By Clare Ogilive
The new senior vice president of sport for the 2010 Olympic Games said there are on-going discussions with the International Ski Federation about placing all the Olympic alpine events on Whistler Mountain.
"We will be discussing it," said Cathy Priestner Allinger, adding that there are a number of issues including scheduling, spectator numbers and facilities which have to be looked at before any decision can be reached.
The former Olympic speed skater has plenty of experience dealing with Games related issues. Most recently she was Managing Director of Games Operations for the 2006 Torino Olympic Games.
Priestner Allinger was also Managing Director of Sport for the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Games and is an Olympic Order recipient and inductee of the Canadian Hall of Fame and Olympic Hall of Fame.
Priestner Allinger was one of five new executives added to the organization running the 2010 Winter Olympics, VANOC, announced this week
They will take over the top positions of finance, human resources, Olympic planning, sport and venue development.
"I am really excited to come here," said Priestner Allinger.
"I think we will do a really great job with the Games. I think the world is going to love it here so it is great to be involved."
Her portfolio will touch on every aspect of the Games to do with the athletes. She will liase with all national and international sporting organizations, deal with all the events, as well as other responsibilities such as the operation of the athletes villages.
But, said Priestner Allinger, it’s likely her responsibilities will change as preparation for the Games continues.
"Some movement will occur for sure," she said from Vancouver, where she is planning on moving with her husband, a sport science researcher.
"There is no way we will look the same today as we do even a couple of years from now."
The contracts for the new senior positions, which offer between $200,000 and $250,000 in salary, continue until the Games are over and beyond.
John Furlong, chief executive of VANOC made the announcement this week in Vancouver.
"We have a blend of people who helped prepare Canada's successful 2010 Games bid and individuals who will bring new ideas and enthusiasm to our vision for an outstanding Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games," he said.
"These appointments were made after a search that sparked interest from across the country and around the world. Our team mixes local expertise with international Games experience – it is a Canadian team for Canada's Games."
The other four senior VP’s are:
•
Terry Wright, Senior Vice President, Olympic Planning.Wright served as Vice President, Bid Development and Operations for the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation. Previously a senior manager with EXPO 86 and the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games, Wright has also provided core planning support to the 1999 Pan American Games, Goodwill Games and the World Masters' Games. Wright is a Chartered Accountant by training• Jeff Chan, Senior Vice President, Human Resources. He has held senior human resources positions with American Express and AlliedSignal (now Honeywell) in Canada and the U.S., after gaining his initial human resources experience with Imperial Oil in Western Canada and Ontario. For the past 10 years, he has been with one of the world's leading management consulting firms, McKinsey & Company. Chan has an MBA (Industrial Relations) from the University of Western Ontario and a BA from Queen's University, specializing in organizational behaviour.
• John McLaughlin, Vice President and Comptroller. He was Vice President, Finance and CFO for the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation for two years. His background includes several of B.C.'s significant entertainment and sports projects starting with EXPO 86 and including MUSIC 91 and the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games. He has also consulted to a variety of sports and entertainment clients in Vancouver and was a member of the board of directors of the 1996 B.C. Winter Games. McLaughlin serves on the board of directors of Sport B.C. He is a Chartered Accountant.
• Steve Matheson, Senior Vice President, Venue Development. His most recent position was as Senior Vice President of Dominion Construction in Vancouver where he oversaw projects such as the development of General Motors Place, Richmond City Hall, and Burnaby Mountain School. Matheson is a Professional Engineer.
Matheson told the Province Newspaper that he would be re-costing the venues as soon as possible since the original estimates were done in 2002 dollars.
Furlong also announced a volunteer capital works committee to assist in the planning of the 2010 Games venue development program.
David Podmore, president and chief executive officer of Concert Properties Ltd, will chair the committee.
He will be assisted by Eric Martin, vice president, development, Bosa Developments. Martin had extensive involvement in Bosa projects in Whistler.
Other members of the committee will be announced in the near future.
The committee will provide advice and support to VANOC to ensure the venues are delivered in accordance with the commitments outlined in the Vancouver 2010 Bid Book. Members are not allowed to bid on Olympic contracts.
The five executives will be joined by at least three others in the coming months who will be responsible for revenue, marketing and communications, legal services and Olympic services.
Recruitment for those positions is still underway.
