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Godfrey to join the OCOG board

Municipal Administrator Jim Godfrey will be one of the two Whistler representatives to sit on the board of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games.

Municipal Administrator Jim Godfrey will be one of the two Whistler representatives to sit on the board of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games.

The OCOG is the organization responsible for preparing and executing the 2010 Winter Games in Whistler and Vancouver. Godfrey will be one of 20 members on the board of directors.

Mayor Hugh O’Reilly said Godfrey was a logical choice because he has been intricately involved in the Olympic process from the beginning as a voting member on the board of the bid corporation.

"He was there from day one," said O’Reilly.

"Jim was instrumental in the bid."

The Olympic bid committee officially dissolved last week and a small transition team has taken over until the OCOG is in place in the fall.

Whistler is allowed to have two representatives on the board.

Council has chosen the other Whistler representative but the name has yet to be made public. O’Reilly said the representative would be someone from within the tourism sector.

Other representatives on the OCOG’s board will come from the city of Vancouver, the federal and provincial governments, the Canadian Paralympic Committee, First Nations and the Canadian Olympic Committee. The COC will have the highest representation with seven board members.

After they choose a CEO, the OCOG will get to work in the new year on establishing plans for venue construction, consulting with venue owners and developing marketing and sponsorship opportunities.

The Vancouver-Whistler bid book will act as the OCOG’s work plan over the next six years.

The International Olympic Committee will oversee the OCOG’s work through an organization called the Vancouver 2010 Co-ordination Commission.

Heading up this commission is Swiss IOC member René Fasel who was an open supporter of Vancouver’s run for the Winter Games.

Fasel is the president of the International Ice-Hockey Federation as well as the president of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations.

He has been a member of the IOC since 1995.

In his position with the co-ordination commission Fasel will make periodic visits to Vancouver to oversee the OCOG’s work and make sure all is running according to plan.