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Olympic details coming… soon

Whistler dropped from name of official bid Parcels of crown land south of the village are being considered for the 2,500-bed athletes village during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Whistler dropped from name of official bid

Parcels of crown land south of the village are being considered for the 2,500-bed athletes village during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

"We don’t, as a municipality, own very much land so any of the sites we are looking at will most likely be on crown land," said Councillor Kristi Wells.

"There are two or three different options and those that seem most viable are south of the village."

Discussions about the location of the new arena for the Paralympic Games and some other facilities are going ahead but details aren’t available yet.

But said John Furlong, executive vice-chairman of the Vancouver Whistler 2010 Bid Corporation: "We are very close to being in a position to talk about options and sites for various things."

The Bid Corporation will soon open a new larger, more visible information office at the north end of the Village Stroll, beside the BrewHouse pub and restaurant. Furlong hopes this will encourage residents and visitors to share their ideas about the Games.

"When you open up these plans and you say to people this is what we have been thinking there is a very good chance that they can make them better for you," he said.

"So I think by showing this consultation in a meaningful way in the bid we will be able to demonstrate that we have a more thoughtful detailed educated process.

"We need to be out there and be good listeners and take advantage of (Whistler’s) considerable expertise."

Community ambassadors will also be chosen shortly to answer questions from the community and pass on ideas to the Bid Corporation.

"Its crucially important that the community is very strongly in favour of the bid because the (International Olympic Committee) in evaluating these bids is going to want to know that the communities that the bid is representing are big fans of the Olympic Games, that they are really looking forward to staging the event and that they have the ability to do that," said Furlong.

At Monday night’s council meeting Furlong announced that "Whistler" had been dropped from the official bid name for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

"The legal requirements for submitting the bid are that it must be submitted in the name of the community that hosts the opening and closing ceremonies," said Furlong.

From now on the bid will be known as The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games. Vancouver will host the opening and closing ceremonies in B.C. Place.

The Bid Corporation tried to fight the ruling but was unsuccessful. But, said Furlong, the change in name does not mean that Whistler won’t be front and centre as the bid moves forward.

"Quite truthfully we think that Whistler provides a jewel to our bid that is crucial to winning," he said.

"So it is very important for us to make sure that it is front and centre in what we are saying about our bid. It is important for us to make sure that this ruling does not affect our ability to present Whistler as a centrepiece in the project."

As part of this focus the Bid Corporation will launch a new logo in January.

"(The) logo will now have a different emphasis and the emphasis will be graphically on Whistler and the Sea to Sky area," said Furlong. It will name Vancouver and also graphically represent Canada.

Two other regions bidding for the 2010 Winter Games will also be affected by the IOC ruling: Berne, Switzerland, must drop Montreux, and Salzburg, Austria, must drop Kitzbeuhel from the official names of their bids.

Tourism Whistler President Suzanne Denbak believes the IOC decision definitely diminishes the chance to raise Whistler’s profile around the world.

But, said Denbak: "We will work closely with the Bid Corporation to determine if there are other ways to leverage marketing value."

Whistler Councillor Wells said the loss of "Whistler" from the official bid name is disappointing for the community.

"That was an incredible long-term marketing benefit... that we could never get any other way... that really was quite a carrot and a legacy," she said.

"It’s not gone, but we need to be more creative about it now."

Wells pointed to the experience of Park City, one of the venue locations for the 2002 Winter Games. Park City is marketing itself as the "Alpine Heart" of the Games and getting lots of attention, said Wells.

She also believes that removing Whistler’s name from the official bid name may limit liability for the resort if the Games don’t go as planned.

Councillor Nick Davies doesn’t believe the name-change will have much effect.

"I don’t think the downside is nearly as significant as one might think once you start thinking it through, because it really doesn’t constrain us very much in terms of taking advantage of the marketing strategies," he said.

Davies said the important thing to do now is implement the change quickly so the IOC realizes the Bid Corporation "plays by the rules."

The Corporation remains the Vancouver Whistler 2010 Bid Corporation until it is disbanded in the fall of 2003 following the announcement by the IOC of who has won the right to host the Games.

For resident Bob Calladine the loss of "Whistler" in the official bid name has pushed him off the fence.

"Up until now I have been rather neutral," said Calladine, who was named Whistler Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year last July and is one of several residents who have been calling for a referendum on holding the Games in Whistler.

"But I’m afraid after this announcement we have lost a huge advantage about having the Games here. It has changed me radically and I would say I am 85 to 90 per cent against it now."

Many residents of Whistler have grave concerns about bringing the Olympic Games to Whistler.

"My concern is that we don’t need it," said local Grant Lamont, of Whistler Outdoor Adventures.

"Traditionally you put on the Olympics because you are looking for economic development. But we already have a pretty good thing going right now.

"The people who are pushing for it don’t even live here. They won’t have to deal with the effects, and the process so far hasn’t been transparent."

Lamont also questions the fairness of approaching Intrawest and offering them financial compensation for use of the mountains during the Games but not offering compensation to smaller businesses which might loose money during the event.

"Will all these guys get (compensation) because customers won’t be able to get to their stores?" he wondered.

Details on how Whistler might be affected have been scant, resulting in an active rumour mill throughout the community.

Furlong hopes the substantial ads taken out by the Bid Corporation this week in local papers will help residents feel better about the bid and support it.

"One of the things that has been said to us is that the people of Whistler need to hear more about the plans," said Furlong.

"They need to hear more about the specifics of what is on the drawing board.

"Basically this communiqué through the newspaper gives an update on the bid. It deals with this name change and also talks about how we need the community of Whistler to become engaged in the planning process in a much more detailed way as we go into 2002.

"This is all aimed at trying to build a very high level of support in the community by the time we get to the bid book stage."

Councillor Wells believes the new communication strategy is a positive step for the bid.

"It has been very hard for the Bid Corp to realize how different Whistler is from say Vancouver," she said.

"We are a unique community and our need to be involved and our level of education and our capability in making decisions is much higher than in any average community you would find out there and that in itself precipitates the need to prove a lot of information and a lot of involvement because people do care.

"Whistler is fundamental to the bid. There is so much unknown and that unknown breeds fear, so it is good that there will be details."

Councillor Davies, while welcoming the increase in communication between the Bid Corporation and the community, wants more information.

"The one criticism I have is that I think (the Bid Corporation) undersells the intellectual level at which this community operates," he said.

"There was a lot of motherhood stuff (at the council meeting)... and I think for this community that is a given.

"It could have been a lot more information rich and it wasn’t."