Morgan:News:2010:Bronze Edition

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Bronze Service is published regularly, but the most recent items here were provided to our subscribers about a month ago. For more timely news, please upgrade to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commerical public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze . It is also available in an XML feed: use this address: http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/atom.xml .

===================================================================

Morgan News:2010 |VANOC|
CEOS OF 2010 AND 2006 WINTER GAMES TO MEET MONDAY MORNING


The Chief Executive Officers of the two Organizing Committees for the 2010 and 2006 Winter Olympic Games will be meeting each other in Vancouver at 7:30 Monday morning as part of the agenda for a four-day visit by the Italian delegation overseeing the Turin Games.

Dr. Valentino Castellani, president of the Turin Organizing Committee of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, will meet with his counterpart, John Furlong, at the Hotel Vancouver according to event organizers. The session will be followed by a larger and wider-ranging news conference, as the delegation is accompanied by more than 70 Italian officials and business people.

The 2006 Games will also be the subject of a Vancouver Board of Trade breakfast meeting on Tuesday, say the organizers, who confirm that Premier Gordon Campbell will also attend the event.

The Italian group will move to the Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver for GLOBE, a business seminar that takes place on Wednesday. The Bayshore will also be hosting the International Olympic Committee Commission overseeing the 2010 Games which is co-incidentally in town for meetings with 2010 Organizing Committee officials.

===================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/26/2004
===================================================================
===================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |IOC, Business|
NEW OLYMPIC SPONSOR NOT SIGNED ON - YET - FOR 2010 GAMES


The International Olympic Committee says that Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo has joined The Olympic Partner (TOP) Program of sponsors, but the terms of the agreement only include the 2006 Winter Games in Italy and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; the company hasn't - yet - signed on to sponsor the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

This marks the first time that a Chinese company has been part of the worldwide marketing program. The agreement with the Olympic Movement, which includes sponsorship of the National Olympic Committees and their Olympic teams, positions the firm as the official computing technology equipment and service provider for the games until 2008.

Lenovo, which is a well-known personal computer marketer in China and south-east Asia, joins Coca-Cola, Atos Origin, General Electric, John Hancock, Kodak, McDonalds, Panasonic, Samsung, Swatch and Visa as IOC sponsors.

Although Lenovo has not agreed to sponsor games beyond 2008, a number of top-level sponsors have been renewing their involvement regularly in the last few years.

===================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/26/2004
===================================================================
===================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |VANOC|
FURLONG CONFIRMS 2010 VENUE CONSTRUCTION SET TO BEGIN NEXT SUMMER


2010:NewsWatch

John Furlong, president and CEO of the organizing committee, has told the Calgary Sun newspaper that construction is set to begin next summer in Vancouver and Whistler on many of the new venues needed to stage the 2010 Winter Games.

Furlong, in comments to reporters about the race-to-the-wire attempts to finish the venues at the Athens Games that will be held this summer, told them that Vancouver, which has a $1.3-billion operating budget, will have facilities open years before the Games begin. "You can never start too early or get too far ahead," said Furlong, who was in Calgary yesterday to meet the media and some of Canada's winter athletes at Canada Olympic Park's Ice House.

Vancouver and Whistler will have two athletes' villages, one in Vancouver's False Creek area, the other in Whistler at a location yet to be decided, so competitors can be close to the venues where they will be competing. The venues include a new sliding centre for skeleton, luge and bobsleigh, a ski jump hill, a speed skating oval at Simon Fraser University in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby, and a new curling arena.

In 2008 and 2009, Furlong told reporters the 2010 Organizing Committee will host international and national 'test events' in every Olympic and Paralympic sport as a means of finding out how organized the group is before the Games.

With the new facilities, the reporters had questions on where Canadian athletes are going to train and live before and after 2010. The Calgary Sun said that Calgarian Lindsay Alcock was concerned about the cost of training in an expensive town like Whistler. But, she told the newspaper,"I'm getting the indication they [the 2010 Organizing Committee] want to sit down with the athletes and figure out what it is we need." Alcock was last season's skeleton World Cup winner and world championship silver medallist."If we know going in we've got a bed to sleep in, we have a cafeteria to eat in, what more do you need?"

Interestingly, Alcock said she'd still likely remain in Calgary, despite the potential offers of accommodation in Vancouver and Whistler during training.

"The definition of success must include the performance of the Canadian team," Furlong was quoted as saying, and he told reporters he is working closely with the Calgary Olympic Development Association in preparing for the Games. He told reporters, "There's never enough money for athletes and everyone should get involved and if everybody would give a little, we'd get it done."

===================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/26/2004
===================================================================
===================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Business|
TELUS TO SPONSOR CANADIAN SNOWBOARD FEDERATION UNTIL 2012


Telus and the Canadian Snowboard Federation (CSF) report that the company has become the official telecommunications sponsor of the Canadian Snowboard Federation in a deal that runs until 2012, taking it through the period of the 2010 Winter Games

Under the arrangement, Telus will sponsor:

* The Canadian Men's and Women's Snowboard Teams;
* The Honda Element Tour of Champions, the which is part of the national development circuit;
* The Telus Half Pipe at the annual Federation International de Ski World Cup snowboarding events, starting in 2006
* The CSF's six provincial snowboard associations, and
* A developmental program for youth that is itself yet to be developed.

"Telus has a long-standing history of community involvement and support for amateur athletics in Canada and the new alliance with the Canadian Snowboard Federation further reflects this," said Marc Rancourt, Vice President, Public Market, Telus. "Although snowboarding is still a relatively young winter sport, we believe it is one of the most exciting. Telus is committed to helping develop Canada's young snowboarders into future champions."

Adam Faithfull, the chair of the CSF, says, "The Canadian Snowboard Federation is committed to putting more athletes on the international podium at the developmental and elite levels. We are convinced that a partnership with Telus will contribute to the ongoing development and ultimate success of our national team riders."

Telus is also supporting snowboard and freestyle ski Olympic hopefuls with a $60,000 athlete-travel grant program, which offers funds to help them travel to competitions. So far, 20 Canadian freestyle skiers and snowboarders, ranging in age from 16 to 20, have been chosen to receive a $1,000 travel grant each year for the next three years.

Earlier this month, Telus also announced other community investment initiatives involving the Canadian Snowboard Federation. Telus opened the Telus Centre for Sport, an operations headquarters that brings together several sport agencies focused on improving Canada's athletic performance in British Columbia. The Centre provides office and meeting space for these organizations, one of which is the CSF.

===================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/26/2004
===================================================================
===================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Government|
QUESNEL COUNCIL FORMS 2010 OLYMPICS ADVISORY COMMITTEE


The town council of Quesnel, in B.C.'s central interior, has formed a 2010 Olympics advisory committee comprised of 10 local residents.

The Quesnel Olympic Advisory Committee members, appointed this week to a two-year term, are: Randy Davis, Coralee Oakes, Margaret Mok, Darcy Horn, Lauri Rudenburg, Tonya Turner, Bob Norman, Kit Collins, Don Murphy and Robin Hay.

Davis has served constituency assistant to the Quesnel area's Member of the Legislature, Dr. John Wilson, Coralee Oakes is the Manager of Quesnel's Chamber of Commerce. Bob Norman is vice-president and a director of the Quesnel Community Foundation, Kit Collins has been associated with a long involvement in winter sports in the community, Murphy with teaching and youth, while Hay, a school vice-principal, has been closely involved with winter sports training.

Council first approved the formation of the Committee last year. The terms of reference allow for a total of 12 voting members, with one council member and the area's member of the provincial legislature to be included but not allowed to vote, and the mayor to be an external member.

A report by Quesnel councilor Mary Sjostrom said she selected the group to take in a broad representation of interests and skills and to ensure that Quesnel is able to participate as fully as possible in the Olympic experience.

RESOURCES:

Quesnel is pronounced "Kweh-NEHL"

Quesnel City Hall website:
http://www.city.quesnel.bc.ca

Councilor Mary Sjostrom's bio and contact info:
http://www.city.quesnel.bc.ca/DialUp/City%20Council/mary_sjostrom.asp


===================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/26/2004
===================================================================
===================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Sports|
CANADIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE REVERSES POSITION ON FEDERAL SPORT FUNDING


Just two days after it expressed "disappointment" about the level of support in the Liberal's federal support of athletics in the new budget, the Canadian Olympic Committee says it's now feeling much better about Ottawa, following a new government announcement.

Speaking, it says, "on behalf of the sport community," the COC says it is pleased at today's announcement by the federal Minister of State for Sport, Stan Keyes, that there will be $10 million in new funding for amateur sport this year, but hopes the money will be earmarked for top level athletes.

"This additional investment is a step in the right direction to help Canadian athletes represent Canada in international competition," said COC President Michael Chambers. "We believe that this additional money should go directly toward the Canadian senior- and development-carded athletes. With less than six years to go before Canada hosts the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, it is crucial that Canada invests in its high-performance athletes so they can shine at their home Games."

Victor Lachance, Senior Leader of the Sport Matters Group, which represents more than 60 national and provincial sport leaders and organizations, says, "We see this funding as a prudent down payment on future federal investments. This new money for sport, coupled with the $20 million that was kept in place, is a welcomed contribution."

The COC and Sport Matters have been lobbying for increased government investment in sport to move Canada closer to the spending levels of its major international competitors. "We look forward to collaborating with Minister Keyes on developing an action plan for future investment in high performance sport," said Chambers.

The COC is the largest private funding agency for high-performance sport in Canada.

===================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/25/2004
===================================================================
===================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |VANOC|
ITALIAN DELEGATION TO MEET 2010 ORGANIZERS THIS WEEKEND


A group of Italian dignitaries representing the host city for the 2006 Winter Olympics and the region surrounding it will visit Vancouver and Whistler this weekend.

The delegation of 76 will be staying for four days, and is from the Piedmont region, which includes Turin, which will be the host city for the 2006 Games, and Sestriere, where the alpine events will be held. They're expecting to meet with the 2010 Organizing Committee, but the Committee office has not yet released details.

Dr. Valentino Castellani, president of the Turin Organizing Committee of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, is among those attending, along with Enzo Ghigo, president of the Piedmont Region, and Turin Mayor Serio Chiamparino.

President Ghigo, an avid skier, is expected to ski while in Whistler, while the rest of the delegation tours the Village with Mayor Hugh O’Reilly, stopping at the 2010 Games office to see the venue plans for the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics.

In conjunction with the visit, Turin’s Museum of the Mountains and Whistler Museum and Archives Society are jointly hosting a special photography exhibit, One Hundred Years of Skiing in the Piemonte Region, at the Telus Conference Centre in Whistler.

===================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/25/2004
===================================================================
===================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |VANOC|
MORE DETAILS AVAILABLE ABOUT IOC'S VISIT TO VANCOUVER, WHISTLER NEXT WEEK


There are still quite a few details to be confirmed about what will happen when the IOC commission overseeing the 2010 Olympics arrives in Vancouver next week for its scheduled six-month visit, but some information is now available.

Meetings during the four days, will involve discussions about sponsorship, the Games master schedule, accommodations and venue development. Surprisingly, though, OCOG Communications Manager Stephanie Herdman says some of the schedule is still "to be confirmed", even at this late date.

The IOC’s Coordination Commission, headed by Rene Fasel, will be provided with basic orientation on all the venues, and tour Whistler on Wednesday, March 31. The venues include Creekside, for the men’s and women’s downhill and alpine ski events, the sliding centre on Blackcomb for the bobsled, luge, skeleton, and alpine technical events, and the Callaghan Valley, site of the Whistler Nordic Centre and ski-jumping venues.

Since the Commission was here last fall, some additional members have been appointed and John Furlong has been confirmed as the CEO of the Vancouver OCOG, so there will be opportunities for the new members to meet the Vancouver OCOG Board of Directors and Furlong. The 11-member commission will spend Marc h 30 at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver, which is where they were lodged and met with the OCOG last November.

===================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/25/2004
===================================================================
===================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Business|
WORKSHOP FOR BUSINESS ON 2010 OPPORTUNITIES SET FOR WHISTLER APRIL 29


A one-day seminar for business about opportunities that may be available at the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics will be held in the Telus Conference Centre on Thursday, April 29, from 8:30 am to 5 pm.

The workshop, titled “Creating Olympic Opportunities for Your Business" will include guest speakers include Barrett Fisher of Tourism Whistler, Jim Godfrey of the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Rod Harris of Tourism B.C., and several Vancouver 2010 officials: Maureen Douglas, who was Director of Community Relations for the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation; Terry Wright, who was Vice President of Bid Development and Operations for the Bid Corporation, and Linda Harmon, who is in charge of marketing and sponsorships. There will also be presentations by Bill Malone, president of the Park City, Utah, Chamber of Commerce, Gordon Goodman, Executive Director of the Olympic Secretariat for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, and Tom Shepard, executive vice-president of global marketing partnerships and sponsorship with Visa International. Visa is a top-level sponsor for the 2010 Games.

RESOURCES:

The cost for Tourism Whistler members is $70, or $95 after April 2. For non-members, the cost is $80 or $105 after April 2.

To register call the Whistler Activity Centre at (604) 938-2769.

===================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/25/2004
===================================================================
===================================================================


Friday, April 23, 2004

Bronze Service is published regularly, but the most recent items here were provided to our subscribers about a month ago. For more timely news, please upgrade to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commerical public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze . It is also available in an XML feed: use this address: http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/atom.xml .

==================================================

Morgan News:2010 |Sports|
FURLONG WINS CANADIAN SPORTS AWARD


The CEO of the 2010 Organizing Committee, John Furlong won a Leadership in Sport Award from the Canadian Sport Awards during a ceremony in Toronto last night.

He was nominated last February for his role in the Canadian Olympic Committee , along with Judy Kent of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women & Sport and Jean-Guy Ouellette of Athletics Canada.

An hour-long version of the awards ceremony will be broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's television network tonight at 7pm in various Canadian time zones, including Pacific, 7:30pm in Newfoundland.

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/24/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Sports|
ERSNT HOPES TWO NEW WINTER SPORTS COULD BE ADDED TO OLYMPICS ROSTER BY 2010


2010:NewsWatch

The host of the U.S. Freestyle Championships, which take place this weekend at Heavenly Valley at Lake Tahoe, Nevada, has told a California newspaper that he hopes there will be two new winter sports approved by the time Vancouver and Whistler host the 2010 Winter Games.

"These are world-class athletes dedicated and focused on getting to the Olympics," Chris Ernst told The Sacramento Bee newspaper, which is covering the Championships.

Newspaper reporter Justin Hathaway says 35-year-old Ernst is, a "former pro freestyler who created skiercross, a race that sends up to six skiers down a course full of banked turns, rollers and gap jumps... [and who] believes boardercross [an equivalent sport that uses snowboards instead of skis] will become a full-medal sport by the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, and skiercross by the 2010 Vancouver Games."

"Snowboarding and skiercross are already World Cup events," Ernst reportedly said. "I think they add a fresh dimension to freestyle and are cutting edge."

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/24/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Business, Government|
DETAILS RELEASED OF 2010 "BUSINESS SUMMIT" CONFERENCE


The provincial government has released a few more details about its "Spirit of 2010 Business Summit" conference, which is scheduled for Monday, May 3 at the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel at Burrard and Nelson in downtown Vancouver. It will cost $149 per person.

The "Summit" meeting was announced earlier this year by Premier Gordon Campbell, who will be giving the keynote speech at the day-long event. Registration begins at 7am, the conference itself runs from 8am to 6pm. It's sponsored by the B.C. government and RBC Financial Group, a business segment of the Royal Bank. According to organizers, "It's up to all of us to identify and pursue the best opportunities to help our businesses and the provincial economy succeed."

The conference highlights:

 * Keynote address by Premier Gordon Campbell
 * "Plenary sessions" that will outline "provincial Olympic strategies for tourism, procurement, trade, investment and labour supply"
 * "A diverse selection of afternoon break out sessions"
 * "Tools to help you develop your 2010 business and marketing plans"
 * "Networking and partnership development opportunities", and
 * "A 2010 business tradeshow"

In conference-speak, the organizers say "Owners and management of BC businesses, investors and community leaders interested in the direct, indirect and related opportunities that will arise because of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games" should attend.

The entry fee includes breakfast, lunch, all sessions and delegate workbooks, but not GST.

Organizers say those who register before April 9 "have the option of being included in the official Summit Networking Directory, a resource provided to all Summit participants with key information about fellow attendees."

RESOURCES:

(Note to Bronze readers: The conference is reported to be sold out. The info below is provided for archival purposes.)

On-line registration:
http://www.spiritof2010-business-summit.com/register.cfm

Register by phone: 604-647-2995

There's no e-mail address for the organization, but you can leave an electronic message here:
http://www.spiritof2010-business-summit.com/contact.cfm

The Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel is offering a "preferred rate" for attendees from outside Vancouver. The Hotel's toll-free phone number is 1-800-663-9255; you have to mention "Spirit of 2010 Business Summit" to qualify for the rate.


==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/23/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |VANOC|
FURLONG SAYS VANCOUVER "PROBABLY AHEAD OF THE PLANNING CURVE TODAY"


2010:News:Watch

The CEO of the 2010 Organizing Committee, John Furlong, has told Donna Spencer of the Canadian Press in Toronto that the impending visit of the IOC's Vancouver Co-ordination Commission next Monday in Vancouver and the issues the IOC is having with the Athens infrastructure means Vancouver needs to stay organized. Athens, plagued by disorganization and bureaucratic confusion, may not have some of its buildings completed when its summer games start this summer.

Furlong was in Toronto today for the Canadian Sport Awards; he was nominated last February for his role in the Canadian Olympic Committee for a Leadership in Sport Award, along with Judy Kent of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Jean-Guy Ouellette of Athletics Canada .

Furlong told Spencer,"Certainly when you see the challenges that other committees have, it drives home the message that you have to get off to a good start and you have to build credibility. All the dots connect. If you don't get off to good start and you struggle and you make mistakes and you look like you get behind time, the people that support you, won't. I think it's a little bit like firing a rocket to the moon. If it's not aimed right at the target at the beginning, it never lands on the moon. It veers off to the left and the right."

The CEO told CP that he wants to engage all Canadians in Vancouver's efforts. "We wanted in the end to know that when we were finished with this, that the Games were relevant to every Canadian ... that people in Newfoundland cared as much about it as they do in Vancouver. That's not easy. When you cross Canada, it's like flying [the same distance as] from Portugal to Russia.... The thing that I worry about the most . . . is reputation management. I hope that Canadians will look in at 2010 along the way and say, 'I'm with them, they're doing a good job, they deserve our support.... We want to be really tough on ourselves, disciplining ourselves that missing a mark isn't good enough. If we've said we're going to start on a venue on the first of July, we've got to start it on time. If we start on time and finish on time, we'll be two years ahead of the Games." Venue construction is due to start next year, and finish around 2008.

Spencer says that In the eyes of Canadians, how Vancouver puts on a Games will be secondary to how the Canadian team does there, at least beforehand,"The plan was to get into the ground, get the venues up early enough that Canadian athletes could come home and train and practice, and use the venues that they hope to win medals on in 2010," he explained to CP. "We want to give them home-court advantage. Hopefully that will be enough to give them the edge."

Furlong told CP,"The IOC will judge us in a couple of weeks on this, but I think we're probably ahead of the planning curve today. But I have to say that, in order to keep ahead, you have to work like crazy. When the water starts to come into the boat it's hard to get it out of the boat again."

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/23/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Sports|
CANADIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE UNHAPPY WITH ATHLETE FUNDING IN FEDERAL BUDGET


The Canadian Olympic Committee says it is disappointment that the federal Liberal government "chose not to invest in additional funding" to support Canadian athletes in its 2004 Budget, which was tabled in Parliament today.

COC President Michael Chambers says that, "With Canada hosting the Olympic Winter Games in 2010, the time is now to invest in Canadian athletes. The current low level of government investment in sport will not achieve the Olympic results Canadians desire and our athletes deserve."

The COC has been advocating for increased government investment in sport to move Canada closer to the spending levels of Canada's major international competitors. Representatives of the sport community, including the COC, Sport Matters, Athletes Can, National Sport Federations and several Olympic athletes met with Members of Parliament, Senators and senior government officials in February, when the federal Budget was still being formulated, to lobby for their vision for amateur sport in Canada and call for increased government funding for sport and physical activity.

"Sport has always played an important role in the lives of Canadians," said Chambers. "It is an essential component of our culture not only in terms of the national pride that is fostered when Canadian athletes win Olympic gold but also in terms of the benefit to our health and well being from participating in sport and physical activity."

The COC and other sport leaders have pledged to continue to advocate on behalf of the sport community for increased federal funding for sport and athletes.

The COC is a private, non-profit corporation. It's the largest private financier of high-performance sport in Canada. It is responsible for all aspects of Canada's involvement in the Olympic movement, including Canada's participation in the Olympic and Pan American Games. In addition, the COC manages a variety of programs that promote the Olympic movement in Canada through cultural and educational means.

RESOURCES;

COC website:
http://www.olympic.ca

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/23/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Sports|
VANCOUVER TOUTED AS POSSIBLE BRIER VENUE BEFORE OLYMPICS


Vancouver continues to be mentioned as a possible venue for a future Brier for the Canadian Curling Association, before the city hosts the 2010 Olympics.

The championship of Canadian Curling for next year will be held in the Rexall Centre ice rink in Edmonton, but there's no confirmation of locations after that. Among those cities that have a large arena and enough curling fans to fill it are Winnipeg, Regina and Ottawa, as well as Vancouver.

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/22/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Sports|
NEW SKATING POINTS SYSTEM TO BE IN PLACE FOR 2010 OLYMPICS


The International Skating Union has unveiled a new points system for judging skating that will be phased into competitions during the next year and is expected to be firmly in place for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler.

According to the ISU, which is based in Germany, skaters will be penalized more if they fall during a performance, and they will be allowed to do an additional jump combination under the latest changes. Also, the points judges assign to certain jump combinations will be better attuned to the degree of difficulty. And, with a nod to the problems of the judging at the Salt Lake City games, judicial training will be upgraded.

The first trial of the new system occurred during the Grand Prix series this year, with skaters and coaches alike suggesting the judging was better attuned to the performances, but that it still needed tweaking so that more difficult jumps that weren't done perfectly would still count for more than routine jumps done well; that had the effect of teams being pressured to stick with the tried-and-true. In another example of changes from the Grand Prix trials, Evgeni Plushenko was penalized during the Grand Prix for doing an extra jump combination. This will now be explicitly permitted.

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/22/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |VANOC|
BID CORP SPENT MORE THAN $36 MILLION TO WIN 2010 GAMES


Newly released financial figures from the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation show that despite all the rhetoric coming from governments about their support, the bid was largely financed by private corporations through sponsorships and from various other types of non-governmental donations.

By the time the Bid Corporation wound up its major operations last fall, it had a surplus of $573,410, which was just 1.62% of its total revenue. That money has been rolled over to its successor organization, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympics and Paralympic Games, took over the process of implementing and delivering the games.

The non-profit corporation spent $36,069,573 to win the 2010 Winter Olympics, according to the accounting firm of Grant Thornton, which signed off on the results. The lions share of expenditure, 70.7%, came from corporate and private sponsors, with the balance coming from the federal (18.30%) and B.C governments (11.35%). Vancouver City provided $300,000 in grants.

About 85% of the revenue came in as cash, with the balance provided as in-kind goods and services. These are items that are used in the normal course of the Corporation’s operations and would otherwise have been purchased. Donated volunteer services are not recognized in the financial statements, and that’s normal.

Nearly 70% of that revenue stream, $24,708,152, went to bid marketing and its support services. That includes expenditures ranging from preparing, printing and distributing the thick bid book to the celebrations on July 2, 2003 when the winning bid was announced in a squeaker vote over South Korea. Another 16.78% was spent on aspects of the games, including the paralympic games, which will follow the winter olympics by a month. Another 13.61% of the revenue was spent on Legacies Now.

In 2002, the Corporation contracted with the Legacies Now Society to manage and deliver some of that organization’s programs to delivery on-going projects that can be created for sport during the bid phase, while the Bid Corporation focused on winning the right to host the 2010 Games.

The financial figures cover the 27-month period from the Corporation’s inception, which for financial purposes was June 30, 2001, to September 30, 2003, when the Organizing Committee took over the process of implementing and delivering the games.

The figures show the Bid Corporation spent more than $7 million more than it took in during the 2003 fiscal year, but it had raised enough funds the previous year to offset the huge cash flow at the end.

Looking closer at the $35 million in expenditures of the Bid Corporation, it spent $5.9 million on delivering aspects of the games, including 27.42% of that on technical aspects of the various sports venues, while staffing, operations and cultural expenses made up the balance of this segment.

In bid marketing and support services, the Corporation spent about a third of the $24.7 million on international relations, 19.34% on staffing, 13.47% on finance, procurement and administration. The rest went to fundraising sales and services, communications and media relations, creative services for advertising and logos, and 5.15% wwnt to community relations and volunteers for various expenses. A total of 4.09%, or $1,010,650 was spent on executive management and another 2.84%, $700,815, was spent on the Board Secretariat.

Legacies Now spent the bulk of it’s $4.8 million dollars on sport development, which accounted for 85.44% of the funds. The balance was spent on world hosting.

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/19/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Sports|
FURLONG TO SPEAK AT CANADIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CONGRESS MEETING


John Furlong, the CEO of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Organizing Committee will be among the featured speakers at the Canadian Olympic Committee's annual Congress, to be held over three days starting April 16 at the Montreal Mariott hotel.

Among the workshops for the delegates from across the country is one on Saturday, April 17, entitled, "Impact of Hosting an Olympic Games in Canada." Organizers also expect that he'll attend the $175-a-plate Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Induction dinner April 16. Among those to be inducted is Myriam Bedard, who was the first North American to ever win a medal in the Biathlon at the Olympic Winter Games in 1992, where she picked up a bronze. Two years later, she came back to win two gold medals in the Winter Olympics at Lillehammer. It was unwarranted criticism of her earlier this month when she blew the whistle on an aspect of the federal sponsorship scandal that caused the resignation of Via Rail president Marc LeFrancois.


==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/19/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Business|
LEED STANDARD FOR 2010 VENUE CONSTRUCTION POSES HEADACHES FOR FORESTRY, PLASTICS


Canadian Press is reporting the B.C. government may have to deal with an environmental requirement for the 2010 Winter Games that could affect whether the B.C. forest industry's products could be used in construction of game venues.

CP says "a clause in the agreement to mount the Games in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., stipulates all Olympic venues be constructed to the LEED standard", which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED, which originated in the United States, is a voluntary, consensus-based standard for developing sustainable buildings.

CP says few of British Columbia's wood producers adhere to LEED, and quotes Forests Minister Mike de Jong as saying, "It's to say the least a troubling component but not, I think, an insurmountable obstacle." He reportedly added that he government wants the Olympics to be a showcase for B.C. wood products. "That means working with the folks that developed the LEED standards and trying to impress upon them the fact there are other certification models out there that accomplish the same thing," he said.

While LEED focuses heavily on construction design and techniques, CP notes that it also includes the selection of building materials. CP says De Jong told reporters the government will try to show that other environmental yardsticks used in the forest industry, such as those from the International Standards Organization and the Canadian Standards Association, are comparable to LEED. "We want to make sure that everyone understands that we have certification processes, whether they're CSA or ISO, and that our products fit the bill."

But forestry is not the only industry that's affected by the LEED Rating System, which is a voluntary third-party rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. Morgan:News:2010 has learned that last January 30, the Canadian Plastics Industry Association issued a memo to its members noting that the 2010 Games were to be built to LEED standards and urged formation of an action group to thwart its adoption in Canada.

According to the memo, "In Canada, we want to prevent any deselection of plastic building products by Federal, Provincial or Municipal governments. We also need to prevent the exclusive adoption of LEED in Canadian building codes....Experts estimate that LEED certification can add between 4–11% in additional costs to a building project – mostly as direct construction costs and the remainder as costs related to increased design and documentation requirements."

The memo says that "the concern of the plastics industry has been LEED’S focus on traditional building materials; such as, bamboo and linoleum flooring, wool carpets and cotton batt insulation. Synthetic or plastics building and construction materials are not recognized" and PVC/vinyl products may well run into trouble if they are used, such as in piping. "In addition, other industries are adversely affected by LEED; for example, lighting equipment, hardwood lumber and adhesive and sealants." Other plastic construction materials are also affected, said the memo, "including: vapour barrier film, composites and natural composites, foam plastic insulations..."

The Salt Lake City games and the Beijing Games also involved commitments to the LEED standard, and San Francisco's bid for the 2012 games also contains LEED features.

None of this is news, though, to the Bid Corporation. Ken Baker, Executive Director, Environment and Sustainability Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation told the Association of Professional Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC Engineers and Geoscientists of BC conference in Victoria, BC last October that the 2010 Games would be built to "at least" LEED silver standard, and that it would help make the venues "high performance buildings" that would "minimize impacts, reduce operating costs and showcase BC expertise."

RESOURCES:

LEED web site:
http://www.usgbc.org/leed/leed_main.asp

CIPA memo (PDF file)
http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:xCmhlmTAv9AJ:www.cpia.ca/files/files/files_greenbuilding_english.pdf+leed+standard+olympic&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Baker presentation (PDF file):
http://www.sustainability.ca/index.cfm?MId=126


==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/19/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |VANOC|
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE BOARD MEETING SET FOR END OF MARCH


The next meeting of the Board of Directors for the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee is sent for the end of this month.

Communications director Sam Corea says, "There will be various updates from the management team, including [CEO John] Furlong, to the Board of Directors. We will also be giving the same updates to the IOC later this month when the Coordination Commission visits town March 30-April 1."

Furlong is expected to provide an updated management plan for the Committee when the Board meets.

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/19/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Friday, April 16, 2004

Bronze Service is published regularly, but the most recent items here were provided to our subscribers about a month ago. For more timely news, please upgrade to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commerical public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze . It is also available in an XML feed: use this address: http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/atom.xml .

==================================================

Bronze Service is published regularly, but the most recent items here were provided to our subscribers about a month ago. For more timely news, please upgrade to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commerical public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze . It is also available in an XML feed: use this address: Morgan:News:2010:XML.

==================================================

Morgan News:2010 |Business|
MARKETING GROUP TO HOLD VANCOUVER SEMINAR ON 2010 SPONSORSHIPS

The British Columbia chapter of the American Marketing Association will be holding a two-hour panel discussion next month in Vancouver about how Olympic sponsorships work from several different viewpoints.

The BCAMA Director of Speaker Series, Cindy Haapanen, says the discussion panel will include:

* Steve Podborski, who turned his medal winning skiing into a national brand name
* Susan Goldsmith, Director of Partnership Marketing for the U.S. Olympic Committee at the Salt Lake City Winter Games, and
* Brad Gamble, Senior Director of Marketing for McDonalds, a Top Level Games Sponsor of the 2010 Games

Haapanen says the 250 people expected to attend will find out about "lessons, strategies and tactics" to help companies work out the details of how they might get involved in 2010 sponsorships.

The 2010 Olympics Organizing Committee's agreements with Bid sponsors expire this year, and the organization expects to start accepting Canadian-based sponsorships some time during the summer of 2005.

The BCAMA panel takes place on Wednesday, April 28th at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, 580 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, starting at 7 am.

RESOURCES:

Cost of the Panel,: BCAMA Members $35, Non Members $45
Registration at the BCAMA's website:
http://www.bcama.com (+1) 604-983-6262

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/16/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |General|
OREGONIAN NEWSPAPER PUBLISHES FEATURE ON 2010 OLYMPICS

The Oregonian, a major newspaper in Portland, Oregon, has published a major feature on the 2010 Olympics. Included is how the city's residents should consider whether to attend, and an in-depth look at Whistler.

According to the article, by Terry Richard,"When visitors to Vancouver board a cruise ship there, they will be at the city's showy waterfront convention center, site of the main media center during the games. When they watch the Portland Winter Hawks play the Vancouver Giants, they'll be in the arena where Olympic figure skating champions will be crowned. And when they ski Franz run at Whistler, or Cruiser run at adjacent Blackcomb, they will be on trails where Olympic Alpine ski races will be staged."

In the same issue, Jim Lynch has prepared another feature on Whistler and its background as it heads towards 2010. As Lynch puts it in the article:

'Mayor O'Reilly has the vague, yet ambitious, "steps" [of how Whistler will get to the Games] printed on the back of his business cards. The concept fits into his dream that people will leave the 2010 games raving about more than the events. "We're trying to push that dream really far," O'Reilly said. "That's what athletes do, and that's what we're trying to do. The gold medal for us is actually delivering on some of that."'

The full article about the 2010 Games in the Oregonian is located here:
http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/travel/107892345932540.xml

The article about Whistler is located here:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1079182999140830.xml

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/15/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Government|
PREMIER CAMPBELL CONTINUES 2010 PROMOTION TOUR

Premier Gordon Campbell, taking advantage of the legislative spring-break recess, continues to tour B.C. communities, in part to promote the 2010 Olympics and the potential benefits outside of the Vancouver/Whistler area.

In Clearwater, in B.C.'s interior, for instance, he urged the community to promote itself via tourism in the lead-up to the Games. Speaking to about 50 members of the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club and other community representatives that there were $6 billion worth of spin-offs to Australia after it hosted the Olympics.

And, he added, Calgary saw an immediate 15% increase in tourism, and another 6% in the years after it's games. He says the the Olympic Live Sites program will allow communities to participate, for example, by improving sports or cultural facilities. Funding will be 50% provincial, 50% federal.

He also noted that Vernon hosted 22 national cross-country ski teams for training before the Salt Lake City Olympics. Sixteen of them, he said, stood on the podium.

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/15/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Bronze Service is published regularly, but the most recent items here were provided to our subscribers about a month ago. For more timely news, please upgrade to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commerical public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze . It is also available in an XML feed: use this address: Morgan:News:2010:XML.

==================================================

Morgan News:2010 |Business|
MARKETING GROUP TO HOLD VANCOUVER SEMINAR ON 2010 SPONSORSHIPS

The British Columbia chapter of the American Marketing Association will be holding a two-hour panel discussion next month in Vancouver about how Olympic sponsorships work from several different viewpoints.

The BCAMA Director of Speaker Series, Cindy Haapanen, says the discussion panel will include:

* Steve Podborski, who turned his medal winning skiing into a national brand name
* Susan Goldsmith, Director of Partnership Marketing for the U.S. Olympic Committee at the Salt Lake City Winter Games, and
* Brad Gamble, Senior Director of Marketing for McDonalds, a Top Level Games Sponsor of the 2010 Games

Haapanen says the 250 people expected to attend will find out about "lessons, strategies and tactics" to help companies work out the details of how they might get involved in 2010 sponsorships.

The 2010 Olympics Organizing Committee's agreements with Bid sponsors expire this year, and the organization expects to start accepting Canadian-based sponsorships some time during the summer of 2005.

The BCAMA panel takes place on Wednesday, April 28th at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, 580 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, starting at 7 am.

RESOURCES:

Cost of the Panel,: BCAMA Members $35, Non Members $45
Registration at the BCAMA's website:
http://www.bcama.com
(+1) 604-983-6262

======================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/16/2004
======================================================================
======================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |General|
OREGONIAN NEWSPAPER PUBLISHES FEATURE ON 2010 OLYMPICS

The Oregonian, a major newspaper in Portland, Oregon, has published a major feature on the 2010 Olympics. Included is how the city's residents should consider whether to attend, and an in-depth look at Whistler.

According to the article, by Terry Richard,"When visitors to Vancouver board a cruise ship there, they will be at the city's showy waterfront convention center, site of the main media center during the games. When they watch the Portland Winter Hawks play the Vancouver Giants, they'll be in the arena where Olympic figure skating champions will be crowned. And when they ski Franz run at Whistler, or Cruiser run at adjacent Blackcomb, they will be on trails where Olympic Alpine ski races will be staged."

In the same issue, Jim Lynch has prepared another feature on Whistler and its background as it heads towards 2010. As Lynch puts it in the article:

'Mayor O'Reilly has the vague, yet ambitious, "steps" [of how Whistler will get to the Games] printed on the back of his business cards. The concept fits into his dream that people will leave the 2010 games raving about more than the events. "We're trying to push that dream really far," O'Reilly said. "That's what athletes do, and that's what we're trying to do. The gold medal for us is actually delivering on some of that."'

The full article about the 2010 Games in the Oregonian is located here:
http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/travel/107892345932540.xml

The article about Whistler is located here:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1079182999140830.xml

======================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/15/2004
======================================================================
======================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Government|
PREMIER CAMPBELL CONTINUES 2010 PROMOTION TOUR

Premier Gordon Campbell, taking advantage of the legislative spring-break recess, continues to tour B.C. communities, in part to promote the 2010 Olympics and the potential benefits outside of the Vancouver/Whistler area.

In Clearwater, in B.C.'s interior, for instance, he urged the community to promote itself via tourism in the lead-up to the Games. Speaking to about 50 members of the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club and other community representatives that there were $6 billion worth of spin-offs to Australia after it hosted the Olympics.

And, he added, Calgary saw an immediate 15% increase in tourism, and another 6% in the years after it's games. He says the the Olympic Live Sites program will allow communities to participate, for example, by improving sports or cultural facilities. Funding will be 50% provincial, 50% federal.

He also noted that Vernon hosted 22 national cross-country ski teams for training before the Salt Lake City Olympics. Sixteen of them, he said, stood on the podium.

======================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/15/2004
======================================================================
======================================================================



Bronze Service is published regularly, but the most recent items here were provided to our subscribers about a month ago. For more timely news, please upgrade to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commerical public use under conditions described at: http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/CanBronze.htm . It is also available in an XML feed: use this address: http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/atom.xml

==================================================

Morgan News:2010 |Business|
MARKETING GROUP TO HOLD VANCOUVER SEMINAR ON 2010 SPONSORSHIPS

The British Columbia chapter of the American Marketing Association will be holding a two-hour panel discussion next month in Vancouver about how Olympic sponsorships work from several different viewpoints.

The BCAMA Director of Speaker Series, Cindy Haapanen, says the discussion panel will include:

* Steve Podborski, who turned his medal winning skiing into a national brand name
* Susan Goldsmith, Director of Partnership Marketing for the U.S. Olympic Committee at the Salt Lake City Winter Games, and
* Brad Gamble, Senior Director of Marketing for McDonalds, a Top Level Games Sponsor of the 2010 Games

Haapanen says the 250 people expected to attend will find out about "lessons, strategies and tactics" to help companies work out the details of how they might get involved in 2010 sponsorships.

The 2010 Olympics Organizing Committee's agreements with Bid sponsors expire this year, and the organization expects to start accepting Canadian-based sponsorships some time during the summer of 2005.

The BCAMA panel takes place on Wednesday, April 28th at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, 580 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, starting at 7 am.

RESOURCES:

Cost of the Panel,: BCAMA Members $35, Non Members $45
Registration at the BCAMA's website:
http://www.bcama.com
(+1) 604-983-6262

======================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/16/2004
======================================================================
======================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |General|
OREGONIAN NEWSPAPER PUBLISHES FEATURE ON 2010 OLYMPICS

The Oregonian, a major newspaper in Portland, Oregon, has published a major feature on the 2010 Olympics. Included is how the city's residents should consider whether to attend, and an in-depth look at Whistler.

According to the article, by Terry Richard,"When visitors to Vancouver board a cruise ship there, they will be at the city's showy waterfront convention center, site of the main media center during the games. When they watch the Portland Winter Hawks play the Vancouver Giants, they'll be in the arena where Olympic figure skating champions will be crowned. And when they ski Franz run at Whistler, or Cruiser run at adjacent Blackcomb, they will be on trails where Olympic Alpine ski races will be staged."

In the same issue, Jim Lynch has prepared another feature on Whistler and its background as it heads towards 2010. As Lynch puts it in the article:

'Mayor O'Reilly has the vague, yet ambitious, "steps" [of how Whistler will get to the Games] printed on the back of his business cards. The concept fits into his dream that people will leave the 2010 games raving about more than the events. "We're trying to push that dream really far," O'Reilly said. "That's what athletes do, and that's what we're trying to do. The gold medal for us is actually delivering on some of that."'

The full article about the 2010 Games in the Oregonian is located here:
http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/travel/107892345932540.xml

The article about Whistler is located here:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1079182999140830.xml

======================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/15/2004
======================================================================
======================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Government|
PREMIER CAMPBELL CONTINUES 2010 PROMOTION TOUR

Premier Gordon Campbell, taking advantage of the legislative spring-break recess, continues to tour B.C. communities, in part to promote the 2010 Olympics and the potential benefits outside of the Vancouver/Whistler area.

In Clearwater, in B.C.'s interior, for instance, he urged the community to promote itself via tourism in the lead-up to the Games. Speaking to about 50 members of the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club and other community representatives that there were $6 billion worth of spin-offs to Australia after it hosted the Olympics.

And, he added, Calgary saw an immediate 15% increase in tourism, and another 6% in the years after it's games. He says the the Olympic Live Sites program will allow communities to participate, for example, by improving sports or cultural facilities. Funding will be 50% provincial, 50% federal.

He also noted that Vernon hosted 22 national cross-country ski teams for training before the Salt Lake City Olympics. Sixteen of them, he said, stood on the podium.

======================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/15/2004
======================================================================
======================================================================


Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Bronze Service is published regularly, but the most recent items here were provided to our subscribers about a month ago. For more timely news, please upgrade to our Gold or Silver service at http://www.Morgan-News.com/2010/ . Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commerical public use under conditions described at: http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/CanBronze.htm and it is also available in an XML feed using this address: http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/atom.xml

==================================================

Morgan News:2010 |Sports| Summerland mogulist to begin $50,000 fundraising campaign for Olympics this month

Kristi Richards, the winner of this year's moguls championship at a NorAm freestyle ski competition, will be given her first sponsorship cheque on February 13 in her hometown of Summerland, B.C.

The donation marks the beginning of a $50,000 fund-raising campaign she says she will need to help her train for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The money will come from a donation by a local business, Willowbrook Lane.

"I am dedicating every moment of every day to make the 2010 Olympics as successful as possible for myself and the B.C.", she says.

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/13/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Government| Winter Games part of tourism coverage in new TV ads for key markets

Andy Orr, the B.C. government's communications director, says 30-second TV commercials have been booked to promote tourism, including the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, along with various other economic aspects.

The ads will only appear in B.C.'s key tourism markets of Toronto, Los Angeles and Seattle, and run for about two months.The ads, featuring Canada's flag, says that British Columbia is Canada’s Pacific gateway. It also talks about construction, golfing, logging, rafting, and skiing in B.C.

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/10/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |VANOC| IOC Co-ordination Commission to tour 2010 venues again

The International Olympic Committee's Vancouver Co-ordination Commission will revisit all the venues in the 2010 Bid Book so that new Commission members can be brought up to speed on the scope of the Games. The Commission oversees the development of the Vancouver Games for the IOC; similar commissions are established for each set of Games.

Sam Corea, Director of Communications for the OCOG, says the tour will be part of the agenda for the Commission's semi-annual meeting with the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, and it will be the first chance for the four new Commission members to meet John Furlong, the newly named CEO of the Organizing Committee. The meeting will take place on March 31, April 1 and April 2, likely at the Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver.

The Commission will also hear "economic and community" status briefs from the Vancouver Organizing Committee staff behind closed doors; a news conference is expected to take place on the final day.

The Commission toured the venues last fall, but new appointments to the Commission were confirmed last month.

The new members of the nine-person Commission are:
* Fraser Bullock - USA (IOC Member, past Organizing Committee representative)
* Ottavio Cinquanta - Italy (IOC Member, International Federation representative)
* Gian-Franco Kasper - Switzerland (IOC Member, International Ski Federation)
* Gunilla Lindberg - Sweden (IOC representative)


==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/10/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |VANOC| Organizing Committee monitoring "sweatshop" protests

The Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee is keeping an eye on the development of a national awareness campaign by Oxfam about some apparel companies using so-called "sweatshop" factories to produce Olympic-branded clothing.

But, Sam Corea, Director of Communications for the OCOG, says it's far too early for the Organizing Committee to decide what conditions might be required during the 2010 licensing process. The V-OCOG is not expected to begin accepting applications for licensing until the middle of next year, and the concepts of how the bid process would work, and the decisions about what would be in the bid documents for various categories of sponsorship and licensing have not yet been taken. At a minimum, the Vancouver committee is expected to be asking for applications involving clothing, collectibles, novelties and stuffed toys.

Corea notes that 2010 organizers, as they assembled the Bid Book that led to Vancouver's selection for the Games, discusses the concepts of sustainability and environment in its oversight of the development of the Games, "and, considering the make-up of the current [Vancouver] city council and mayor, it's safe to say these concepts are very important to them. It's not a leap to suggest these issues [Oxfam's protests] would be considered."

Corea notes the International Olympic Committee only deals with two clothing firms and has strict guidelines in place for it, however the IOC leaves it up to the organizing committees of various games to decide what arrangements to reach as they license national manufacturers. "We're hoping, of course, that because these are B.C. games, B.C. manufacturers would be involved in order to bring economic and community benefits to British Columbia," adds Corea.

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/10/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |VANOC| (Feature) Vancouver OCOG marketer warns businesses that Olympics branding will be gold but guarded

Linda Harmon, a member of the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee's marketing team, warned a women's business group in Vancouver today that the Committee will be closely guarding the use of the Olympics name and other branding aspects of the 2010 Games.

Harmon told about 200 business women at the Opportunities 2010 Workshop, part of the Women's Enterprise Society of B.C., which is funded by the federal government's Western Economic Diversification Canada, that the V-OCOG has already begun to notice businesses using Olympic trademarks illegally. "We are seeing infringing in the marketplace now. We know there is a great desire to satisfy market demand, but we are responding to some of the illegal uses of the marks."

Harmon told the group that US$1.38 billion of the OCOG's US$2 billion budget would be generated by the Vancouver Committee's revenues. About half of that comes from broadcast rights, and about a third would come from sponsorships and other types of marketing. She said that use of the branding would need to be closely guarded and restricted to what she called "2010's authorized users" in order to protect the significant investments sponsors are expected to make.

"If we are going to make this work, we have to protect the branding. We need the support of everybody for this. Sponsorships and royalties are a proven and effective way to finance the Games, but sometimes it's a tough message."

Harmon, who previously worked on Calgary's Winter Games in 1988 and the Winnipeg Pan American Games in 1999, focuses on licensing and sponsorship. She is writing part of the 2010 Games marketing plan but said it has not yet been finalized. However, she provided some general outlines of the directions taken, culled from previous games and her own experience.

She told the group that the Vancouver OCOG underlying theme is that everything it does is "all about the athletes, our ability to host them, and show them what a good job we can do" for them. But, she pointed out, there is nothing in the organization's vision statement that says "make a lot of money, even though we have to figure out ways of funding the Games." She added, "The Olympics will have an effect on this province that is quite far-reaching."

Harmon said there will be about 5,000 athletes, coaches and trainers at the Games, "plus small groups coming here for various test events, to test out our facilities and our organization." There will be 10,000 media from around the world, and 250,000 visitors during the Games.

Top level sponsors negotiate directly with the International Olympic Committee for packages of games and those covering the 2010 Games include Visa, General Electric, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, ManuLife, Kodak, Panasonic, Xerox, Atos Origin and Lenovo. Swatch, she says, is expected to finalize its negotiations shortly.

She says the top five sponsorship levels are expected to contribute US$605 million. "These sponsors are very sophisticated when it comes to working with the Games and figuring out how to leverage their marketing with them. Some of them have been doing it now for five or six Games and they're good at it." She says the use a range of channels:

* A hospitality program to bring in clients, and, she says, they will probably hire between 150 and 300 people locally to support the program; premiums, which are products bundled with Olympic branding;

* Contests, usually involving local people to supervise;

* Employee programs

* Market repositioning - "The Olympics high profile allows these companies to move products 'outside of their box'"; and

* Brand profiles.

She also notes that experienced sponsors are "very respectful of the Olympics".

Harmon told the group, "The Olympics is an opportunity to inspire a company to do something different, to introduce something new, to stretch beyond what they would normally do."

Harmon, noting again that the Vancouver marketing plan was not yet approved, said that Tier 1 national Canadian sponsorship level would be about US$20 million per category, and that probably eight to 10 companies would be in this section. "For Tier Two and Tier Three, it would cost about US$5 million and up, and that would be either in cash or value-in-kind." She said that the OCOG would focus first on companies that could help it cover specific budget line items before moving on to other priorities.

She said that these national sponsors would get rights and benefits to use Olympic branding and trademarks, including Canadian teams, the right to be associated with Vancouver 2010 programs, which will be announced later, the right to introduce premiums, access to hospitality programs and access to Vancouver 2010 transportation arrangements.

Harmon expected that things like pins, typically a $4.95 value, would be expected to bring in significant revenues in North America - "that's not the experience of Torino [Italy], but it's the experience here."

She noted that the Vancouver 2010 Committee had reached an unusual arrangement with the IOC when it acquired the rights for an eight-year offering, from 2005 to 2012, for sponsorship arrangements. That, she points out, includes connections for sponsors to the 2006 Games in Torino, the 2008 Games in Beijing, Vancouver 2010 games, and the 2012 games, the host city of which has not yet been chosen. "It's quite unusual to offer such a long period of Olympic sponsorship."

She also said that website sales would be watched carefully because the Olympic organization awards rights on a national basis, and that each country's franchise is limited to its national borders. "Websites are available internationally, however. It's going to be interesting to see what happens with websites. At the moment, we're restrained from doing anything commercial on websites. It's going to be interesting to see what happens with them."

Harmon said, again in general terms, that the Vancouver OCOG would focus on manufacturers and wholesalers for licensed merchandise - such as souvenirs and collectibles - with a selection emphasis on going with companies that have quality, licensing experience, distribution and connection with consumers. "We want the materials, T-shirts, jackets, caps, drinking glasses and the like, to be made as widely available to consumers as possible. In the past, companies that could get the materials to gas stations, for instance." She noted that bid sponsorships conclude at the end of this year, and that she expected Vancouver to begin inviting applications "in mid-2005." She noted that during the Calgary games, 50% of the manufacturers were Canadian, and that the Organizing Committee's preference would be to use Canadian manufacturers, but she pointed out that price-point considerations would also come into play because of volumes involved may not allow Canadian companies, with their shorter runs, to produce souvenirs and other merchandise for a price that consumers would be willing to pay.

There was one category that would be closed, she noted. Because Swatch was expected to be a Top-Level sponsor, watches and clocks would not be one of the categories open for applications, since the Swiss company would have rights to that area. "We still have to sort out which categories we'll offer," she said.

The new logo, she said, would be unveiled next February 12, in connection with the five-year-out mark, and the mascot, which would normally be rolled out two or three years before the games, "might be out sooner. We'll see."

National sponsorships, she says, will be worth US$300 million, merchandise sales are expected to contribute US$23 million, tickets, which will go on sale in 2009, are expected to generate $1.41 million. Generally, she said, licensing would work like this. A company would figure out how much more business it could do with Olympic branding in a business plan and the royalties to the Vancouver Organizing Committee would be based on it. For example, she said, if a company felt it could do an extra $1 million, the royalty would be roughly 10%. The company would then guarantee that $100,000 to the Vancouver Organizing Committee. "It's your plan, your guarantee." She noted that the larger the guarantee, the more likely the application would be noticed by the V-OCOG. "Once that target is reached, we all win. If a company exceeds the target, the royalty would continue to be 10% of the additional."

Harmon said that the V-OCOG would be willing to look at groupings of companies joining together to make or produce items, to achieve better costs and increase the royalty guarantee. Such groups had occurred, she said, in Winnipeg, for instance, in the production of apparel but that it was still relatively unusual. She said that experience also shows that it is more efficient and cost-effective for manufacturers to share sales agents for different categories. "It's better for a sales agent to come to a distribution operation with a range of categories, than it is for one agent to arrive and talk about one thing, and another agent to show up a few minutes later and talk about another category." She also says the V-OCOG expects to have workshops for sponsors, and licensees as they sign-on.

RESOURCES

Vancouver Olympic Committee PDF file about logo and brand use:
http://www.winter2010.com/nr/winter2010/delete/TransitionlogoguidelinesJul31.pdf


==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/9/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================

Wednesday, April 07, 2004

Bronze Service is published regularly, but the most recent items here were provided to our subscribers about a month ago. For more timely news, please choose our Gold or Silver service at http://www.Morgan-News.com/2010/ . Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commerical public use under conditions described at: http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/CanBronze.htm and it is also available in an XML feed using this address: http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/atom.xml

==================================================

Morgan News:2010 |Business| "Fierce fight" developing in England over 2010, 2012 European broadcasting rights

The Evening Standard newspaper of London England, says a "fierce fight" is developing for the television broadcasting rights of the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games, with the focus on 2012, where half a dozen European cities, including London, are interested in hosting those games.

Reporter Adrian Warner says BBC, ITV and Sky networks have all expressed interest in broadcasting the 2012 games, which the IOC has packaged with the European broadcasting rights for the 2010 Winter games in Vancouver. He confirms an earlier report by Morgan:News:2010 that senior officials, which the newspaper says were from both ITV and Sky, have held discussions with the International Olympic Committee ahead of today's launch of the European TV tender process for the two groups of Games. The BBC has broadcast the Games in England for the past 25 years.

The newspaper says ITV has not taken up an option to broadcast the Olympics since 1980 and Rupert Murdoch's Sky has been restricted in the past by Olympic rules on guaranteeing terrestrial, free-to-air coverage of the event.

But Michael Payne, the IOC official in charge of the bidding process, which begins today, told the newspaper that significant changes were coming "with the end of analogue TV in the next few years when every home will have a digital TV box. " He was quoted as saying, "In theory that throws open the whole listed events legislation. Technically by 2010 and 2012 everybody has a digital box, which means a broadcaster like Sky is available in every home. With the digital world, you could have a dedicated channel for each sport. "

The main Olympic coverage by the BBC is protected by a law Parliament approved years ago. This package of 200 hours includes the opening and closing ceremonies, and main sports like athletics and swimming. But there are about 4,000 hours of TV produced at the Summer Games, and so the rest is available for bid. The newspaper speculated that one broadcaster might be interested in bidding on wall-to-wall coverage of one sport, such as the soccer tournament.

European broadcasters have until April 22 to submit their bids to the IOC.

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/4/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Business| Telus opens Centre for Sport in Vancouver to centralize 2010 sports focus

Telus, the telecommunications company, has opened the Centre for Sport in Vancouver, an operations headquarters that it says will focus key sport agencies on improving Canada's athletic performance on the road to the 2010 Winter Games.

The Telus Centre for Sport, at 1333 West Broadway , will house:

* PacificSport Group - B.C.'s network of Sport Performance Centres
* PacificSport Canadian Sport Centre of Vancouver
* National Coaching Institute - British Columbia (Vancouver Campus)
* The Sport Medicine Council of B.C. (SportMedBC)
* Canadian Snowboard Federation (CSF).

The centre provides office and meeting space for these organizations so they can concentrate on promoting performance in amateur sport and prepare athletes and coaches.

Rob Cruickshank, Telus executive vice president, says the collaborative new environment will be a hub for management, training and education for the B.C. sport system. "The Telus Centre for Sport demonstrates our commitment to sport and the pursuit of performance excellence. Telus has a proven track record of supporting professional and amateur sport and it will continue to help Canada's athletes as they work towards achieving their athletic dreams."

The president and CEO of PacificSport Canadian Sport Centre in Vancouver, Wendy Pattenden, says she's pleased, "TELUS has taken a leadership role by strongly supporting the Canadian sport system through various sponsorships and community investment activities such as the Telus Centre for Sport. Telus' resources and technology will help develop Canada's young athletes into champions."

Telus and Sport BC have also agreed to work together over the next four years to promote sport development in B.C., leading up to the Winter Games in 2010. The partnership includes Telus' support for the production of the 2004 Athlete of the Year banquet on March 9, which recognizes exceptional accomplishments of young athletes across the province. Telus has also committed to Sport BC's charitable arm of KidSport, which provides provincial grants to young athletes to offset sport program fees as a way of ensuring more children are physically active through sport. The fund supports the belief that young people can learn more than athletic skills from sport and that it provides a life-long opportunity for self-expression and self-discovery.

Sandra Stevenson, president and CEO of Sport BC said, "Telus has provided a catalyst for the sport system. The TELUS high performance centre right next door to Sport BC is the first phase of our Sport Campus dream and their support for KidSport helps us get closer to our goal of ensuring the slogan 'All Kids Can Play!' comes true."

Telus says it is also going to support Freestyle and Snowboard Olympic hopefuls by setting up a $60,000 athlete travel-grant program. This program provides financial assistance to allow young athletes to travel to competitions across the country. Twenty exceptional Canadian freestyle skiers and snowboarders, aged 16 to 20, have been chosen to receive a $1,000 travel grant each year for the next three years.

Telus has also teamed up with former Olympian Steve Podborski, who lives in Whistler, to promote a campaign called "Orca in the City " at the new Centre. As part of a B.C. Lions Society project, Orcas in the City will encourage artists, local businesses and individuals to work on fundraising using ornately decorated Orcas to benefit the Easter Seal Kids and Canucks for Kids Fund. A variety of sponsored Orcas in the City will soon appear in prominent public areas throughout the Lower Mainland between May and October 2004.


==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/4/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |General| Prince George Initiatives funded for 2010 North program

Initiatives Prince George, an organization with the mandate to bring business and jobs to the north-central British Columbia City, has been given $70,000 by its City Council to develop plans connected with the 2010 Olympics.

Kathie Scouten, Manager of Corporate Affairs for Prince George Initiatives, which has an overall budget of C$1.77 million, says, "We'll make it happen. We'll be looking at a part-time, dedicated staff person to work with [our] Steering Committee, some communications material development - such as a web site, collateral, advertising - and relevant travel. This money will be leveraged by all the community partnerships brought to 2010 North, including those at Initiatives Prince George." Scouten says the 2010 Olympics is an opportunity to increase the capacity of all Prince George's economic development activities, while building Olympic pride.

Scouten says the main project will be to work on the Northern Sport Centre concept with community partners, especially the University of Northern British Columbia. "Over the next year, in addition to this project, we'll accelerate our work with community partners to take advantage of other 2010 opportunities.

For example," she says:
* "We'll work with the Regional Marketplace, a local group that supports suppliers in procurement through an online network, to help local businesses adjust to [Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee's] bidding opportunities.

* "We will work closely with the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club as they gain profile hosting the 2005 Canadian Cross Country Ski Nationals here in Prince George.

* "We're working with GamePlan and Pacific Sport [to develop] a national Cross-Country and Biathlon athlete training Centre of Excellence here, with 12 stakeholders signed on from areas such as sport, education [and] business.

* "We'll work with the Northern BC Tourism Association to connect tourism opportunity in the north with 2010.

* "We may also look at expanding this initiative regionally, to build collective impact from the north."

Scouten says PGI will continue to figure out the assets the city has and position them to connect with the 2010 games. "For example," she says, "[Prince George has] one of the only ice surfaces in the province that can be expanded to Olympic size.

Prince George is one of the cities in British Columbia that has been strongly supportive of the Vancouver/Whistler bid for the Winter Games. The 2010 North organized one of the largest bid award ceremonies outside of the Lower Mainland last summer, with more than 1,000 on hand to celebrate.

Adds, Scouten, "We're keeping the momentum going."

RESOURCES:

Initiatives Prince George:
http://www.InitiativesPG.com

The University of Northern British Columbia, Northern Sport Centre overview
http://www.UNBC.ca/nsc

Northern B.C. Tourism:
http://www.NBCTourism.com/


==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/8/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================

Friday, April 02, 2004

Bronze Service is published regularly, but the most recent items here were provided to our subscribers about a month ago. For more timely news, please choose our Gold or Silver service at http://www.Morgan-News.com/2010/ . Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commerical public use under conditions described at: http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/CanBronze.htm and it is also available in an XML feed using this address: http://www.morgan-news.com/2010/atom.xml

==================================================

Morgan News:2010 |International| Travel guide publisher tells readers Vancouver excited about 2010 Games

Frommers, an international publisher of more than 300 travel and guide books, says Vancouver's excitement about hosting the 2010 Winter Games is "palpable."

And, author Alexandra de Vries told her readers in an on-line update to its "Vancouver & Victoria, 2004" book, which covers Vancouver, Victoria, Pacific Rim National Park and Whistler, "With [The Winter Olympics] still six years away, preparations are already visible, and the excitement in the city is palpable. Prices on real estate, restaurants and hotels are sure to go up. Fortunately, at present, fabulous restaurants and accommodations are still a steal in Vancouver and Victoria, compared to Toronto or Montreal."

RESOURCES:

Frommers Update:
http://www.frommers.com/activities/winter_sport/article.cfm?articleid=1753&destid=WINTRSPORT

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/3/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |VANOC| Furlong says Games Master Plan to be complete "within weeks"

Vancouver 2010's Chief Executive Officer, John Furlong, says he is working on completing the Games Master Plan.

Furlong says, "The Master Plan is essentially a long list of planning milestones. That plan will be complete within weeks and the IOC will require us to perform against that plan. The challenge for us is to perform ahead of that curve, so that our reputation is enhanced, and that the world begins to hear that in Vancouver things are good, that we're performing well, that we're ahead of schedule."

Furlong will get the chance to report on the progress of the Games when the International Olympic Committee's commission for 2010 arrives in Vancouver on March 31.for it's second meeting since Vancouver was awarded the Games.

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/3/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |IOC| IOC starts tendering process for 2010 European broadcasting rights

The International Olympic Committee will open the tendering process tomorrow for the sale of the Olympic Broadcast Rights in Europe for the Vancouver/Whistler Olympic Winter Games in 2010 and the Games of the XXX Olympiad in 2012.

The Invitation To Tender issued by the IOC provides bidders with guidelines for transmitting Olympic broadcast material within Europe "to ensure that it meets the highest possible standards and reaches the broadest possible audience," according to IOC President Jacques Rogge. Four separate broadcast-media packages will be available: audiovisual transmission; mobile platform transmission, audio transmission and shared fixed memory media, which is DVDs and video tapes.

For the first time, the IOC will launch a public advertising campaign in major European newspapers inviting all broadcasters of the region and other organizations to submit tenders. The IOC announced earlier this year that it would consider all options - that is, pan-European, multi-territory or country-by-country.

In his message to potential bidders, Rogge says: "The IOC is committed to running a fair and competitive tendering process, designed to select the group of broadcasters and media companies that can best serve the ideals and interests of the Olympic Movement. We will be looking at offers expanding the promotion and coverage of the Olympic Games, embracing new technologies, broadening the choice for viewers, and guarantee the widest possible audience for the Olympic Games."

The IOC First Vice-President Dr Bach, who is coordinating the European negotiations says, "Over the past few months the IOC has seen a high level of interest from various broadcasters and media organizations throughout Europe to acquire future broadcast rights. The IOC will base its final decision on the financial offers and other factors including the level and quality of coverage and promotion of the Olympic Movement."

Bidders are requested to submit their offers by April 22 at 5 p.m. to a public notary in Switzerland. The next day, the IOC President and Dr Bach will open the envelopes in the presence of the notary. Depending on the outcome of the examination, further steps in the process will be taken.

The timeline is short because the IOC has been working with consultants since last fall on setting up the parameters for the process and interested broadcasters will already be well advanced in preparations for the tendering announcement.

The International Olympic Committee's traditionally sells Olympic rights to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which negotiates collectively for all European public service broadcasters, including the British Broadcasting Corporation.

The Olympics are protected under UK legislation and can only be screened by a terrestrial broadcaster there unless express permission is given by regulators. Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation put in a bid for the Olympics the last time the TV rights were on offer in 1996. But although he outbid his rivals, the Olympic committee gave the rights to the EBU.

The IOC has already sold the US TV rights to the 2010 and 2012 Olympics to NBC for about C$3 billion

RESOURCES:

IOC administration:
http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/index_uk.asp

International Olympic Committee
Château de Vidy
1007 Lausanne
Switzerland

Tel: (41.21) 621 61 11
Fax: (41.21) 621 62 16

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/2/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |General| Shape of 2010? Athens Olympics to be guarded by three foreign navies

Three foreign navies will patrol the waters off Greece in August to guard the Athens Olympics against terrorism, according to the Australian newspaper The Herald Sun in a report filed from Athens.

"The international contingent will be headed by the US Sixth Fleet, which will be closest to the Greek capital. The Italian Navy will guard the Greek west coast, leaving Turkish personnel to patrol the nation's eastern coastline, where Australian athletes will compete in rowing," according to the newspaper

"The precise co-operation with NATO has not been formalized yet, but there has been an understanding that the alliance would be on standby for any kind of emergency," Greek Defence Minister Yianno Papantoniou said. A NATO rapid-reaction force will be stationed on standby, an official told the newspaper.

The deployment of foreign navies is the latest step in the process to turn Athens into a fortress from August 13-29.

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/2/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Business| Telus to announce sport, community investments for 2010 lead-up

Telus is about to make what it calls "significant announcements regarding the launch of new amateur sport and community investment initiatives in B.C. leading up to 2010."

The announcement will be made in Vancouver on Thursday at noon. Telus says John Les, the B.C. government's Minister of Small Business and Economic Development and the minister responsible for sport and the Olympic games will be in attendance, "along with other champions in and of sports."


==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/2/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Business| 2010 Chair Poole wins B.C. tourism industry award

Jack Poole, Chair of the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation, has won the Tourism Industry Leader of the Year Award at the Fifth Annual British Columbia Tourism Industry Awards at the Victoria Conference Centre.

The awards recognize innovation and excellence in the province's tourism industry. The British Columbia Tourism Awards were presented by Tourism British Columbia and the Council of Tourism Associations of British Columbia. The awards were hosted in conjunction with the Eleventh Annual BC Tourism Industry Conference.

Poole won the award, said organizers, because he played an instrumental role in bringing the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to Vancouver. He oversaw the development of the winning bid, working with multiple partners and ensuring that the needs of different communities throughout British Columbia were considered.

Tourism British Columbia is a Crown corporation that operates under an industry-led board of directors and is responsible for marketing British Columbia internationally.

RESOURCES:

Tourism B.C.
http://www.tourism.bc.ca

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/2/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Government| West Van public feels highway bypass better for 2010 Sea-to-Sky upgrade

Area residents and the B.C. Trucking Association are both saying they think a four-lane highway that would cost $130-million but bypasses Horseshoe Bay on the Sea-to-Sky road to the Whistler portion of the 2010 Olympics will be cheaper and will move more traffic than a tunnel option favoured by local governments.

Most of the 150 area residents who responded in writing to requests for input from the B.C. Highways ministry to consider four options that included two different tunnel designs and a two-lane northbound road that would twin the existing highway, said they preferred what was known as "Option B", while West Vancouver council prefers "Option D", a $170 million kilometre-long tunnel.

The 11.5-kilometre section that moves traffic between Nelson Creek and Sunset Beach, is part of the $600-million upgrade to the highway, scheduled to be finished in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics. No decision has yet been made on the southern part of the rebuild, and more public input will be sought.

RESOURCES:

Sea-To-Sky Highway Upgrade Project:
http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/epic/output/html/deploy/epic_project_home_192.html



==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/2/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |General| First new 2010 facility breaks ground in Vancouver

The first new facility to be used for part of the Winter 2010 Olympic Games has broken ground with a ceremony in Vancouver that, in standard fashion, involved a number of politicians and funding partners wielding shovels for a few moments.

The 44,000 sq. ft., $6.1 million Millennium Sports Centre, being built adjacent to Nat Bailey Stadium, is not specifically designed for the Winter Games, nor were the Games in mind for most of its gestation. It will actually include a new indoor lawn bowling centre and gymnasium, allowing Phoenix Gymnastics and Pacific Bowls to improve the quality and scope of the services they offer to their memberships. And it will be used for a number of other community activities.

However, spokesman Kevan Tisshaw notes that the Centre, which has been under development for nearly a decade, is in the 2010 Bid Plan as a support facility to the 2010 Curling Venue. The Centre will be curling media's centre. And, he adds, "Our space will also be used for training by elite winter athletes preparing for 2010."

RESOURCES:

Millennium Sports Centre:
http://www.millenniumsportscentre.com/


==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/2/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |IOC| IOC says its new, formalized info-transfer program between Games cities is working

Rene Fasel, Chairman of the IOC's Co-ordination Commission for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, says that improvements in the IOC's bid process, together with the Transfer of Knowledge program, where experience from one host city is shared with the next, led to "a speedy and effective transition from candidate city to host city" for the Winter Games in Vancouver.

The Salt Lake-to-Vancouver transfer program is the first one implemented by the IOC.

Fasel, speaking Sunday in Athens at the end of a week-long meeting of the IOC's executive Board to review the status of various games in preparation, also formally congratulated the newly appointed CEO of the Organizing Committee, John Furlong. The IOC Board heard status reports about Athens, Turin Italy and Beijing.

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 3/1/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |Sports| Calgary's Olympic Park open to newcomers; offers athletic development prizes

Dawn Walton says her amateur attempts to try out the luge, bobsled and skeleton circuits at Olympic Park in Calgary Friday, along with many others who took part in an open house at the Park, were exhilarating, but only preteens and young teenagers who start now will have enough time to develop for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

The Park this weekend is offering prizes of up to $1,000 to people who want to try their hand at competing on the same course that will be used to host world championships next year in the sports.

The Calgary Olympic Development Association opened up the park for all comers to encourage new people to try the sports, in an effort to find future Olympic champions: including those for 2010.


==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 2/28/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |IOC| IOC President offers pointers to 2010 Games during Athens press conference

IOC president Jacques Rogge, during a press conference in Athens Saturday where the next Olympics will be held this summer, offered some of his key interests in all upcoming games. He spoke following a week-long meeting of the IOC Executive Committee.

His comments offer tips and direction between the lines to those involved in the 2010 Games:

* Athens security: "It's an unprecedented effort of Greece and seven other major counties" who are providing security at the games.

* "We want secure games in a peaceful environment, very good facilities for athletes, very well run venues, sufficient volunteers, very good media capacities." He said the broadcast facilities and co-operation were particularly important because although there are expected to be 1.5 million visitors to the Greek Games, "There will be 40 million viewers around the world."

* "Will there be difficulties of the games. Of course there will be. There are difficulties in all games. Staging Games is always difficult."

* Am I concerned about the state of Games? I am always concerned until the day after the last athlete has left after the last day of the games."

==================================================================
Originally published to Morgan:News:2010 subscribers on 2/28/2004
==================================================================
==================================================================


Morgan News:2010 |IOC| McDonald’s to officially flip patties at the 2010 Olympic Games

McDonald's, the international hamburger chain, will be serving Big Macs at the 2010 Olympics after the corporate giant set a new record for the number of games it has included in the deal to renew its sponsorship with the International Olympic Committee. The amount of money involved was not disclosed.

The IOC said today that McDonald's has extended its global sponsorship agreement through the Games of the XXX Olympiad, in 2012. This marks the first time that McDonald's has renewed its sponsorship to include four consecutive Olympic Games.

It gives the company exclusive marketing rights in the restaurant and food service category. The company also is allowed to use the Olympic rings in global marketing efforts and gets exclusive sponsorship rights with Olympic teams around the world.

With this partnership renewal, McDonald's joins Coca-Cola, Atos Origin (formerly Schlumberger), General Electric, John Hancock, Kodak, Panasonic, Samsung, Swatch and Visa in The Olympic Partner program, which helps to run the games.

The agreement with the Olympic Movement