Morgan:News:2010:Bronze Edition: May 2004

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Morgan:News:2010 |IOC, Labour|
FASEL FRETS ABOUT NHL PLAYERS IN TORINO BUT NOT 2010 VANCOUVER GAMES

2010:NewsWatch

The chair of the International Olympic Committee Commission which oversees the development of the 2010 Winter Olympics says he's confident that National Hockey League players will take part in the 2010 Games, but he's not so sure about the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy.

Rene Fasel, who is also the head of the International Ice Hockey Federation, said in a Reuters interview in Prague that if the NHL goes on a protracted strike as forecast this fall, the Commissioner of the NHL, Gary Bettman, was unlikely be able to confirm players from the teams would be playing in Italy for three weeks the following winter by the January 2005 deadline the NHL needs.

Fasel said to reporter Alan Crosby,"Gary Bettman has told me that for the NHL to send players to the 2006 Olympics, they have to decide by January 2005. But that decision would be part of an agreement with the NHLPA [the players' association], so if there is no agreement and no hockey in January, then they cannot commit to playing in Torino."

NHL players first represented national teams during the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, with the League taking a three-week break, allowing the cream of the players to travel, but that decision took years of negotiations to achieve. The move was repeated in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, when Canada defeated the U.S.

Fasel, however, said: "Whatever happens in 2006 has nothing to do with 2010 in Vancouver. If the NHL doesn't come to Torino, they can still play in Vancouver."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/26/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC|
VANOC BEGINS LOOKING FOR MID-LEVEL MANAGERS AND SECRETARIAL HELP

The Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) has begun looking for mid-level managers and secretarial help in several key administrative areas. Finance, procurement, administration and scheduling are the hot list for the moment.

VANOC documents say, "We are looking for exceptionally talented, flexible, energetic leaders with excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills to contribute their knowledge, vision and forward thinking... Experience in a project-driven environment - where budgets and timelines are a challenge - is key."

There's no time deadline. VANOC officials say at this point, they're looking for resumes, which will be kept on file for six months. If a position becomes available which matches the person's skills and background, they will be contacted; if not, VANOC says people can simply resubmit their resume.

VANOC is looking for, on the finance side, a "senior expert in budget planning and control, policy writing." Financial reporting and management is one of the essential requirements, along with "experience in a project-driven environment."

For procurement, VANOC wants senior people who know about the public tender process, requests for proposals, writing contracts, who can maintain" internal customer satisfaction," as well people who are good at "defining, documenting and implementing policies and procedures."

On the scheduling side, the Committee is looking for people with planning-and-process development, who know how to use scheduling tools such as Microsoft Project and Primavera, and who have construction scheduling expertise. VANOC wants those applying to have extensive experience with multi-level project schedules, and "exceptional communication and interpersonal skills." It says that experience in developing customized project-tracking and project-monitoring tools is essential because the environment will be "task-driven, time-sensitive." And the documents add, "Previous multi-sport games experience an asset but not required."

Administration requirements at the moment include executive assistance for several departments, providing clerical and secretarial services and that these people, "may report to multiple individuals."

In addition, the administrative duties include: managing day-to-day activities of department heads, scheduling calendars, screening and responding to e-mail and voicemail, making appointments, co-ordinating meetings, preparing agendas and minutes, coordinating travel arrangements, ensuring ongoing accessibility to information and individuals by people inside and outside of VANOC, managing and maintaining the organization's filing system, preparing letters, correspondence and reports, filing, faxing, photocopying...

VANOC has leased two floors at 1095 West Pender for occupancy in June for the fourth floor and August for the fifth floor, with executive offices located on the fourth level and a cube farm on the fifth. The floors, which VANOC expects will be filled within 18 months, provide for about triple the current staffing level of 40, which includes full time, part time and consultants.

RESOURCES

E-mail address for submitting a resume:
human_resources@vancouver2010.com

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/26/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |Paralympic|
PARALYMPICS TOLD 5% OF VOLUNTEERS WANT TO WORK EXCLUSIVELY FOR DISABLED ATHLETICS

The executive group of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), which met in The Netherlands over the weekend, says that research is showing that about 5% of people who have volunteered for this August's summer Olympics in Athens want to work exclusively for the Paralympics.

The results have planning significance for the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee in working out the staffing requirements of the Paralympic Games, which start March 12, 2010, about two weeks after the Winter Games finish, and use many of the same facilities. The Athens report to the IPC this weekend showed that of the 152,164 volunteer applications received by Greece, 25% want to work for both the Paralympic and Olympic Games, while the balance are only interested in the Olympics themselves.

The Vancouver volunteer roster, built during the Bid process, was about 20,000, but that is expected to dip and then build again as 2010 nears and volunteer recruitment efforts by the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee begin in later years. The rule of thumb is that a Winter Olympics is about a third the size of a summer Olympics, indicating that VANOC should be looking for about 50,000 volunteers for the 2010 Games overall, and that about 2,500 of those would be interested in working exclusively for the Paralympics portion, with about 12,000 interested in working for both the Olympics and Paralympic Games. But these figures are still quite rough at this stage.

The IPC is the international governing body of sport for athletes with a disability. It supervises and co-ordinates the Paralympic Summer and Winter Games and other multi-disability competitions, such as the World and Regional Championships. The IPC, headquartered in Bonn, Germany, also supports the recruitment and development of local, national and international athletes.

The executive committee also had a look at the first draft of the organization's Constitution and bylaws, which will be approved by the 2005 IPC General Assembly. Nomination and election procedures for the IPC Governing Board, which will replace the current EC in 2005, and which may have an effect on how the 2010 Winter Games are organized, were also discussed. IPC President Phil Craven, speaking after the meeting at the Papendal Sport Centre in Arnheim, said: "A lot of work was done in essential areas specifically regarding the new governance principles, but also concerning sport, branding, sponsorship and development."

The Executive Committee was also told that 115 national Paralympic committees (NPCs), all sports and all International Organizations of Sport for the Disabled have now signed the World Anti-Doping Code. Any NPC, which has not signed the Code, will not be allowed to participate in the Athens Paralympic Games. The International Olympic Committee has taken the same position.

The executive committee was also told that four new NPCs were approved for membership: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iraq and Nepal, bringing IPC membership to 160 national organizations.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/26/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC|
TEAM 2010 HELPERS AWARDED GROUP VOLUNTEER AWARD

Team 2010 volunteers from Vancouver and Whistler have been given the Community Service Award, Group Category, at Volunteer Vancouver's Recognition Awards this month.

Team 2010 volunteers helped acquire about 150,000 supporter signatures, part of the 2010 Winter Games Bid. The volunteers represented the Bid at numerous community events and functions and helped operate the Bid's information centres in Vancouver and Whistler. A Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee spokesman says "Their contribution was an essential component of producing the winning bid."

RESOURCES

Volunteer Vancouver website:
http://www.volunteervancouver.ca/

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/26/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |IOC, VANOC, Business|
IOC CHECKS EUROPEAN BROADCASTING RIGHTS AS VANCOUVER 2010 AWAITS FUNDING NEWS

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today began reviewing the offers tendered for the Olympic broadcast rights in Europe for the 2010 Winter Games and the summer games of 2012. The rights are sold as a package of two games.

And, for the first time, a significant bidding process was used, replacing a system in which specific national and transnational European broadcasters were awarded the broadcast rights. The bidding closed last night at 5 p.m. Lausanne, Switzerland time, with the packages to remain sealed overnight.

Four separate broadcast-media packages were available under the bidding process: audiovisual transmission; mobile platform transmission, audio transmission and shared fixed memory media, which is DVDs and video tapes.

Also for the first time, the IOC conducted 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.

An IOC representative says, "The IOC has received numerous offers, all delivered this morning in sealed envelopes to the IOC headquarters by the Lausanne-based public notary, to whom bidders had to submit their proposals." Each envelope was opened by IOC president Jacques Rogge and Dr Thomas Bach, who is the IOC vice-president and the co-ordinator of the European negotiations, in the presence of the notary, and began to examine each proposal examined in detail. The range of bid amounts was not immediately disclosed.

After having reviewed the various offers, the IOC says it "will now immediately proceed with discussions and negotiations with a number of bidders."

"We are extremely satisfied with the number and quality of the proposals that we have received today, which underline the confidence of broadcasters, media companies and the general public in the Olympic Games," Rogge says. "This very high interest demonstrates the clear potential to increase the coverage and the promotion of the Olympic Games, and the value of Olympic broadcasting rights in Europe."

The International Olympic Committee has traditionally sold 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.

However technology is forcing significant changes were coming, as European receivers go digital. In theory that throws open the whole listed events legislation. If, technically, by 2010 everybody has a digital TV box. It could mean that a satellite broadcaster like England’s Sky TV would be available in every home. A digital world could mean a dedicated channel for each sport. "

Although the package bidding war in Europe has been focused on the 2012 Games - which have not yet been awarded to a city, but which is widely expected to take place in Europe - the bidding has considerable significance to the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee. Broadcast rights funding plays a large part in the revenue picture of the 2010 Games.

The American rights-holders for the 2010 and 2012 winter and summer Games were finalized last June. NBC paid US$2.201 billion for the package of those two games, with $820 million of that assigned to Vancouver's Games. Five percent of that is about US$13.6 million.

CBC paid US$160 million for the rights to broadcast within Canada all the summer and winter Games from 2000 in Sydney to 2008 in Beijing, but the bidding has not yet been finalized for Canadian rights to the 2010 Games.

Also, under the Host City Agreement it signed with the IOC when it won the Games last summer, the IOC will withhold 5% of the money destined for VANOC "in relation to the sale of all broadcasting rights and the International Programme." It's to be added to what the Agreement calls a "retention fund," which now holds a US$1 million“good-faith payment advanced by VANOC last year as surety for the Games. The Agreement, in section 43, specifies that the IOC's Executive Board "in consultation with" VANOC, will determine how the funds will be used "in relation to the organization of the Games" and VANOC's obligations.

According to the document, once VANOC has provided a final accounting of the Games "and the resolution of any outstanding disputes which affect the IOC", the money in the retention fund will be returned, with interest.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/23/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |Business|
WHISTLER BLACKCOMB REORGANIZES MEDIA-RELATIONS DEPARTMENT AS VENUE WORK BEGINS

Whistler Blackcomb, the Intrawest firm that operates the Blackcomb Mountain ski facilities in Whistler, has reorganized its media-relations section of its marketing arm as the 2004 skiing season ends and venue work begins for the Nordic Centre and Sliding Centre venues for the 2010 Olympics.

Stuart Rempel, VP Marketing & Sales, says "Our top priority is to ensure that our media and industry relationships are maintained. We always want our colleagues to have a familiar face to call at Whistler Blackcomb. We have worked hard to be available and responsive to media enquiries and establish our department as a trustworthy source of information. This will continue to be of utmost importance to us."

Whistler Blackcomb is still searching for a new manager for the department. This person would be responsible for the development and implementation of Whistler Blackcomb's national and international public-relations strategies, as well as government and community relations plans.

BACKGROUND

The new people and roles include:

Lauren Gehlen, Special Projects Coordinator - Destination Market - She's responsible for destination media enquiries including ski/snowboard, mountain biking and Whistler Blackcomb Athletes Relationship programs. 604.938.7349, lgehlen@intrawest.com
Kim Muller, Senior Public Relations Officer - Regional Market - She's responsible for Vancouver and Whistler-area media enquiries, as well as snow sport and commercial filmmaking. 604.938.7359, kmuller@intrawest.com
Chris Strome, Senior Communication Officer - Regional Market - He's responsible for in-resort and external information distribution as well as crisis communications. 604.938.7111, cstrome@intrawest.com
Jeremy Roche, Marketing Coordinator - Washington State - He's responsible for Washington State based print and television media. 604.938.7373, jroche@intrawest.com
Cecillia Lescano, Administrative Assistant - Cecillia will work with both the marketing and public relations departments and will help media deal with their itineraries. 604.938.7346, clescano@intrawest.com

RESOURCES

Intrawest's website:
http://www.intrawest.com

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/23/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |General|
SALMON ARM OLYMPICS COMMITTEE BEGINS RESEARCH WORK

A committee of people in the Okanagan community of Salmon Arm, in B.C.'s south-central area, has begun work on exploring the opportunities that the 2010 Olympic Games can bring to the town.

A spokesman says that Ideas involving the use of the Sunwave Centre, the town's recently constructed curling facility, which is in the process of acquiring adjacent land to expand the number of sheets to three, and other winter facilities in the area are being explored.

The committee is generally thinking that Olympic contingents from some of the small countries expected to attend the Games in Vancouver or Whistler could find Salmon Arm attractive because of the location and distance from the high costs of the Whistler/Vancouver area.

Salmon Arm joins the list of about 80 communities in British Columbia with similar committees

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/23/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |Sports|
39 SKATERS START 2010 PROGRAM IN BURNABY THIS WEEKEND

Thirty-nine young skaters from around British Columbia are gathering in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby this weekend for the beginning of Sport B.C.'s high performance 2010 Olympic Game Plan Team.

The athletes were notified by letter last month, and have been monitored since.

Andre Bourgeois, Director of High Performance and Olympic Development for the BC/YT Section of the SkateCanada office wrote the letters to the children, aged 12 to 16 and invited them to com to Burnaby 8 Rinks.

The camp runs about six hours a day. It will include seminars, core strength and dry land training as well as three on-ice sessions. According to Bourgeois' letter, the athletes made the initial selection to the the Game Plan Team "based on your skill level versus age, your performance during the last two (competitive) seasons and your possibilities of making the 2010 Canadian Olympic Team."

The first year of the Team program focuses on seminars and competitions. This weekend marks the first of three mandatory seminar sessions, with the other two being held June 17-20 and August 25-28 . The camps have six coaches - three from Canada and three from Russia.

Bourgeois said the Game Plan is funded by the provincial government's LegaciesNow program "to assure that British Columbians have a better chance of making the 2010 Olympics or post Olympics. We have roughly 12,000 skaters in B.C., and out of that just over 500 compete regularly, so these 44 that have been selected are the best in their age groups. They're definitely talented young athletes - a cut above, and the ones we feel show potential," he said. "Our job now is to help mold them."

The athletes pay for their own expenses and must set short-term and long-term goals. Their performance over the following year will be measured against those targets, with cuts coming after each competition.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/23/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |Business, Sports|
BIATHLON, CROSS-COUNTRY NATIONAL TRAINING CENTRES TO BE ESTABLISHED IN PRINCE GEORGE

Twelve key local and provincial organizations have signed an agreement in principle, which they call "historic", to bring national-level training centres in cross-country skiing and biathlon to Prince George with the goal of putting Canadian athletes on the 2010 Olympic podiums.

Geoff Paynton, the president of PacificSport for Northern BC says, "The next step is to develop specific agreements between Biathlon, Cross Country and the funding partners. At the same time the surrounding community support systems will begin to be developed."

And, he added, "This agreement and the potential benefits it brings for sport development in our region, and in particular cross country skiing and biathlon, cannot be overlooked. The support systems that would be developed for these Centres will benefit coaches and athletes in all sports and have very positive long term lasting effects on sport as a whole in our region."

Paynton says the agreement outlines in general terms what each organization would be prepared to bring to the table to make the Centres happen, "and takes the process of officially establishing these GamePlan Performance Centres to the next level."

"These GamePlan Performance Centres," he says, "will develop elite level athletes and coaches with the ultimate goal of placing athletes, and in particular BC athletes, in cross country skiing and biathlon on the Olympic Games podium in 2010 and beyond."

The key initial funding partners in these Centres will eventually be 2010 LegaciesNow Society under the GamePlan BC name, Cross Country BC, Biathlon BC and PacificSport Regional Centre-Northern BC. Other partners in the agreement include the University of Northern British Columbia, the City of Prince George, the College of New Caledonia, the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club, the Prince George Chamber of Commerce, School District #57, the Cranbrook Hill Greenway Society and the 2010 North and Initiatives Prince George.

Georgia Manhard, the Coaching Development chair of Cross Country BC's Board of Directors says, "The athletes that are being developed in northern BC need and deserve a high-level training centre program, located in their region, that can help them take the major step from local club to the National Ski Team. The establishment of a Centre of Excellence will provide an essential component in the regional, provincial and national athlete development system for Cross Country Skiing."

Jeremy Campbell, President of Biathlon BC, adds, "We are very excited about the potential we see for our sport with this agreement."

UNBC President Charles Jago says, "The diverse range of educational opportunities in Prince George – everything from high school to doctoral degrees and a new medical program – will be of tremendous value to athletes who wish to pursue sport without sacrificing their education."

Brian Sutherland, President, Prince George Chamber of Commerce. says business is on board for the program as well. "Prince George is the perfect location for a centre of excellence for Biathlon and Cross Country training. Our climate and snow conditions, as well as the terrain, are perfect. We have the enthusiasm to fully embrace this exciting event. And, we have the facilities for communication, transportation, and accommodation which we can rely upon to support our eagerness to successfully put this project together. On behalf of the entire business community in Prince George, we look forward to the boost that a project of this kind will give to our citizens and our economy. The support systems that will be available as a legacy to our city will benefit coaches and athletes in all sports and have positive long term lasting effects on sport in our region."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/23/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |Sports|
PRINCE GEORGE CIVIC SPORTS OFFICIALS TO MAKE 2010 ANNOUNCEMENT TOMORROW

Geoff Paynton, the President of PacificSport Regional Centre for Northern BC, says "an important announcement, directly affecting Prince George, with regards to elite winter-sport development leading up to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be made" in the British Columbian north-central city tomorrow. He did not elaborate.

Paynton says that besides his own organization, Marion Lay, president of the provincial government's 2010 LegaciesNow Society, as well as representatives from two sports organizations, Biathlon BC and Cross Country BC, along with two organizations focused on enhancing Olympic Games benefits in northern British Columbia - 2010 North and Initiatives PG - and several other community organizations will be on hand for the announcement, which will follow a Prince George Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/22/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC|
FURLONG TELLS WHISTLER THAT 2010 OLYMPICS ABOUT CANADIAN ACHIEVEMENT

The CEO of the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC) told civic officials during his first speech in Whistler since being appointed to the job in March that the 2010 Winter Games will be focused on the ultimate in sports, but that it is an opportunity for Canada.

In a speech that emphasized his philosophy about the Games, he said, "The world will see perfection, and say, ‘Canadians are good. Working with them is worth it." And, he added, "This is our chance to show people what we can be. It’s an opportunity we have, and nobody is blocking our path." Furlong was speaking to a crowded Whistler Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.

"We’re all in this together," he told them. "We have to be selfless to a fault. The people of this country are going to put the Games on. Is it possible we can steal the mantel to be the best?" he asked, rhetorically. "The expectations are high, to do something not only for the province and the country, but the world.”

He added that,“In the end, what’s important is that everyone involved can say we were honorable, and that we kept every promise we made. This year is critical, as the world will see the Canadian organization as one that’s staying on target and keeping its promises."

He told the group that “Through the power of this opportunity, we can impact dramatic change in this country about the value of sport. We should accept nothing less than the best we can do; to give every child in this country the chance to say that they know what it’s like to play sports." If that were the case, he said, "We have surely served our communities, our families and our country with distinction."

Furlong told the business leaders, “If we hold hands and stick together, we can do something extraordinary for the world.”

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/22/2004

Friday, May 21, 2004

Morgan:News:2010 |Business|
BELL LIFTS CORNER OF VEIL ON WINTER 2010 SPONSORSHIP STRATEGY

Bell Canada's vice-president for Western Canada, Paul Healey, has revealed part of the company's strategy to be the official telecommunications supplier and exclusive telecommunications sponsor at the 2010 Olympics, a position also coveted by Telus Communications.

Healey told the Globe & Mail that Bell has reached a deal to be the telecommunications sponsor at Cypress Mountain, just north of Vancouver, until 2012. Cypress will be the location for freestyle skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Healey told the paper the deal does not include the two weeks of the Games as an official Olympic contract. It does, however, position the company during its bid for official Games contracts, which are not expected to be awarded until at least next year.

"We've been working on an overall strategic plan for partnerships in Western Canada and a strategic plan with respect to the Olympic process of going after sponsorship of telecommunications for 2010," Healey said to the Globe & Mail today.

Healey said freestyle skating is an important event for sponsorship because of the news coverage it generates. Freestyle's significant sponsors include Bell, the Royal Bank of Canada and Canada Post.
Healey said Bell will also develop a terrain park at Cypress for snowboarders, and sponsor the C.

The Canadian freestyle team was ranked No. 1 in the world, winning the Nations Cup on the World Cup tour. Healey says Bell will sponsor the team up to $1 million between now and 2007.

"We're visualizing the young people who train at the new terrain park Bell will outfit as our next generation for the 2010 Games," Healey told the newspaper. "We see ourselves as an innovative and exciting telecommunications company. They're innovative, they push the edge of technology in skiing, and it's a direct fit."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/21/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |General|
BC ROUND-UP OF 2010 OLYMPICS NEWS

Here's a quick round-up of Olympics 2010 news from around British Columbia:

The B.C. Recreation and Parks Association 2004 Symposium, Trade Show and Annual General Meeting, from April 29-May 1 at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre in B.C.'s Okanagan region will include key speeches from John Furlong, president and CEO of the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation and Marion Lay, president of the provincial government's 2010 Legacies Now Society. Association represents about 3,300 parks and recreation people who work as staff or directors of various agencies, or as commissioners, board members, fitness instructors, students and volunteers. About 500 delegates are expected at the conference.
The Gitxsan Treaty Society, an aboriginal organization located in northwestern British Columbia, will receive C$50,000 for a community building in the Hazelton area. The Society will be involved in developing strategies for developing tourism in the area, including opportunities offered by the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The money is part of more than $4 million from the federal/provincial Softwood Industry Community Economic Adjustment Initiative, going to northwestern B.C. to help communities affected by the softwood lumber dispute between Canada and the United States.
The town council of Smithers, in north-central British Columbia, has provided C$1,000 for the town's 2010 Olympic Opportunity Committee "for special projects funding" in its latest round of annual grant-giving. The list projects were not immediately available. The amount, however, was out of a total C$224,000 worth of community grants offered.
A letter is going out soon from the Village of Cache Creek in central B.C. to all the communities' organizations asking for people to sit on an Olympics 2010 Committee.
The Mayor of Port Moody, Joe Trasolini, has appointed two people with Olympic connections to be the chair and vice-chair of the 2010 Olympic Committee for the community, about 20 kilometres east of Vancouver. Trasolini says he hopes the Committee will help the community take advantage of various opportunities and increased tourism stemming from the Games. The chair is Les Wilson, a former coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer team who was represent Canada at Olympic and World Cup events while managing the Canadian National Soccer Team from 1983 to 2000. The vice-chair is Julie Hunter who holds Canadian and Commonwealth weightlifting records, and who also worked as a communications manager for Sport BC. Last year she helped manage the media centre at the World Weightlifting Championships, and has attended and volunteered at four Olympic games, two Commonwealth games and the Pan Am games.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/21/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |IOC|
COC ADOPTS NEW STRATEGIC PLAN THAT COVERS 2010 WINTER GAMES

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) wrapped up its three-day Congress weekend in Montreal with a series of strategic directions that encompass the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The COC’s Board of Directors - made up of representatives from all 51 Olympic and Pan American National Sport Federations in Canada - formally endorsed the COC as the official advocacy voice for what it calls "high-performance sport" in Canada.

The endorsement gives the COC the authority continue its lobbying efforts with the federal government and other funding organizations.

The COC Board also endorsed an eight-year strategic Plan, from 2005 to 2012 which builds on the COC's vision of making Canada one of the top performing sporting nations in the world, with the goal of "engaging Canadians in the Olympic Movement and sport in Canada." The overall mission statement for the COC, as outlined in the strategic plan, is to achieve podium success at Olympic Games and to advance the Olympic Movement in Canada. The plan outlines key objectives and strategies on how the COC will achieve its mission over the eight-year period.

The Board also endorsed a four-year funding plan, which runs from 2005 to 2008. The model, it says, integrates all of the COC's current funding programs under its Canadian Olympic Excellence Fund, and invests the largest portion of funds into sports having demonstrated the potential to put athletes on podiums and for athletes that have the potential to place in the top 8 positions at Olympic Games

The Board also approved an amendment to the COC's anti-doping policy that adds an additional sanction to the two-year period of ineligibility for a first-time offense for a serious doping violation under the World Anti-Doping Code. The additional punishment will prevent the banned athlete from competing in the next Pan American, Olympic Summer and Olympic Winter Games. Such a sanction would not have an affect on the 2010 Games unless the offense occurred after the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/19/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC|
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR NORDIC, SLIDING CENTRE DESIGNS NOW EXPECTED LATER THIS YEAR

The Communications Director of the Vancouver Winter Olympic Committee, Sam Corea, said today that, "We're looking at the second half of the year to move to the next stage of planning for the Nordic and Sliding Centres."

That's somewhat delayed from when the next stage was expected to go out, suggested during planning information circulated two months ago. At that time, it was expected the Requests for Proposals would be offered in April to the companies on the design short list developed recently by VANOC. No reason was given for the delay.

Construction of the first major new venues for the 2010 Winter Games is scheduled to start in the spring or summer of 2005, with detailed requests for design proposals being sought later this year from a short list of firms that sent in their formal Statement of Qualifications in response to a VANOC request for expressions of interest (EOI).

Corea says, "We had strong interest to the EOI." Following analysis of the 43 firms involved in the expressions of interest, and the documentation they supplied, Corea says a total of 27 design firms submitted a total of 68 applications. All but two of the firms, he notes, are from the Vancouver or Whistler area, one is from Washington State in the United States, and one is from Austria. A number of the firms have team members from USA and Europe.

The firms were required to submit separate submissions for each package for which they were interested in applying. The three design packages for the C$65 million Whistler Nordic Centre are:

General Site Engineering
Detailed Design - Ski Jump
Detailed Design and Site Master Plan - Cross-Country Venue and Biathlon Venue

The two design packages for the C$31 million Whistler Sliding Centre are:
General Site Engineering
Detailed Design and Site Master Plan - Bobsleigh, Luge and Skeleton Venue

The details of VANOC's current approaches to the projects were sent to subscribers last week [Morgan:News:2010:Number:248:4/14/2004], along with an access link to the names of all the firms responding to the EOI, and their contact information.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/19/2004

Sunday, May 16, 2004

Morgan:News:2010 |IOC, Sports|
CANADIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE HIKES FUNDING LEVELS FOR ATHLETES

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) will provide C$3.2 million in additional funding through its Canadian Olympic Excellence Fund to support Canadian athletes this year and says similar funding for winter athletes will be provided later this year.

The new money is the result of a new portion of its athlete review model, first introduced two years ago and which is likely to have a significant effect on 2010 athletes if the direction continues.

The new funds announced today include C$900,000 in direct grants to athletes and C$2.3 million to support summer athletes and teams with the greatest potential for success at the upcoming Olympic Games in Athens.

This funding is in addition to the C$7 million the COC is investing to send and support the Canadian Olympic Team in Athens. An additional C$900,000 - in the form of individual grants of approximately C$5,000 - will go directly to athletes who achieved a Top 5 performance placing in the world in 2003 competition.

To determine how the funds would be allocated, a Sport Review Committee of sport technical representatives met with each of Canada's summer national sports federations between October and December last year to identify the athletes, teams, coaches and programs with the highest probability of achieving Top 8 results in future Olympic and Pan American Games. The primary considerations in making the funding decisions were top five finishes in 2003, the achievement of performance benchmarks set by the federations in 2003 and potential for success in 2004.

The COC established the committee and the sport review process in 2002 to better assess each sport's probability of success at upcoming Olympic and Pan American Games as a basis for sound funding decisions. The Sport Review portion is a new part of the model for funding support with the principle of performance accountability and return on investment as a requirement of funding.

The Excellence Fund, which was launched by the COC in 2003 to support the objective of achieving podium finishes, has so far provided a total of C$8.4 million in funding support to athletes and the sport community.

To generate additional investment in the Excellence Fund, the COC is continuing its fundraising efforts with partners and donors in the business and philanthropic community.

RESOURCES

The Canadian Olympic Committee's Donations web page:
http://www.olympic.ca/EN/getinvolved/donations/index.shtml

COC's sponsorship web page:
http://www.olympic.ca/EN/organization/sponsors/sponsors.shtml

The COC's Director of Business Affairs, direct line: (+1) 416.324.4132 lbeatty@olympic.ca

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/16/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC|
2010 COMMITTEE CEO FURLONG TALKS ABOUT EVENTS THAT INSPIRED HIM

2010:NewsWatch

John Furlong, the CEO of the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, told Richmond Review newspaper today about the events that inspired him during his life, including inspiration from Olympic events long ago.

Furlong told sports columnist Don Fennell that he competed internationally in basketball and squash, with recreation being the prime motivator for taking up squash as an adult. He says, however that by 1987 Furlong represented Canada at a world championship level. He told Fennell that his biggest dream, competing at the Olympic Games, eluded him. "There's nothing worth achieving that doesn't have high risk attached," Fennel quotes him as say. "I was on the Olympic team [for Ireland] but we didn't make it. It was one of the great regrets because there's nothing like getting there. [As hosts of the Olympics] this is an opportunity we all have. It's just another way."

He also told Fennell that he was inspired as child by American Billy Mills who won the men's 10,000 metres at the 1964 Games in Tokyo, Japan, in an upset victory. "When I learned of what he'd gone through to become an Olympian and how he went from doubt to realizing he could be the best it changed my view of human potential." Also on the list for admiration: British hurdler David Emery, who, Fennell says, once told Furlong that preparation was a requisite for success. Emery explained, Furlong told Fennell, that no matter how hard others trained he was prepared to do more.

He also told Fennell of a time when he was 19 and played for a Gaelic football team. A fan asked for an autograph, which Furlong gave him. Furlong continued the story: "I wear your number," the boy told him proudly. Furlong told Fennell, "I should have said 'No, I wear your number.' People are always watching you. You can either choose to do something good with that, or ignore your responsibility. I think we all have to understand the things we get are intended to remind us that there are things to give. Good fortune should be shared and if we won't share who will?"

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/15/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |IOC, Sports|
COC AND QUEBEC FOUNDATION OFFER C$1.2 MILLION FOR QUEBEC-BASED ATHLETES

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and la Fondation de l’athlete d'excellence du Québec (FAEQ) are providing C$1.2 million in additional funding to support Quebec-based athletes in 2004, setting the scene for funding directions for the 2006, 2008 and 2010 Olympics.

COC Vice-President Walter Sieber says,"It's important to work with other sport organizations to ensure high performance athletes receive the support they need to achieve excellence."

The COC is the largest private funder of high-performance sport in Canada. The non-profit organization is helps to manage Canada's involvement in the Olympic movement, and manages a variety of programs that promote the Olympic movement in Canada culturally and educationally. FAEQ has partnerships with business, education and sports.

Through the COC's Canadian Olympic Excellence Fund, a total of C$295,000 will be distributed to 59 Quebec-based athletes who achieved a Top 5 performance in international competition in 2003. Each athlete will receive a grant of approximately C$5,000. The athletes receiving cheques at a presentation ceremony in Montreal earlier today included speed skaters Clara Hughes, Mathieu Turcotte, Amelie Goulet-Nadon, Jean-Francois Monette and Tania Vicent;as well as snowboarder Jasey-Jay Anderson;, along with other sports figures.

The COC's Excellence Fund will also provide an additional C$472,000 this year to Quebec-based summer athletes through their National Sport Federations (NSFs), coaches and the Centre National Multisport in Montreal.

The FAEQ, which has been funded high-performance athletes in Quebec since 1983, said today it will provide C$400,000 in bursaries to Quebec athletes this year.

Through its Excellence Fund, the COC is providing a total of C$900,000 to Canadian athletes across Canada who achieved a Top 5 performance in international competition in 2003. The COC is also distributing a total of C$2.3 million to NSFs, coaches and Canadian Sport Centres across Canada to support summer athletes training for the Olympic Games in Athens in August. This funding is in addition to the C$7 million the COC is investing to send and support the Canadian team in Athens.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/15/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC|
(FEATURE) 43 COMPANIES INTERESTED IN WORKING ON 2010 NORDIC AND SLIDING CENTRES

Forty-three companies have formally expressed interest to the Vancouver Olympic 2010 Organizing Committee that they'd like to work on the Whistler Nordic Centre and Whistler Sliding Centre, the first major venue construction project undertaken for VANOC.

VANOC staff are now reviewing the experience and qualifications of the firms, which are virtually all from British Columbia, to ensure they can perform the necessary services, then they'll be offered a formal Request for Proposal, thus starting an otherwise open bidding process.

Design and construction of both venues will need at least one consulting team with expertise in general site engineering and the specialized expertise required to undertake a detailed design of the facilities for the various events. VANOC says it expects the projects will follow the stipulated-sum design-bid-build construction process.

Construction of the WNC is expected to begin either late this year or early next, and be completed by October, 2007. Temporary Olympic facilities on the locations are expected, according to VANOC, to be set up in June 2009, and completed in January 2010. (A three-page PDF file of the names of the companies and their contact information is available. See RESOURCES, below).

The Whistler Nordic Centre (WNC) will be the site of cross-country skiing, biathlon, ski jumping and Nordic combined events. It will also host the cross-country skiing and biathlon events at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, which follow the Winter Olympics, in March, 2010. The Nordic Centre will be located in the Callaghan Valley, just south of Whistler. The overall cost estimate it according to VANOC documents, is estimated at C$65 million for the permanent parts, not including the access roads. The cost of the temporary Olympic sections are to be covered by VANOC's operations budget.

The Whistler Sliding Centre (WSC) will be the site for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events of the Olympics, and is to be located at the base of Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler, in an area covering about 35 hectares. VANOC expects the WSC "will be used following the Games for World Cup, CanAm, Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Toboganning and Federation Internationale de Luge events for the sliding sports resulting in continuing economic and promotional opportunities."

The WSC will be located at Blackcomb Mountain on a bench near the Lower Gear Jammer ski run, above the Excalibur Base II station. This is an area within Blackcomb's existing ski area boundary and currently used for recreation and maintenance storage as well as road access to Blackcomb Skiing mountain operations. There are two independent companies in the area involved, one offering snowmobiling and all-terrain-vehicle tours, and another operating a what it calls a “Ziptrek” adventure on Fitzsimmons Creek. Blackcomb Skiing has its operations, maintenance and equipment storage on site. Now that the 2004 skiing season has ended at Blackcomb, work is beginning on its end to remove all the facilities and equipment of its own, and the other companies are also planning similar work.

The WSC track would be between 1,300 and 1,450 metres long, depending on the sport run. It would extend from an elevation of about 1,020 metres and drop to 820 metres, allowing for a series of banked curves and at least two straightaways. A viewing area with capacity for 10,000 to 12,000 people during the Games is proposed for the WSC, however there will only be temporary seating for 6,000 people at each event plus standing room. The total construction cost is budgeted for C$31 million, with the temporary Olympic facilities also coming out of the VANOC operations budget. Roughly a third will go to the development and construction of the buildings, and two-thirds to the track and its related facilities.

VANOC's goal is to make the WSC "a world-class destination for sliding sports, and to maximize year-round use of the venue for sport development of BC and Canadian athletes as well as international training. It would also benefit from the international tourism traffic that comes to explore Whistler. Experience at tracks around the world suggests that tourist use of the track, in both summer and winter, is a critical input into the ongoing economic sustainability of the facility and minimizes the endowment funds that need to be established for ongoing operation. Whistler is an ideal location for revenue generation given the characteristics of the visitors to the resort."

VANOC says it is directly hiring the run-dynamics consultants, who will be developing the design for the actual track. Work on that aspect is expected to be well advanced by the time the design/construction team is selected. Trail designers for the Biathlon and Cross-Country trail network, which are expected to be the same firm, are also going to be hired directly by VANOC.

(More details about the expected use and facilities of the Centres is listed in the BACKGROUND section of our report, below.)

Besides confirming that the 43 companies have the necessary financial ability and experience to take on the tasks, the Committee is also requiring them to have expertise in "environmentally sensitive design and energy-saving methodology including 'Green Building' design standards."

The provincial government has ruled that the Nordic Centre requires an environmental assessment and certificate, and has assigned Jan Hagen of the Environmental Assessment Office as Project Director to oversee this aspect.

The Nordic Centre will be located in the drainage basin for Madeley Creek. (See the BACKGROUND section for preliminary environmental aspects.) Whichever firm is eventually chosen to oversee the project's design and construction, which won't come until after a bidding process is completed, will have to incorporate "sustainable environmental technology" in the project. In real terms, that includes ensuring the buildings are set back from waterways, and there's ample water-runoff collection systems and similar mitigation work done, among other things. In fact, a large part of the best-practices portion of VANOC's requirements deal with sustainability and environmental direction.

The companies won't need to do preliminary grunt-work on the ground. That's already has already been completed for the WNC as the first part of a two-stage environmental assessment process. Ground mapping, for the trails and venue sites, conceptual design and preliminary road-upgrade plans have all been finished. A preliminary assessment of potential environmental effects resulting from the development, operation and post-Games use of the proposed venues and infrastructure has also been completed.

Among other things, the first phase flagged "potential direct, residual, and cumulative impacts to geophysical, hydrological, atmospheric, biological" aspects of the venue. It also dealt with land-use resources as well as identified some possible mitigation strategies to offset any potential impacts.

They've also done an archaeological-impact assessment, and two First Nations Traditional Use studies. (There are strong traditional ties to the Callaghan Valley for both the Squamish and Lil’Wat First Nations.) Archeology isn't expected to be an issue in the venue area. The Squamish Nation's “Wild Spirit” sacred place is outside of the proposed venue areas.

Stage 2 of the assessment process is now underway by VANOC consultants. It involves a detailed study of the final venue plans.

VANOC is not the only organization looking at the Callaghan Valley. The British Columbia government is also developing concept plans for the Valley, which until now has only been used for some forestry and mining work.

RESOURCES

A PDF file of listing the names of the companies expressing interest in working on the Nordic and Sliding Centres is available at:
http://www.Morgan-News.com/2010/SupportFiles/2004-04/NordicEOIfirms.pdf

BACKGROUND

THE WINTER NORDIC CENTRE

The Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee intends the Winter Nordic Centre (WNC) to be designed so as to provide a permanent sports facility for both recreational and competitive participants, summer and winters. A VANOC staffer says the Committee is still working on how it hopes the facility will be used after the Games. "The goal is to make the site a world-class destination for all the Nordic Sports, and to maximize year-round use of compatible outdoor recreational sporting activities."

Development of the WNC is expected to provide:

Permanent infrastructure for the Nordic Sports, sufficient to host World Cup events and other competitions
Summer training opportunities for a number of other sports
Opportunity for nordic-sport development, ranging from the club level all the way to international events.
Opportunity for mountain-biking sport development and recreational riding
Additions to the tourism infrastructure in the so-called Sea to Sky Corridor that connects Vancouver with Squamish and Whistler
Economic opportunities for aboriginal groups in the Whistler area.

The completed facility is expected to include access road and parking areas.

The projected Olympic attendance capacity is expected to be between 10,000 and 12,000 people, plus a crush of media and Games officials, in each of the three Nordic venue areas, which are all going to be within walking distance of each other. The general idea is to provide temporary seats and space for people to stand in the finish area and along the cross-country skiing, biathlon and recreational trails. There will also be several jumps: 65 K, 90 K and 120 K Ski Jumps, as well as development jumps.

The Centre will also have athlete and recreational-support facilities, such as including a day lodge, sport operation buildings and a maintenance facility. The jump hills are expected to include plastic matting and ceramic rails to allow summer training and Grand Prix competitions.

Also needed as the Games near: temporary facilities, such as tents for media and volunteers, wax cabins, broadcast and media compounds as well as parking space for Games officials and the like.

The eventual design-built team chosen by VANOC will need to provide a variety of services under the contract that is expected to be let later this year. The services include: Site clearing and grubbing, stripping and preparation, provision of main services and utilities for the site, such as construction services, water and sewer systems - including treatment and storm systems, electrical power and distribution, communications systems, a gas and fuel system, garbage and waste disposal and a fire protection system.

The winning team will also provide protection for existing wet lands, rock removal works, a number of services dealing with aggregates - sourcing, crushing and stockpiling. It will also work on parking lots and roads, the necessary site preparation and co-ordination with ski trails as well as maintenance roads and access trails. Included in the planning will be a maintenance compound and facilities for the Centre. They will also be directing other consultants hired by VANOC, who will be doing geotechnical, surveying and mapping, hydrological work, environmental and additional archaeological investigations.

The team will also have to co-ordinate with the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways as it designs and builds the main Callaghan Valley access road, and reworks the old North Air Mines upper level road , which is being upgraded and extended. And they will also have to deal with VANOC "staff, stakeholders, regulatory agencies, utility firms," and the public as VANOC requires.

The preliminary environmental assessment of the site concluded that further project design and management plans need to consider that:

Some loss of fish habitat is possible and mitigation will be required
There might be some changes to the groundwater because of the new paving and other structures;
Although the area was logged in the past, the Centre will have some effect on 4.23 ha of second growth forest other ecosystems
It'll look a bit bare and ugly until screen vegetation takes hold.

THE WHISTLER SLIDING CENTRE

As for the Whistler Sliding Centre, it will involve land preparation and construction or installation of the track, including track weather protection, some road and parking-lot improvements, a refrigeration plant and piping systems, some athlete and recreational support facilities, standard site servicing (sewage, water, power and communications), and various temporary and permanent facilities, including start houses, sport operation buildings, a weigh house, a control tower and a maintenance facility.

There's a batch of site preparation work that needs to be done, according to VANOC documents. Clearing in an area of second growth forest would be required for track development. Plumbing and refrigeration systems, including hydrants, need to be installed along the length of the track. The track design also includes facilities such as start and finish structures, timekeeping and signal booths, a first aid centre, a media centre, a bobsleigh shelter, and an open-air warm-up area for the athletes. Paved service roads would be constructed adjacent to the track to allow for bobsleigh transport and track maintenance.

The design team is expected to be providing much the same sort of services listed above as required for the Nordic Centre.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/14/2004

Morgan:News:2010:Bronze edition * Published 5/16/04
Editorial tips, ideas, events:
Days until the 2010 Winter Olympics (February 12-28, 2010): 2128
(5 years 9 months 26 days)
Days until the 2010 Winter Paralympics (March 12-21, 2010): 2156
(5 years 10 months 26 days)
Morgan News: 2010 * Copyright 2004 * Vancouver, B.C. Canada

Thursday, May 13, 2004

Morgan:News:2010 |Sports, IOC|
COC, QUEBEC FOUNDATION TO PROVIDE GRANTS TO QUEBEC WINTER-SPORTS ATHLETES

The Canadian Olympic Committee and the Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence (la Fondation de l'athlete d'excellence du Quebec , or FAEQ) say they will make "a major funding announcement to benefit Quebec athletes" on Thursday.

There will be several Quebec "high performance" athletes in winter sports on hand to accept cheques for grants "designed to support their commitment to sport excellence," according to a COC source, who declined to talk about amounts involved.

They include Clara Hughes (long-track speed skating) as well as Mathieu Turcotte, Amelie Goulet-Nadon, Jean-Francois Monette and Tania Vicent (all short-track speed skaters), snowboarder Jasey-Jay Anderson. There will be grants for non-winter sports athletes as well.

On hand for the cheque exchange will be Claude Chagnon, the president of FAEQ and Walter Sieber, the vice president of the COC.

RESOURCES

FAEQ website (French only)
http://athlete.infinit.net/

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/13/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC|
VANOC'S NEW SPACE ONLY ADEQUATE FOR "ABOUT 18 MONTHS"

The Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee's communications director, Sam Corea, says the fourth and fifth floors at 1095 West Pender are only expected to hold the organization for about 18 months before they'll be too crowded.

Corea says those are the only floors leased in the building, which is located in Vancouver's business core. VANOC will move into the fourth floor at the beginning of June - that's where the executive offices and supporting staff cubicles will be located. The fifth floor cube farm is expected to be ready for occupancy by August.

"VANOC used the services of BC Building Corporation to conduct the search for office space. We were looking [during the search] at somewhere in the downtown region [of Vancouver]. At Salt Lake, [home of the 2002 Winter Games] for example, the [Salt Lake Organizing Committee] was located in the downtown core, but during Games time, there were satellite operations throughout the Salt Lake region at the various venues. Other considerations [besides the amount of room required] were having a space that is close to public transit and is fully accessible for individuals with a disability," Corea says.

However, Corea would not answer directly about the rationale for giving no preference to British Columbian or even Canadian office furniture for the new location. According to Games bid documents, there is a requirement, at least as far as venues are concerned, "to promote sustainable economic opportunities from hosting the Games. These include: showcasing domestic product innovation and expertise." However, there's nothing in that documentation that says the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee needs to follow that guideline in its own purchases.

"In terms of procurement of office furniture," says Corea, "our requirement as a Games Organizing Committee is to maximize value for money while honouring sustainability commitments in the Bid Book. Sustainability is a broad concept achieved through a variety of methods - economic, social and environmental sustainability. Using local suppliers is one part of the concept."

Corea also declined to specify the leasing costs of the two floors, noting only that the Bid Book Games Operating Budget (page 81, vol. 1) has administration costs projected to be C$79.8 million (in 2002 dollars). Office space [and furniture] falls under this administration budget."

He does say, however, that VANOC is paying cash for the lease and expects to do so for the furniture. "VANOC has no sponsors or official suppliers at present [since] our Games Marketing Program is not yet formalized, so we do not have any value-in-kind services at present." The Marketing Program is not expected to be ready until about this time next year.

Corea sidestepped questions about office-space plans in Whistler, where VANOC's information centre is currently housed in a trailer. "There could be plans to expand in the coming months, but no details are available at present," he says.

BACKGROUND
==========

Here is the projected number of full-time equivalent people "expected" to be employed by the Organizing Committee during the next six years. This information was calculated about a year ago during the Bid phase, so there could be revisions issued later this year, once CEO John Furlong has had a chance to review the estimates and the organization's staffing needs. At the moment, there are about 40 full time, part-time and consultants using office space in VANOC's Gastown location. There's no immediate word on the FTE of that group, but using rules of thumb, it appears that VANOC is already over the projected figures for 2004.

In part, the projections provide an idea of the amount of office space needed as VANOC grows. The new building's floors on West Pender are each about 10,300 square ft (956 sq. metres), and the current plan is for them to hold about 95 people in total, depending on final configurations.

The following are the number of full-time-equivalent staff expected to be employed by VANOC:

* 2004 - 26 staff
* 2005- 79 staff
* 2006- 163 staff
* 2007 - 326 staff
* 2008 - 673 staff
* 2009 - 1,284 staff
* 2010 - 1,263 staff

During 2010, there are also expected to be 3,000 or more games staff, 25,000 volunteers, with about 10,000 volunteers for the official opening and closing ceremonies, which occur at B.C. Place.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/13/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC|
VANOC NOT GIVING PREFERENCE TO BC OR CANADIAN PRODUCTS IN FURNITURE REQUEST

The Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee says it will not be giving preferences to products made in British Columbia or even in Canada for two floors full of free-standing office furniture VANOC will be buying for its move to 1095 West Pender this summer.

Jane O'Flaherty, the VANOC official in charge of purchasing the office furniture, confirmed the decision in response to a question from a company thinking about bidding for a contract to provide the materials for the fourth and fifth floors of the building, but she did not elaborate on the reason.

VANOC will be moving to the fourth floor of the building in Vancouver's business core from its current offices in Vancouver's Gastown district in June, and the fifth floor is to be ready for occupancy in August. The office furniture required includes chairs, desks and storage areas as well as outfitting a boardroom on each floor. In addition, proponents will also be doing design, delivery and installation.

In answer to another question, she says that, in addition to defined executive offices ringing the outside wall of the fourth floor, "We have requested 25 cubicles for suite 400 and 50 cubicles for Suite 500. At this point we do not have well-defined functional departments. As the number of staff continue to grow and the functional areas become defined, it is anticipated that this furniture will be reassembled and or moved many times over the coming years, therefore the furniture must be flexible and adaptable."

Nor, she adds to another question, will VANOC be releasing its budget for the purchase "at this time," although she notes that the prime consideration in the purchase is price providing the furniture meets specifications and that there will likely be a performance hold-back in whatever contract is finally negotiated.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/12/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |General|
SURREY SCHOOL BOARD PONDERS 2010 EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

A school trustee in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey, Mary Polack, has suggested that her school board consider the possibility of helping to train the thousands of volunteers that will be needed for the 2010 Winter Games.

She told the Board that Surrey's continuing education department could be involved. As she puts it, "We've got all sorts of opportunities coming," for students and seniors in particular, but other community members as well. "Surrey might as well take advantage of them."

She suggested school board staff consider working on the idea with the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/12/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |Sports|
RENOWNED ADVISOR TO PLUMP BACK EAST FOR 2010 PARALYMPIC GAMES

A well-known, legally blind paralympian who hails from the Lower Mainland town of Langley, just east of Vancouver, says she will spend the next six years helping to promote the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Carla Qualtrough, 32, of Athletes CAN, an organization which represents Canada's national team athletes, was awarded the Bruce Kidd Athlete Leadership Award in Toronto last month. It's awarded to a retired national team athlete for a lifetime of achievement in their contribution to sports as a leader and advocate, change agent or builder.

"Every time people mention that we are hosting the Olympics in 2010, I casually remind them that we also hosting the Paralympics."

Qualtrough, who has less than 10% vision, won three bronze medals in swimming when she competed for Canada in the 1988 and 1992 Paralympic Games. A lawyer who is about to joint a firm in Toronto but will continue in her volunteer work on behalf of national sport, Qualtrough has been a Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport. This fall she'll be in Athens as an athlete advocate for the Paralympic team for the games which follow the Olympics in Greece.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/12/2004

Friday, May 07, 2004

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC|
"CHALLENGE 2010" PROGRAM STILL IN THE IDEA PHASE

The vice president of Bid Development and Operations for the Vancouver Olympic Bid Corporation Terry Wright, says the "Challenge 2010" program, though detailed in Canadian Copyright Board documentation, is still something that's very much in the concept stage. And, he says, it's something that likely won't be implemented for some time yet, perhaps a couple of years at least.

The Bid Corporation, which is turning over its files to the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, has asked the Copyright Board for permission to use the phrase in connection with a wide range of environmental services coupled with construction of the 2010 Winter Games. (A list of the concepts envisioned for logo was published by Morgan:News:2010 earlier this month. It's summarized in the BACKGROUND section below.)

Jane Burnes, the Executive Director of Government Relations for the BC Olympic Games Secretariat in Victoria, says the concept, though detailed in the documentation, arose from ideas developed during the Bid phase and "are not yet fleshed out." She adds that continuing the copyright of the slogan, which began last summer but which lay dormant until a few weeks ago, was being done "more on spec than specifics."

Burnes says there will be aspects of community-relations development work that will need to be done in British Columbia eventually by VANOC and some of the ideas are embodied in the 2010 Challenge concept.

BACKGROUND
==========

According to the Copyright Board documents, the concepts attached to the use of the slogan "Challenge 2010" include:

* Consulting with communities in the development of their environmental stewardship objectives

* Performing assessments and studies on the impact of hosting sporting events to the ecological system and the environment

* Operating and investing in programs for the protection, enhancement and restoration of the environment, air, land and water pollution control and mitigation services. These include investigation of potential pollution sources and problem-solving services, operating and investing in programs for the conserving natural resources and protecting the ecological systems.

The VCOG also wants to use the trademark in connection with developing economic opportunities and policies:

* Consulting with communities in their development of economic opportunities

* Exploring of economic opportunities for the business and commercial sectors through the hosting of sporting events

* Conducting business and market research surveys, consultation and advertising services, promotion of trade and commerce of others through advertising and hosting of sporting events, public relations, advising and consulting with others on the marketing, advertising and promotion of trade, commerce and tourism.

It also wants to use the phrase when it:

* Develops policies for the promoting of "diversity and harmony among Canadians through sporting events" and for promoting sports tournaments and events involving Canadians, and

* Consults with communities in the development of their policies relating to social responsibility and inclusiveness.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/7/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC|
VANOC LOOKING FOR INFORMATION-MANAGEMENT PROVIDERS

The Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee has begun the process of selecting an information-management system provider.

Jane O'Flaherty, Manager of Finance, says it's an "opportunity to design an information-management system that will help the organization as we prepare to showcase Vancouver and Whistler to the world during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. We hope that you share our excitement about the opportunities that lie ahead."

O'Flaherty says she's in the process of qualifying suppliers who can "realize the vision of an integrated easy-to use information management for the 2010 Winter Games." The vision, she says, includes:

* Document management - creating, storing and retrieving documents in both electronic and non-electronic forms;

* Records management, which includes capturing, classifying, storing and disposing documents, records and data

* Databases for storing "critical data... outside the document-management system in databases but linked back to specific related documents"

* A protocol-and-procedure repository;

* Formal rules and informal guidelines on how to complete specific transactions, such as procurement, e-mail retention, travel planning and the like. She says both would be used in interacting with the
information management system and stored within it;

* Intranet, with a single-user interface into the document- and records-management systems, the databases and the protocol-and-procedure repository.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/6/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC|
VANOC TO MOVE TO NEW OFFICES IN VANCOUVER IN JUNE

The Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee will be moving from its third-floor offices in Vancouver's historic Gastown district to the city's business core in June.

Morgan:News:2010 has learned that VANOC will be moving to occupy the fourth and fifth floors of 1095 West Pender Street at Thurlow, a building that also houses the American consulate and a number of corporations, such as Daishowa-Marubeni International, a joint venture forest-products company, and Infonet Technology, a company that makes software for the fueling industry and convenience stores. VANOC's staff, about 40 full- and part-time staff and consultants, currently occupies a number of small offices on the fifth floor of 375 Water Street in Vancouver.

The new building's floors, each about 10,300 square ft (956 sq. metres), will be occupied in two stages: Existing staff will occupy the fourth floor in June, with the fifth floor being prepared for occupancy in August. The new offices are being furnished in a type of cubical-farm format with executive offices and they will have "an emphasis on ergonomics."

Each floor will have two large boardrooms. The fourth floor will have 19 closed offices all located around the exterior of the floor, and 25 cubicles inside, surrounding the central elevator shaft. The fifth floor will have no closed offices, but will be provided with 50 cubicles, allowing for a total occupancy of about 95 people. VANOC, it has been learned, expects to expand over the next five-and-half years to approximately 1,000 employees, so it may not be the last move the organization makes.

This will be the first example of the organization's so-called environmental policies. During the bidding for the 2010 Games, the International Olympic Committee was given a commitment to a "sustainability framework that includes, amongst other things, a green-office policy." That would include the types of fabric and materials used in various types of office furnishings, including desks, chairs, dividers and even tabletops finishes.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/6/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |IOC|
COC OPENS WEB DATABASE FOR OLYMPIC-BOUND ATHLETES, TEAMS

The Canadian Olympic Committee has launched a new database designed to improve efficiency for Olympic Games preparations. It's a process that's expected to be fully in use by the 2010 Games, but it will get its first test for Athens-bound athletes for this summer's Games.

ZEUS is an Internet-based system that will allow potential and actual Canadian Olympic team members to enter and update all their required Games information, ranging from clothing sizes to biographical, medical and accreditation information. The information is protected by a user name/password system. Access to the Athens competition schedule and Games profiles will be available for those who are named to the team in July.

The ZEUS system, which is accessible with an Internet connection and web browser, will provide Athens team members with extensive information about the Athens environment and Games preparations. All potential team members, including athletes, coaches, team leaders, support staff and mission staff are eligible to access it.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/6/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |Sports|
HOCKEY FEDERATION TO WORK ON IMPROVING EUROPEAN WOMEN'S HOCKEY WITH 2010 IN MIND

Rene Fasel, the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation says he is concerned about the state of women's hockey in Europe, and so the organization has begun the planning for a junior hockey championship starting in 2006.

The world's governing body of hockey also wants to organize a women's club championship in Europe next winter and plans to hold an international women's hockey camp in Finland this summer for players and coaches from all countries.

"We have to be patient," Fasel, who is also chair of the International Olympic Commission that oversees the 2010 Winter Olympics, told Canadian Press. "Women's sport is not so popular in Europe and this is our problem. What we need to do is get these federations to put more resources into it," said Walter Busch, chairman of the IIHF's women's committee."

The increased interest is not likely to have much effect on the development of women's hockey by the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, but may well improve the situation by the time the 2010 Games are held.

RESOURCES

April 16th - 18th 2004
Sixth Annual Women’s Spring Hockey Tournament

Held at Planet Ice Facilities in Delta and Coquitlam, suburbs of Vancouver
http://www.planetice.ca

Contact : Elaine Marshall
emarshall@planetice.ca
(+1) 604-941-9911 ext 311

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/5/2004

Morgan:News:2010 |Paralympic, IOC|
PARALYMPIAN IOC REP PLEASED WITH 2010 GAME VENUE LOCATIONS

The International Paralympic representative on the Olympic Committee's commission overseeing the 2010 Games says, after receiving her first update on the status of preparations for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, that she expects the games will be encouraging for athletes with disabilities.

Rita van Driel, the IPC's Nordic Skiing Chair and Interim Alpine Skiing Chair, after touring the Vancouver and Whistler venues, "These Paralympic Winter Games will, for the first time, be very compact: all competition venues are close together, and no venue is more than 20 minutes from the Paralympic Village. The Village being located in downtown Whistler will give athletes the opportunity to be part of the community. Furthermore, accessibility is already quite good, so I think that these Games will be very special for Paralympic athletes."

The 11-person Commission also had the opportunity to meet and talk to Vancouver 2010 CEO John Furlong. During the second of the three days the IOC commission was in town last week, in Whistler, a presentation was held by the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) for the Commission members specifically on the Paralympics. "I was glad to see that both dimensions, Paralympics and Olympics, continue to be an integral part of the work of VANOC," said Ms. van Driel.

The Paralympics will be held in March, 2010, starting about two weeks after the Winter Olympics end.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/5/2004

Wednesday, May 05, 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 .

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Morgan News:2010 |General|
OLYMPICS RESEARCHER WORRIED ABOUT 2010 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Hillary Lindh, a silver-medal Olympian skier with a Masters degree in science, says that she is concerned about some of the environmental challenges facing the 2010 Organizing Committee in the Whistler area and Cypress Bowl.

Lindh, who served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Salt Lake Olympic Committee and its Environmental Advisory Committee and who won silver in 1992 in one of the three Olympic games in which she has competed, says Whistler’s Callaghan Valley and West Vancouver’s Cypress Bowl areas will each have environmental impacts. Lindh lives in the Whistler area.

The International Olympic Committee, since 1994, has required that environmental considerations be an integral part of the bid process for host cities, and Vancouver 2010 indicated that it would provide sustainable games. Lindh predicts there will be environmental controversies over conversion of wildlife habitat to accommodate venues, the use of public land and three additional components of any large project: pollution, waste and sewage.

In Cypress Bowl’s case, Lindh says, the impacts on the water system, particularly on Cypress Creek, will come from artificial snow-making systems. Snow-making will also have some impact in the Callaghan Valley, where considerable quantities of water are already pumped from Fitzsimmons Creek, but she feels Cypress Bowl is much more environmentally sensitive.

Noting that the 2010 Winter Games will be held starting February 12, 2010, “You have to start making snow well before the Games, perhaps as early as November. That snow is laid down to maintain a useable base, so skiing and other winter sports can continue no matter what the weather conditions, and it takes much longer to melt than natural snow in the spring.” That, in turn, she says, can have an effect on organizims that live in the creeks and the surrounding areas that depend on particular water flows. She says the delay is measured in weeks, rather than months, however.

In the Callaghan Valley’s case, the overall impact will be due to the increased development throughout the valley, with its accompanying infrastructure requirements and “an expansion of the bed count in Whistler.”

She says it will be of considerable importance for British Columbians to benchmark the existing environment, particularly in the alpine areas of the 2010 Games, as soon as possible before the games are held so that the effects of the Games afterwards can be properly assessed.

She says that the way in which the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) sets up its environmental advice will play a role in how effective that advice is in guiding the development and sustainability of the Games. For instance, she says, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee set up an environmental advisory panel from the beginning, but the panel had no monitoring or enforcement powers. As a result, says Lindh, the panel was quite effective at the beginning of the process, but as the construction of the venues began “and decisions had to be made quickly”, the panel’s concerns were pushed further down the priority list. “You’ll pardon me if I’m a bit cynical [about environmental promises],” she says, “but it comes from my experiences.”

Environmental guidelines in Salt Lake City were at first ambitious, but the budget for implementing them was eventually cut to US$1 million - less than 0.1% of the total cost of the Games. But they did have an effect in many areas, including guidance on how products for the games were packaged and delivered. The result, she says, was that Salt Lake was able to achieve a 95% recovery of waste products, compared with only 50% in Atlanta and 70% in Sydney, Australia).

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Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/2/2004
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Morgan News:2010 |Sports|
HOPE RENAMES ANNUAL BOYS HOCKEY TOURNAMENT TO RECOGNIZE 2010 GAMES

The town of Hope, at the eastern edge of British Columbia's Fraser Valley, has renamed its annual PeeWee hockey tournament to reflect the 2010 Winter Games.

The co-chair of Hope's local Olympic committee, Peter Duhault, will offer a trophy and a banner to the winning team of the the traditional end-of-season tournament, now officially renamed the Hope Spirit of 2010.

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Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/2/2004
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Morgan News:2010 |VANOC|
(FEATURE) COMPANIES, ORGS JOCKEY FOR RIGHT TO USE 2010 MARKS, SLOGANS

The Canadian Olympic Committee has moved to protect the phrases "2010 Games" and "Whistler 2010" under its copyright umbrella as work begins on developing the 2010 Winter Olympics. The COC already owns the copyright, on behalf of the International Olympic Committee, to the word "Olympics" in Canada.

The Canadian Copyright Board, which says the COC is using the Toronto law firm of Sim & Mcburney for the work, is in the process of registering the phrase, but the two-month period allowed for public opposition to the idea of copyrighting the phrases won't expire until May 10 at the earliest. The phrases were both published in Vol. 50, Issue 2576 of the Trade Mark Journal, the Board's official publication.

In Canada, the words "Olympic", "Olympiad" and all derivatives, as well as all Olympic symbols (including the Olympic rings, torch, etc.), the motto "Citius Altius Fortius", and other Olympic marks and terminology are also trademarked property of the COC, and owned on behalf of the International Olympic Committee. The COC also controls "Driven by Dreams", "Driven by Nature", "The Sea to Sky Games" and "It's Our Time to Shine." Because these have value - or will do - a spokesman says, "The COC will be diligent in protecting these logos and marks and preventing their unauthorized use." However, Communications Director Jackie DeSousa says, "We don't have a 'copyright policy' as such because only our sponsors and partners are permitted to use our marks for commercial purposes. Publications - newspapers, magazines, etc. - may use them for editorial purposes only. For non-commercial purposes, we approve use of the marks, athlete imagery, etc. on a case-by-case basis."

The Vancouver Bid Corporation, though turning most of its internal workings over to the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, is also adding to its stable of trademarks at the moment trademarks with the phrase "Challenge 2010". Its law firm, Borden Ladner Gervais of Vancouver, has asked the Copyright Board for permission to use the phrase in connection with a wide range of environmental services coupled with construction of the 2010 Winter Games.

According to the documents, these include:

* Consulting with communities in the development of their environmental stewardship objectives

* Performing assessments and studies on the impact of hosting sporting events to the ecological system and the environment

* Operating and investing in programs for the protection, enhancement and restoration of the environment, air, land and water pollution control and mitigation services. These include investigation of potential pollution sources and problem-solving services, operating and investing in programs for the conserving natural resources and protecting the ecological systems.

The VCOG also wants to use the trademark in connection with developing economic opportunities and policies:

* Consulting with communities in their development of economic opportunities

* Exploring of economic opportunities for the business and commercial sectors through the hosting of sporting events

* Conducting business and market research surveys, consultation and advertising services, promotion of trade and commerce of others through advertising and hosting of sporting events, public relations, advising and consulting with others on the marketing, advertising and promotion of trade, commerce and tourism.

It also wants to use the phrase when it:

* Develops policies for the promoting of "diversity and harmony among Canadians through sporting events" and for promoting sports tournaments and events involving Canadians, and

* Consults with communities in the development of their policies relating to social responsibility and inclusiveness.

The Bid Corporation already owns a number of trademarks, which would have been rolled over to the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee as part of the legal exchange work. They include "2010 athlete", the number "2010" in a specific design, "Vancouver 2010 Candidate City" and its logo in French and English, "Celebration 2010" in a logo in French and English, "2010 Vancouver" and its logo, "2010 Vancouver Whistler", "Vancouver Whistler 2010" and "Vancouver 2010 Olympic Bid".

It's expected to trademark additional phrases and logos later this year when it releases the official Games logo and slogans on February 12, 2005. Corporate sponsors of the Vancouver 2010 Games will be the only ones allowed commercial use of the new Vancouver OCOG logo and other registered trademarks, and only under the contracted terms of their sponsorship agreements. The VCOG's logo-use policies say that schools, colleges, universities, public and local educational agencies, libraries, media centres, museums, and non-profit youth and educational organizations can use its logos and slogans only to interest students in learning more about the Games or its aspects; they can't be used for anything that is aimed at, say, attracting people to an event where there's an admission charge.

But there are others involved in trademarking their own slogans to take advantage of the Games, and in advance of any actions by the Vancouver Organizing Committee to protect its eventual sponsorship branding.

For instance, the District of Lillooet, a town in the south-central part of British Columbia, is considering the process of trademarking the phrase "Lillooet - Northern Gateway to the 2010 Winter Olympics," but hasn't done so as yet.

Meanwhile the Big Rock Brewery Partnership of Calgary is methodically making its way through the process of registering the trademark "Whistler 2010 Lager", although it is still quite early in the process, even though the partnership started it last summer.

Big Rock, one of North America's largest specialty brewers, owns Kamloops Brewery and Whistler Brewing Company. The Partnership, which is the holding company, currently makes and markets several brands of beer: Alberta Genuine Draft, Honey Brown Lager and low-carb Jack Rabbit Lager, among others. Its latest financial figures show sales for the nine months ending December 31 of C$36.9 million.

Novellum Technology of Burnaby, B.C., a suburb of Vancouver, is also working on finalizing a copyright for the phrase "Team Canada 2010". It wants to apply the slogan to a wide range of winter sporting equipment of the type used by Olympic Winter Game athletes. The list is in the BACKGROUND section of this article, below.

Novellum also wants to put it on covers and blankets, towels, equipment boxes and carriers, spectator stands, ice surfaces, telephones and booths, telecommunication equipment and services, and also put it on the sides of cars, vans, trucks and buses.

But it also wants to use the phrase in ads on newspapers, magazines, television, radio and on websites.

It costs C$300 to apply for a Canadian trademark and several months to have it officially registered, at which point another C$125 is due. The comment period is the last major hurdle before a trademark is registered, and whether it can be registered depends on whether there is opposition to it, and, if there is, whether the opposition is legally sufficient to prevent the final registration. Opposition filing costs C$250, and the Board has the authority to throw out any challenges it deems to be frivolous.

BACKGROUND:

According to Copyright Board documents, Novellum Technology of Burnaby wants to use its "Team Canada 2010" slogan, once its approved, for products such as: snowboards, skis, ski poles, boots, helmets, racing suits, goggles, gloves and mittens, skates, rifles and rifle props, shooting range targets, target mats, rifle holders and packs, toboggans, bobsleds, luges, hockey pucks, hockey sticks, hockey masks, hockey pads, curling shoes, curling brooms, curling rocks; sporting apparel, namely, sweaters, warm-up pants, team uniforms, stockings and socks, toques, neck-warmers, full-head toques, underwear, racing suits, hockey pants, hockey shirts and jerseys, shirts, jackets, scarfs, hats, apres boots, snowboard pants and jackets; sporting accessories, sunglasses, sunglass necklace holders, ski locks, sporting bags, goggle squeegees, ski carriers, luggage, sports bags, banners, flags, gates, jumps, starting and stopping gates, finish signs and banners, timing display boards, protective and advertisement sidings for events, podiums, carpets and mats, cups, mugs, glasses and hand-warmers.

RESOURCES:

Canadian Olympic Committee
21 St. Clair Avenue East
Suite 900
Toronto Ontario
M4T 1L9
http://www.olympic.ca

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Organizing Committee
http://www.winter2010.com

Big Rock Brewery
5555-76th Avenue S.E.
Calgary, Alberta
T2C 4L8
http://www.bigrockbeer.com

Sim & McBurney
330 University Avenue
6th Floor
Toronto
Ontario, M5G 1R7
http://www.Sim-McBurney.com/

Novellum Technology Consultants Inc.
6679 Strathmore Avenue
Burnaby British Columbia
V5E 3H8
(Note: This is the only contact info available)

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
1200 Waterfront Centre
200 Burrard Street
P.O. Box 48600
Vancouver, British Columbia
V7X 1T2
http://www.BLGcanada.com

District Of Lillooet
PO BOX 610
615 Main Street
Lillooet British Columbia
V0K 1V0
http://www.LillooetBC.com

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Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/1/2004
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Morgan News:2010 |VANOC|
IOC REMAINS SATISFIED WITH VANCOUVER'S PROGRESS

The International Olympic Committee's Commission overseeing the 2010 Winter Games has completed its first official meeting with the Vancouver organizing committee - to be known formally by the acronym VANOC - saying it remains satisfied with the status and direction being taken.

The 11-member IOC Commission, led by Rene Fasel of Switzerland, used the word "fantastic" several times to describe the venues and the status of the games, "The opening and closing ceremonies will be fantastic, and the Nordic Centre in the Callaghan Valley [near Whistler] will be fantastic. The snow people [of the Games] will be very, very happy with it," he reports.

The Commission will be back a year from now for a three-day visit April 6-8, but Fasel and Gilbert Felli of France, who is the Commission's executive director as well as the executive director of the Olympic Games, will return in July and December for what was described as "mini-visits."

"We are very satisfied with the level of organization," says Felli, adding cryptically, "sometimes we don't see the challenge ahead of us." Fasel added that since the IOC has set up a specific department to develop a database of knowledge about what worked and didn't work with previous games, known as the Knowledge Transfer program, Vancouver 2010 will be the first games to get the full benefit of the information.

John Furlong, CEO of VANOC, which stands for the Vancouver Organizing Committee, says that "we ran out of time every day" of the IOC's three-day visit as VANOC reported on its status and outlook for the Commission. Furlong said that he expected to release an executive summary of the reports to the IOC. "I was quite taken by something Mr. Felli said on the first day. He told me, 'You've got every reason to be proud, but you've got a lot of work to do and not much time to do it.'"

Meanwhile, the chair of the 2010 Organizing Committee's Board of Directors, Jack Poole, says that while it may be necessary for VANOC to approach the senior governments about additional funding at some point over the next few years, "We will probably have to live with what we've got." The Vancouver Bid Corporation estimated it would cost C$620 million in 2002 dollars to build or renovate the venues for the 2010 Games, and the BC government says it has a 30% contingency fund that will be built up and set aside for overruns.

But, notes, Poole, "We're not going to spend money we haven't got." And, says B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, "The Organizing Committee is responsible for delivering the Games and its venues, and we've got the responsibility to ensure that it comes in on time and on budget."

Furlong says that construction will begin on the venues "in the middle of next year," and VANOC is about "18 months to two years" away from knowing what the actual costs of construction will be and "we can't tell you what we don't know." He says, however, that he fully intends to be "honest and transparent" about the workings of the Organizing Committee.

The Bid Book says the venues construction will be completed by 2008 so that athletes can begin to train in them - "to give Canada the home team advantage", as Furlong puts it, but he says it has never been a 2010 Committee strategy to generate funds from them between the time they are completed and the beginning of the Games.

Fasel says that while security is a factor - in fact, he describes it as a "big issue," it's not the point of the Games. "We are organizing an Olympic event, not a security event." Felli notes that the RCMP will be working "inside" the Organizing Committee as plans develop for games security.

Felli says the main job of the oversight Commission will be to ensure that VANOC "works to ensure Canadians are behind the games and that it does a good job of communications with Canadians so they know what they are about."

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Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/1/2004
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Morgan News:2010 ||
IOC GOOD-FAITH DEPOSITS FOR 2010 GAMES AT US$14.6 MILLION AND COUNTING

The Host City Agreement signed by the Vancouver Bid Corporation when it was awarded the 2010 Winter Games last July requires "good-faith" deposits that have reached US$14.6 million, but that's expected to grow as additional funding is achieved.

The Bid Corporation's director of finance, John McLaughlin, who is now working on contract with the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), says the Agreement required that Vancouver write a cheque for US$1 million as a "guarantee deposit" within 10 days of winning the bid.

In addition, says the Agreement, the IOC will withhold 5% of the money destined for VANOC "in relation to the sale of all broadcasting rights and the Internatioinal Programme." It's to be added to what the Agreement calls a "retention fund," which now holds the US$1 million advanced last year. The Agreement, in section 43, specifies that the IOC's Executive Board "in consultation with" VANOC, will determine how the funds will be used "in relation to the organization of the Games" and VANOC's obligations.

According to the document, once VANOC has provided a final accounting of the Games "and the resolution of any outstanding disputes which affect the IOC", the money in the retention fund will be returned, with interest.

The American rights-holders for the 2010 and 2012 winter and summer Games were finalized last June. NBC paid US$2.201 billion for the package of those two games, with $820 million of that assigned to Vancouver's Games. Five percent of that is about US$13.6 million.

CBC paid US$160 million for the rights to broadcast all the Games within Canada from 2000 in Sydney to 2008 in Beijing, but the bidding has not yet been finalized for Canadian rights to the 2010 Games.

European broadcasters have until April 22 to submit their bids to the IOC for that continent's rights - some reports indicate they may be as lucrative as the U.S. funding - and there's no word yet on the status of Asian and Australian broadcast rights.

McLaughlin says that the Agreement is "a bit unclear" about what amounts will ultimately be held back from VANOC, because it depends on how the funds are distributed and how the additional broadcasting rights bidding comes in, but he adds, "We will work it out with the IOC."

The IOC, meanwhile, has agreed to cover guarantee deposits owed to VANOC if the "National Olympic Committees", which would include the Canadian Olympic Committee, don't meet their obligations in connection with staying in the two athelete villages.

But whatever happens to the rentention fund, the IOC has the last word. According to the Agreement, "if due to any cause... the Games do not take place in the City as contemplated" the money in the retention money, including interest, "shall be kept by the IOC as liquidated damages..."

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Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 4/1/2004
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Morgan News:2010 |Government
Business|
OTTAWA TO ENCOURAGE HYDROGEN FUELING ALONG 2010 HIGHWAY

The federal government will announce funding tomorrow for the world's first so-called Hydrogen Highway, to be built between Vancouver and Whistler in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The amount of the funding has not yet been released.

Prime Minister Paul Martin and Environment Minister David Anderson will make the announcement at Globe 2004, a trade fair and conference on environmental technology and management being held in Vancouver, according to government sources.

The Hydrogen Highway concept, first discussed last year, is part of what the federal government says is "a long-range plan" to get Canadians making greater use of machines powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The federal government says the project "will demonstrate a wide variety of transportation, stationary, portable and micro power applications that can utilize the hydrogen fueling infrastructure."

Hydrogen powered vehicles are only just now starting to come onto the market or can be seen in concept vehicles; science is still learning how best to improve the efficiency converting hydrogen to power to increase the range of the vehicles.

The Hydrogen Highway concept is to be in place by the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, allowing visitors to travel in fuel-cell-powered vehicles between the Vancouver Airport and Whistler during the games.

The chair of the Hydrogen Highway initiative is Firoz Rasul, who is also chair of Ballard Power Systems of Burnaby, but also involved are Ron Britton, President of Fuel Cells Canada and John Efford, Minister of Natural Resources Canada.

RESOURCES:

Background article:
http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4022083&src=msn

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Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on 3/31/2004
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Morgan News:2010 |IOC|
"HOCKEY GAME WARM-UP" BEGINS FOR IOC, 2010 VANCOUVER

The first official Co-ordination Commission for the 21st Olympic Winter Games, Vancouver 2010, gets underway today in Vancouver and Coordination Commission Chairman Rene Fasel describes the three-day meeting as the "warm-up in a hockey game." He added that it will provide "an excellent opportunity for the Commission to get to know the Vancouver 2010 representatives."

The meeting agenda, which Fasel describes as "packed" is designed to let the Commission and the representatives of Vancouver 2010 establish the basis of their work together over the next six years. Commission members, some of whom are new while others met with the Bid Corporation in Vancouver last November, will also have the opportunity to meet and talk to Vancouver 2010’s new CEO, John Furlong, who was officially appointed last month.

While in Vancouver, the Coordination Commission will take the opportunity to visit the sites of the Olympic venues in both Vancouver and Whistler. This will enable the Commission members to familiarize themselves with the geographical layout of the venues and give them a taste of what lies ahead.

The Coordination Commission has 11 members. They are the Commission Chairman, Rene Fasel of Switzerland, nine IOC members - Fraser Bullock, Ottavio Cinquanta, Gian-Franco Kasper, Gunilla Lindberg, Jose Luis Marco, the Prince of Orange, Tsunekazu Takeda, Rita Van Driel and Penilla Wiberg - and the IOC Olympic Games Executive Director, Gilbert Felli.

The meetings are taking place at one of Vancouver's most prestigious hotels, the Westin Bayshore Resort, on Vancouver's Coal Harbour waterfront. It was the same location the November meetings were held.

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