Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

What $600 million will buy

Facilties and items included in the $600 million price tag announced by Olympic bid CEO Jack Poole are: • An athletes village to house 2,500 competitors in Whistler.

Facilties and items included in the $600 million price tag announced by Olympic bid CEO Jack Poole are:

• An athletes village to house 2,500 competitors in Whistler. The permanent residence will be located in the village area but a site has yet to be chosen. Mayor Hugh O’Reilly said the site would likely be on Crown land provided by the province. The village would become employee-restricted housing after the Games.

• Snowboarding and free style event preparation on Cypress Mountain.

• Preparation for men’s and women’s alpine events on Whistler and Blackcomb.

• Construction of a $50 to $55 million bobsled and luge track on either Whistler or Blackcomb mountain and a legacy fund for its continued operation.

• Construction of Nordic facilities in the Callaghan Valley, south of Whistler and a legacy fund to operate after the Games. Price tag is $90 to $100 million.

• Construction of a new arena in Whistler for the paralympics.

• Construction of a paralympic practice rink in Squamish

• Financial compensation to Intrawest, which owns Whistler-Blackcomb, for the use of the mountains during the Games.

• An athletes village, to house 2,500 competitors at the south-east end of False Creek on land currently owned by the City of Vancouver. The village will be permanent and left as a housing legacy.

• A renovation to GM Place to enlarge the ice area for hockey and then return it to its previous size.

• Retrofit of B.C. Place, where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held. It would be the first time ceremonies would be held in a covered arena.

• An ice arena at UBC for hockey. The structure will be turned over to the community after the Olympics.

• A major renovation to the Pacific Coliseum for the ice skating competition. Skaters will practice at the Agridome.

• A new state-of-the-art curling rink at the current site of the Vancouver Curling Club in Queen Elizabeth Park, New Westminster which is expected to cost $15-25 million.

•A $45-$55 million speed skating oval on Burnaby Mountain on the grounds of Simon Fraser University. This facility will also receive an endowment in order to keep it running after the Olympics are over.

• Rental of space at a new Vancouver convention centre or the construction of a temporary site for the 10,000-12,000 media expected. This site would also be used for medal presentations.

• Construction of a broadcast centre in Richmond for the 90 international

companies expected.