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Vancouver Whistler 2010 Bid announces new Chief Operating Officer

John Furlong, a former Olympian and chief executive officer of the Arbutus Club in Vancouver, has been appointed executive vice president and chief operation officer of the Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Bid Corporation.

John Furlong, a former Olympian and chief executive officer of the Arbutus Club in Vancouver, has been appointed executive vice president and chief operation officer of the Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Bid Corporation.

Jack Poole, the recently appointed president and CEO of the bid corp., announced Furlong’s appointment this week.

"I am looking forward to working with our strong leadership team, which includes Linda Oglov, vice president of bid marketing and Terry Wright, vice president of bid development," Furlong said in a release. The management team will oversee the day-to-day operations of the bid and production of the Games Delivery plan.

Furlong has served as a member of the board of directors of the bid corp. and is a member of the Canadian Olympic Association. He has been CEO of the Arbutus Club for 14 years. The club has given Furlong a two-year leave of absence to work full-time on the bid.

A resident of Richmond, Furlong is the past chair of Sport B.C., chair of the B.C. Summer and Winter Games and has been a B.C. Mission staff member for seven Canada Games.

Furlong was a member of the Irish Olympic basketball team and Irish Olympic team handball team. He also coached the Irish women’s Olympic basketball team and he is a champion squash player.

"This Bid is a tremendous opportunity for Canada," said Furlong. "We have the chance to show the world that we can stage a sustainable Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games that will result in legacies for youth and sports development and our host communities of Vancouver and Whistler."