the best city and I had been to Vancouver a couple of times. But now I said to John Furlong (CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Games) I would like to go and see whether you have kept all the promises you gave during the bid.

And I wanted to talk to the people (organizing the Games) since I have been an organizer myself.

I especially wanted to visit the Callaghan Valley because there was absolutely nothing there when I first came and I was thinking can this be possible, to build this Nordic centre. I had some meetings with the First Nations at the time and they were opposed to this and they told me this was impossible and… that we should not do anything in the Callaghan Valley.

But I felt it was a fantastic opportunity and I wanted to see what came out of this. Today I was there and I was really impressed and I feel you have done an incredibly good job. And also on the environmental side it was fantastic, so I felt reassured that the decision (to support Vancouver’s bid) was right at the time.

Pique: Take us back to that vote in Prague in July 2003 when Vancouver won the 2010 Games. What was it like?

Heiberg : It is not easy for the IOC members because a lot of them do not vote with their heads but with their hearts. At that time I felt Vancouver had the best concept and that Vancouver should win and I was surprised that Pyeongchang, South Korea, got so many votes. But Vancouver won and it doesn’t matter whether you win by one vote or 20 votes, so I was very happy with the result and felt that was the right decision.

Pique: What are you telling VANOC and Olympic communities about what they should be preparing for now?

Heiberg : One thing people do not understand is the dimension of this. You have the attention of the whole world whether you like it or not, so you have to prepare for this.

A lot of people feel at (Games) time that, my goodness this is so big how can we do this? You will have between three and three and a half billion people watching the opening ceremonies so the only way you can handle this is with team work. Nobody can do this alone. You need a team to stick together to help and support each other because there will be difficulties, and since the dimensions are so big this is a challenge.

Pique: Look back to Lillehammer and share with us some of the lessons you learned.

Heiberg : One thing is, of course, that many people can’t get used to the critical eyes of the media. They should be critical, but many people feel (Games preparations are) going the right way and there is nothing to criticize. This balance is in many ways the ultimate challenge and the answer, of course, is that you have to stick together and work as a team and see to it that you do as you promised. You have to live with the critical media. In democracies like Canada and Norway that is for the good.

The Games are so big for a country and there is so much money involved, and it is public funds so you need the critical eyes (on the organizing committee) so that you don’t take any shortcuts. You may have to defend the budgets and you may have to defend things on the environmental side so you have to take this into consideration and you have to be prepared to stand up when rightly criticized and say sorry, or it is not like that, and come up with an explanation.

Pique: There have been many stories in the media about VANOC using money from its contingency fund. Does the IOC have any concerns about the budget?

Heiberg : No. We are very happy with what we see. You have a contingency to use it. So we feel very reassured that things are going extremely well and we are very much looking forward to coming here in 2010 and (now that) I have seen the Callaghan Valley and what is happening here today I feel the decision was right (to choose Vancouver) and we have something great to look forward to.

Pique: What are the athletes saying about the 2010 Games?

Heiberg : They are very happy. Before there were some concerns but after visiting there are no concerns.

I think they are very environmentally friendly. It is very important; we do not want to get criticized for not taking environmental considerations strongly.

Pique: You were once quoted as saying that Whistler and Vancouver were too far apart? Now that you have traveled the highway as it is being upgraded what can you say about the road and travel between the two host venues, Whistler and Vancouver?

Heiberg :I have heard that question not a hundred times but a thousand times.

My feelings are very positive. I still remember that I was in Whistler with your Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and we discussed the Sea to Sky Highway and he said he couldn’t guarantee that (it would be upgraded).

Today I feel very proud when I see what is being done for the people in Whistler. This must be a fantastic thing.

If I said that it was too far at that time I am happy to see that something is being done about it and I do not think that is the case anymore, so far, yes, but not too far.

Pique: VANOC is setting records with its marketing successes domestically. As head of the IOC’s marketing committee what can you say about marketing efforts and your discussions with 2010 organizers?

Heiberg : We are very happy with discussions. (VANOC) has a budget that is rather high but we feel at this stage that it may even exceed the budget.

I understand also from talks with Canadian business and industry that they are happy with their relationships and partnerships with VANOC, so this is going extremely well we feel.

The TV revenues, they are also surprisingly high. (Through the Vancouver and London 2010 Games the IOC expects to generate $3.8 billion US.) This means the Games are very popular around the world. I don’t think the rings have been stronger at any time than they are today.

The TV stations feel that the Games taking place here and in London will be very good Games so they are willing to pay the price necessary to become the TV rights holder. This is again very good for VANOC, as they will get a certain percentage of this.

Pique: Why do you think the rings are so powerful and popular right now?

Heiberg :I think the world as it is today, call it in turmoil, needs the Olympic ideas and values. People see sports as a possibility to get together in a friendly way and they see sports as a peaceful competition. We feel that the Olympic Charter and ideas and values in it are important to people everywhere and that makes it also an attractive place to invest in for corporations and also for TV rights holders. They would like to associate themselves with something as positive as this. So we feel in many ways that we have a mission here and let us hope that it will continue.

Pique: It is becoming more and more expensive for countries to bid for the Games. Do you have any concerns about that?

Heiberg : I feel that we have to find the ways and means to tackle that so that smaller nations can also get the Games. I’m even thinking of my own country, Norway. We would also like to organize again. This is a challenge for the IOC to see to it that it doesn’t become too expensive and to limit the number of athletes, and the number of events so that we will be able to let the smaller nations get a chance to organize a Games.

One city in Norway, Tromso, is trying for the 2018 Winter Games, and this is small city. The question is do they have a chance? Can we do something with the rules so that smaller cities like that one have a chance or not? So this is a challenge for the IOC, there is no question about it. We do not want the Games only to be in large countries.

PIQUE: When you first joined the IOC in 1994 you were concerned about the integrity of the organization. Then in 2002 you experienced the bribery scandal associated with the Salt Lake Games. What can you say about the IOC’s integrity today?

Heiberg : Today I am very proud of being on the executive board (of the IOC). I feel that we work very well together. I feel that the policy introduced by our president, of zero tolerance when it comes to corruption and bribery and so on, is very good for international sports and the Olympic movement, so I feel proud. I am happy to be a member of such a group of people.



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