Calgary Olympic bid still aloft The video promoting Calgary’s bid for the 2010 Olympics may soon qualify for frequent flyer miles. Canadian Airlines International was supposed to have pulled a video promoting Calgary’s bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics last week, but passengers on at least one Canadian flight from Toronto to Vancouver July 27 were shown the video. "Our understanding was the video was to be pulled," said Patsy Smith of the Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Bid Society. "We’ll give Calgary the benefit of the doubt. It may have been just this one time." However, Smith said the Vancouver-Whistler Bid Society would raise the issue again with the Canadian Olympic Association. Under the COA’s rules the three Canadian cities competing for the 2010 Winter Olympics — Quebec City is the third — are not supposed to begin public lobbying efforts until the fall. A video promoting Calgary’s bid was being shown on Calgary-based Canadian Airlines national and trans-border flights during the month of July. When the Vancouver-Whistler Bid Society learned of the video in mid-July they protested to the COA, which ordered the video removed. Smith said the COA is supposed to get back to the Vancouver-Whistler Bid Society and the group promoting Quebec City’s bid as to how the promotional field can now be levelled. "The COA will get back to us on how we can make this up," Smith said. "Right now we don’t know." Members of the COA will be in Vancouver and Whistler Aug. 9-11 inspecting proposed sites for the 2010 Winter Games.
