Morgan:News:2010:Bronze Edition

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #2017

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

TORINO GAMES "SET NEW RECORDS" IN WINTER OLYMPIC SUSTAINABILITY

  • VANOC has a new environmental benchmark to beat. The 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, set new records in the quest for environmental sustainability in mass sports. About 70% of greenhouse gases generated by the Games were offset by investing in forestry, energy efficiency and renewable energy schemes both at home and abroad, according to a report released at the Global Forum Sport and Environment in the home city of the Olympics, Lausanne, Switzerland. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner says, "Torino 2006, in which UNEP has been a partner, set targets and timetables across a wide range of environmental and sustainability criteria... I sincerely hope that the next Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, in 2010, along with operators of winter sports globally, pick up the Torino torch en route to the ultimate goal of realizing sustainable sporting events and leisure activities across the world." The main part of TOROC's green effort was the Heritage Climate Torino project, an effort to make the Games carbon-neutral. The organizers calculated that the 16-day event would generate the equivalent of just over 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, with the main sources coming from transport and the operation of the venues. Much of these emissions were offset by 'credits' in line with the international climate change treaty, such as financing renewable energy and sustainable energy projects. About e5 million (C$7.5 million) was invested in Italian projects for district heating. Internationally, according to the report, "verifiable emissions reductions" were purchased from certified green and cleaner energy projects in Eritrea, Mexico and Sri Lanka. A tree planting project in Kenya, under UNEP's Plant for the Planet initiative, also contributed.

    VANOC GIFT STORE TO INCREASE STAFF

  • The 250-square-foot souvenir store in the lobby of VANOC's headquarters, which opened in September, intends to increase its staffing a bit during its first holiday gift season. It'll be taking on a regular part-time clerk for 16 hours a week. The store primarily sells merchandise sporting 2010 brands to staff and the steady flow of people coming to meet them. The store is open weekdays 9 am to 5 pm, except on Fridays when it closes at 4 pm.

    WHISTLER GROOMING VOLUNTEERS WEASEL THEIR WAY ONTO VAIL RUNS

  • The Daily News in Vail, Colorado, reports there are a batch of volunteers from Whistler, BC, working on the ski hills there this week. Owen Carney, reports the newspaper, is leading the crew, called the Whistler Weasel Workers, which expect to help groom the Olympic race courses when Vancouver and Whistler host the Winter Olympics in 2010. At the moment, Carney told the newspaper's reporter, they're picking up tips and ideas from Beaver Creek workers. "We're here to learn and look at what they're doing and how it's different from what we do," he's quoted as saying. Carney is working with the race chief this week, while other members of his group have separate jobs on the course. Volunteers, which include people from London, England, and Scotland, get a ski pass and a jacket and the only have to work for four days, however, that includes skiing down an icy, steep face at high speeds to help prepare the race course. As one volunteer told the newspaper, "There's no such thing as a free ski jacket."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 30, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:58 PM  

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC

    Government| #2016

    CANADIAN GOVERNMENT TO ISSUE $1 AND TEN 25-CENT COINS FOR THE 2010 WINTER GAMES

    The Canadian government has authorized the Canadian Mint to manufacture a C$1 coin and 10 versions of a Canadian 25-cent piece commemorating the 2010 Winter Olympics. The coins are to be issued between 2007 and 2009.

    The Mint is a Tier-2 sponsor of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC).

    According to government documents, on the obverse side of the C$1 coin, which will be issued next year, will be a picture of Queen Elizabeth sketched by artist Susanna Blunt and the inscription '2010' will be inscribed below the neckline and "beading around the circumference of the coin," according to the Order-in-Council. The reverse side will show the official Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games emblem with the inscriptions "CANADA" above it and and "DOLLAR" below it.

    As for the 25-cent coins, they'll all have the Blunt design of the Queen's portrait on one side, with the 2010 emblem to the left of the sketch. The other side of the coins will feature a partial outline of a maple leaf on all of them partially obscuring a specific design that varies with the coin, plus the inscriptions "25 cents" and "Vancouver 2010", with the trademark symbols in English and French, to the top left and bottom left of the design.

    The designs on the coin are expected to be:

    Issued in 2007:

  • A hockey player getting ready to hit a puck;

  • A male biathlon athlete aiming his rifle, with two trees to the left of the athlete and one tree to the right;

  • A female curler getting ready to release a curling stone with her right hand while holding a broom in her left hand;

  • An alpine skier going downhill, with two trees to the left of the athlete;

  • A female wheelchair athlete getting ready to push a curling stone;

    In 2008:

  • A snowboarder in mid air, with two trees at the top of the athlete;

  • A freestyle skier in mid air, with two trees to the left of the athlete;

  • A pair of figure skaters;

  • A trio of bobsled athletes getting into their vehicle;

    In 2009:

  • A speed skater in a racing stance;

  • A cross-country skier, with two trees to the left of the athlete; and

  • A sledge hockey athlete getting ready to hit the puck.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 29, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Torino| #2015

    BUSINESS NUMBERS UNDERYING THE TORINO WINTER OLYMPICS RELEASED

    Here are a batch of statistics and summary information from the Torino Winter Olympics, many of them provided to VANOC this summer, that you may find useful. The information was released by Valentino Castellani, the president of TOROC, the Torino Olympic Organizing Committee, during his trip to BC this month.

    Note that some of numbers, because of the differences of the way the infrastructure of the Torino Games was set up, may not be strictly comparable to what might happen with Vancouver and Whistler, but the numbers even then can give you a good sense of the order of magnitude involved:

  • IN THE OLYMPICS (17 days of competitions): There were 15 disciplines (specific sports and variations); 84 medal events; 1,026 medals awarded; 80 national Olympic committees involved; 2,573 athletes attended; 2,704 officials attended; 331 judges and referees took part; 6,000 guests of the IOC, sponsors and other parts of the "Olympic Family'; 94 rights-holding broadcasting operations brought their crews; and, there were a total of about one million spectators who saw the Games first hand.

  • Of the 9,408 media that covered the Olympics: 29% were newspapers, newswires, news agencies and news or sports photographers. The balance, 71% were radio and TV broadcasters. RAI, the host broadcaster, had 10.7 million viewers for the Opening Ceremonies (a 37.25% share), 7.9 million for the Closing Ceremonies (29.03% share) and 10 million for the awards ceremonies (a 39% share).

  • IN THE PARALYMPICS (10 days of competitions): There were five disciplines; four competition venues; 58 medals awarded; 1,200 athletes, guides, technicians; 39 national Paralympic committees; about 1,000 IPC members, and representatives of national Paralympic committees and sports federations; 1,100 media representatives covered the Games; there were 3,000 volunteers used; and 200,000 spectators.

  • According to a study by the Torino Chamber of Commerce: The value of tenders to big contractors to manage maintenace work and technical assistance, not including the cost of permanent infrastructure, e570 million (C$854 million). Forty-four percent of it was spent in the region that includes Torino, 40% in other Italian regions (a total of 84% in Italy), and 16% was spent outside of the country.

  • Here are the main things that money was spent on within the region that included Torino: venue design and construction of temporary venues; refurbishing TOROC's headquarters; catering services; services from travel agencies and cleaners; information technology services; entertainment services during the Games; logistics and car rental services; and uniforms production.

  • The main reasons money wasn't spent in the Torino region: the purchase of supplies and goods by sponsors that were located outside of the region and purchased in their area; the services or goods weren't available there, and statistical anomalies caused by the fact the services or goods were provided by a company whose headquarters were outside of the region.

  • The main commercial industries involved in supplying the Torino Games: the local food industry (wine, chocolate, cheese and other agricultural products); events; communication; logistics; tourism.

  • Food and Beverages: about 500,000 meals were served within the seven Torino villages, 400,000 of them to the Olympic workforce and 100,000 to athletes. There were 2,000 workers who served food and beverages at 160 eating facilities available at venues and villages for spectators, athletes, workforce, Olympic Family, sponsors and journalists. Thirty thousand bottles of wine and 1.2 million litres of soft drinks were consumed.

  • THE LOOK OF THE GAMES: The total cost spent was e10 million (about C$15 million) on the Look of the Games, while e8 million (about C$12 million) was spent on the look of the Games in Torino. 8,000 square metres (86,000 square feet) of PVC plastic were applied to buildings and 44,000 sqm (474,000 square feet) to cover the stands; 150 kilometres (93 miles) of fabric was used to cover barriers, railing and fences; 7,000 banners covered a surface of 22,000 sqm (237,000 square feet). There were 3,000 flags created and used, along with 28,000 posters.

  • VOLUNTEERS: There were 41,000 volunteers who applied to the Torino Games; 24,000 were interviewed by TOROC; 18,000 were trained for use at the Games. Of those 18,000: 33% were 55 years and older, 20% were between 36 and 54 years old; 47% were between 18 and 35. Also, of those 18,000: 56% were used in the mountain areas (Torino had more mountain venues that were more spread out than VANOC), and 44% were used in the urban venue areas. There were 207 job titles and 302,700 shifts applied to those job titles. The volunteers were mostly used in the following operating areas: venue management, technology (such as information technology, telecommunication, timing and scoring), transport services, security, logistics, services to the national Olympic and Paralympic committees, media relations, ticketing, accreditation, protocol, spectator services, medical services (such as doping control and health care), arts and culture, events and ceremonies, sponsor services, environment, education and management of the volunteers. Of the 18,000 volunteers: 77% were from the region that includes Torino, 18% from other parts of Italy and 5% from other countries (mostly Europe and North America, but they represented 64 countries in total).

  • According to a study completed 11 months ago and done by Torino Unione Industriale and Rome La Sapienza University, the following economics were expected to be generated by, or attributed to, the Torino Games from 2005 to 2009:

    -- The increase of value-added production attributed to the Games was e17.4 billion (about C$26 billion) at the national level, e13 billion (about $19 billion) at the regional level. Sixty percent of this was likely generated in the two years from the start of 2005 to the end of 2006.

    -- The increase of Italy's Gross Domestic Product per year for each of the four years from 2005 to 2009 was expected to be 0.2% per year nationally and 2.9% regionally.

    -- The increase in the employment rate attributed to the Games during the four years was expected to be per year 0.2% per year nationally, 2.8% regionally.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 29, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #2014

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    SKI-RACING SUPPLIERS "MOST CONCERNED" ABOUT YOUTH MARKET

  • Jean-Pierre Morand, the Secretary General of the Ski Racing Suppliers Association, says his group of companies, over the long term, are "most concerned" about keeping up the interest of the youth market in some skiing sports, especially in alpine skiing. The International Olympic Committee, in recent years, has been aiming at a number of levels, particularly in marketing and encouraging its franchises, such as VANOC and the 2010 Games, to do things to focus on the youth market as well. "In Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard," he told the latest issue of FIS Flash, the sport's weekly newsletter, "the new events, such as ski cross, have served to create a younger image. Within nordic skiing, the outlook is relatively positive as cross-country skiing lies right in the trend as a so-called 'health sport' and its popularity in the emerging markets in the east has given it a real boost. In the future, we see the greatest opportunities for all ski sports to be in the eastern Europe and Asia [markets] since the central European and North American markets are relatively mature. There, the challenge will be to maintain skiing as a mainstream sport. There are so many other leisure opportunities these days. We would rather see the kids on the slopes than playing skiing games on the computer." Morand adds that, "The most critical thing is to make sure that the top level skiing -- the main product -- remains attractive to the general public. We, as an industry, serve everyone, from the grassroots to the top athletes. We welcome the interest of other industries to invest in skiing as event or series sponsors, and especially salute the long-time commitment of certain companies to support ski sport. At the same time, we would like to see some new names to enter the row as well." Morand says he welcomes FIS's decision to "move in the direction of a more concentrated professional product." Morand says, "We are convinced that, in the end, ski sport will be sustainable as a globally successful phenomenon. We do appreciate the difficulties of establishing the product at the intersection of international and national interests. However, we believe that everyone's long-term interests will be best served by modernization, even if this might involve national compromises at times."

    FASEL BRIEFS IOC ON 2010 PROGRESS

  • The chairman of the Coordination Commission of the 2010 Winter Games, Rene Fasel, told the IOC's Executive Board, during its final day of meetings in Kuwait City today, about "the successful completion of the first venue for the Vancouver 2010 Games -- the freestyle skiing venue on Cypress Mountain -- and praised the quality of the work undertaken by the Organizing Committee over the year." according to an IOC spokesman after the meetings. The meetings are taking place in private.

    TORINO OVERSIGHT COMMISSION FOCUSES ON OLYMPICS PRODUCT

  • The chairman of the Torino 2006 Coordination Commission, Jean-Claude Killy, reportedly told the IOC's Executive Board that he and his committee that supervised the development of the Torino Winter Games about some of the lessons learned by it. Killy says the Commission's final report to the IOC -- in part based on feedback gathered from corporate, government and sports organizations involved in the Games -- will have some detailed comments about the Games product. Specifically, he says it will deal with "the gains that can be made by better leveraging, in an integrated way, the five elements of the Games: sport, torch relay, ceremonies, culture and education and city activities." That theme was also provided to VANOC during its Torino debriefing meeting earlier this year. Killy also stressed to the Executive Board the importance of a host city having a strong vision for its Games, not just in terms of what the Games can bring to them, but in terms of what they can bring to the Olympic Movement. The final report is expected to be delivered to the IOC's Executive Board at its next meeting early next year, and tabled at the full IOC Session meeting in Guatemala City in July 2007, where the Session's members will chose the city that wins the 2014 Winter Games franchise.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 29, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |General| #2013

    TOP CHINESE OLYMPIAN TO HELP TRAIN PRINCE GEORGE SPEEDSKATERS AS PART OF 2010-RELATED PROGRAM

    Events Prince George, an organization that's been working with the city's Spirit of BC Committee to support teams and officials who want to train and compete in BC prior to the 2010 Winter Games, has scored an early victory under its Train In BC program.

    China's top speedskater, Li Jiajun (pronounced Lee gee-ah JUNE), is expected to come to the north-central BC city for six months to coach and train the Prince George Blizzards Speed Skating club. At the same time, he'll be gaining his Canadian Coaching credentials and attending school to learn English. His costs of tuition, accommodation and insurance are covered by the Chinese Skating Association.

    Prince George is competing with other BC communities to encourage national Olympic teams and their support organizations to locate nearby to train for 2010.

    The manager of Sports for Events Prince George, Virginia Sprangers, says the organization has been working to convince international-calibre teams and athletes to train in the city. "Prince George's developing relationship with China is bridging cultural opportunities through sport," she says. "Prince George is positioned to market itself to international athletes and teams, and the whole community -- including local business, cultural, and sport organizations -- are working together to make it happen."

    Earlier this year, Lan Li, of the Chinese Skating Association and the Government Branch for Winter Sports in China, toured Prince George and, she said, he was impressed by what he saw. "This will be a good beginning for our further cooperation, I hope there will be more exchange activities between your community and our association," Spranger says Lan told her afterward, and that he added, "I believe these activities will be helpful to our friendship and development in winter sports."

    Li Jiajun has won five Olympic medals and is a 16-time world championship medalist and nine-time world champion. In 1999, he became the first Chinese man to win the overall short-track world title. He won it again in 2001.

    Jean R. Dupre, Director General, Speed Skating Canada, says that "As we move towards 2010, this is the kind of initiative that is key to help us develop an even greater pool of talented skaters ready to own the podium."

    The "Train in PG" campaign is geared to international athletes, teams, coaches and officials in promoting Prince George as a place to acclimatize prior to national or international competition. The campaign focuses on five major winter sports; hockey, curling, speedskating, cross country skiing and biathlon.

    RESOURCES

    Train in Prince George's web site:

    www.traininpg.com/sport/

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 29, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #2012

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    WIDE-SPREAD INTEREST IN IOC DECISIONS ABOUT 2010

  • Every major news agency -- and many minor ones -- picked up the story yesterday that the IOC had added ski cross and not women's ski jumping to the 2010 Winter Games. The major news agencies included Canadian Press, Associated Press, Reuters, United Press International, MSNBC, Yahoo, USA Today, all of the senior European, American and Canadian TV, radio networks and newspapers, including the New York Times and The Guardian of London, Englad. Just a handful of the hundreds of secondary outlets: Turkish Press, the San Diego Union Tribune, the San Jose Mercury News, the Austin-American Statesman of Texas, the Whitehorse Star in the Yukon and even SooToday.com, an independent web-based news outlet in Sault St. Marie, Ontario.

    CANADIAN SKI-JUMP TEAM DISAPPOINTED; US CHALLENGED

  • Canadian Press reports that Canadian team coach Gregor Linsig as saying his team took the decision to postpone the women's ski-jump decision pretty hard. "I could see about 30% of the [35-member] field quitting, which would make it even worse," he explained to reporters as he discussed age-related issues with them. "Then we'd put ourselves in a deeper hole and then it might be even harder to get in in 2014," the date of the next Olympic Winter Games. Morrice also said that because women's ski jumping is still not an Olympic sport, the Canadian team, currently training in Colorado, would not qualify for money from Own The Podium, the financial initiative funded by the VANOC through its corporate sponsors and the governments of BC and Canada. Bill Marolt, president and CEO of the US Skiing Association, which is the national American governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding, says the addition of ski cross is a challenge for the organization. There is no skiercross team within the US ski team, but the event was part of the 2005 International Ski Federation Freestyle World Championships and US athletes competed. "Skicross is a relatively new sport with a developing athlete base in America and around the world. Our challenge now is to start identifying that athlete base as we head towards 2010." Marolt --- a vice president of the International Ski Federation and member of its governing FIS Council -- told Ski Racing magazien today, "It's really hard to understand the decision on women's ski jumping. This is a sport in which women have participated at the highest levels for many years. It has an established international competition circuit with a strong pool of athletes. We're disappointed in the decision of the IOC as we have felt that the athletes had progressed over the past decade to a position where the sport was ready for Olympic participation." The US ski team has women in its ski-jumping section, and it will continue to train them in hopes the discipline will be approved for the 2014 Games. Cathy Priestner-Allinger, vice president of sport for VANOC, says the organziation knew the IOC was considering adding the sport when VANOC planned its facilities for 2010, and will use the course being set up for the snowboard cross competition on Cypress for the ski cross."It should only require minor tweaks," she said.

    VANOC TRANSPORTATION PLAN STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION

  • VANOC's first detailed transportation plan, a complex document, is expected to be ready about this time next year. "Our team is working closely with our transportation partners to plan for all significant weather events during the 2010 Winter Games, including heavy snowfall," said vice-president of transportation and logistics Wayne Keiser told the Vancouver tabloid newspaper "24", which had asked him about VANOC planning should a storm series similar to the ones that have plagued southern BC for the past three weeks occurs in 2010. "The process is evolving, and logistical planning and situational modeling, including appropriate contingency plans, will continue to develop over the next few years." The transportation plan takes in a wide range of issues, such as bus route planning, airport traffic flows and congestion, and highway use, among many others. A couple of years ago, the Vancouver media were asking VANOC a lot of questions about what it might or might not do if a mild, warm and wet winter, which was then the case, hit the coast during the Games.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 29, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:57 PM  

    Tuesday, November 28, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #2011

    Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

    CANADIAN MINISTER OF SPORT STEPS ASIDE

  • The Canadian government cabinet minister who formed Podium Canada to unite the winter and summer Olympics support funding has resigned his job to protest a government position in a debate involving Canadian unity. Michael Chong stepped out of cabinet because he did not agree with the position, and because his department should have been consulted on the issue, but wasn't. Peter Van Loan, a Conservative Member of Parliament from Ontario's York-Simcoe riding, has been appointed by Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper to replace Chong.

    VANCOUVER MAYOR HOPES TO CUT "STREET DISORDER" IN HALF BY 2010

  • Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan says he wants to spend C$1 million from the city's Olympic Legacy Fund to cut what he calls "street disorder" in half by the time the 2010 Winter Olympics starts. The Fund was only recently established and spending from it won't start before the City's new fiscal year. Sullivan said the long-term goal is to eliminate homelessness, bring an end to the open sale of drugs on the streets and stop aggressive panhandling within 10 years. "The issue of public disorder is on everyone's lips, and it's time to galvanize our community's interest into action," Mr. Sullivan said. "We have about 1,000 days until the world arrives, and I can't think of a more important legacy from the Games than a more civil city." Sullivan says city council, in which his party holds a slight majority, will be asked to approve the spending by next month. The mayor's proposal is to use the money to "to enhance the civic response to nuisance and annoyance complaints," which he defined as possibly hiring additional bylaw enforcement staff. The project also involves provide C$300,000 from the city's 2006 contingency reserve to hire a commissioner and establish a new office to implement what the mayor calls "Project Civil City."

    Two winter competitions in Prince George funded by 2010 Legacies Now

  • The RBC Royal Bank Ice Hockey Cup and the Junior National Short-Track Speedskating Championships have each received C$10,000 from Hosting BC, a section of 2010 Legacies Now. Both events are being held at CN Centre in Prince George, in north-central British Columbia. About 2,000 spectators and 100 athletes are expected to attend this weekend’s short-track event for skaters aged 14 to 18. The top finishers qualify for junior worlds February in Mlada Boleslav, in the Czech Republic. “This calibre of competition will not only be beneficial to our athletes and the community of Prince George, but it will also give B.C. officials the opportunity to officiate at a high level competition, thus preparing them for the 2010 Winter Olympics,” says Lesley Hempsall, president of the host Prince George Blizzard Speed Skating Club. “The hosting grant will greatly enhance our club’s ability to deliver a high-quality national competition in Prince George." The 2007 RBC Royal Bank Cup national hockey tournament is expected to draw thousands of spectators from across Canada in May. Dan Rogers, co-chair of the RBC host committee, said the budget for those games is nearly C$1 million. 2010 Legacies Now is funding 18 communities to help them host 26 sporting events with nearly C$4 million from the Hosting BC program. The program is funded by the BC government and the City of Vancouver. It began in 2004.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 28, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #2009

    2010 BOARD EXPECTED TO CONSIDER ADDING SKI CROSS TO GAMES ROSTER AT ITS JANUARY MEETING

    The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) says it hopes to recommend adding ski cross at its Cypress Mountain venue to its list of competitions to its Board of Directors meeting in January.

    The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Executive Board decided today in Kuwait City that it approved adding the discipline, providing VANOC agreed. Format changes to skeleton and the speedskating team-pursuit events were also recommended, and they, too, need to be approved by VANOC's Board.

    VANOC, in a statement, says today it had previously communicated to the IOC its acceptance in principle of ski cross and the format changes "subject to working co-operatively with the IOC and the international sport federations to address any resulting operational and financial impacts." The VANOC statement added that it would "work closely" with the organizations and "hopes to reach a recommendation by the end of the year to be formally presented at the January meeting of the VANOC Board of Directors."

    Cathy Priestner Allinger, VANOC's executive vice-president of sport, said in the statement that "Ski cross at the 2010 Winter Games would be a great and exciting new addition to our sport program. Elite skiers would compete on the biggest stage in the world, and spectators would enjoy a fast, entertaining and dynamic competition."

    The ski cross discipline is part of freestyle skiing. Four skiers race through a steep and winding course of rolling terrain. Ski cross competitions will be held on the same course as snowboard cross, and VANOC's statement says "the track will require only minor course alterations using snow." In total, 32 men and 16 women are expected to compete in ski cross.

    The format change to skeleton will see athletes increase their competition runs from two to four. The format change to speed skating pursuit, described by VANOC as minor, is related to an in-Games qualifying procedure.

    Other sport disciplines that were considered but not recommended by the IOC's Executive Board for the 2010 sport program included: curling mixed doubles, biathlon mixed relay, a bobsleigh and skeleton team competition, luge team competition, alpine skiing nation team event and women's ski jumping.

    "We have consistently supported the inclusion of women's ski jumping in the 2010 program and these young women are understandably disappointed with today's decision," said Priestner. "Their commitment to raising their sport to Olympic calibre is commendable, and we encourage them to continue their campaign for inclusion in the 2014 Winter Games program."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 28, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |IOC| #2008

    IOC EXECUTIVE OKAYS SKI CROSS, REJECTS WOMEN'S SKI JUMPING FOR 2010 GAMES

    The executive board of the International Olympic Committee made a conditional decision to add ski cross to the line-up of competitions at the 2010 Winter Games, but it rejected a strong call by Canadian and US Olympic Committees for women's ski jumping to also be added.

    The Board, meeting in Kuwait, said that ski cross could be added as long as the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) agreed. VANOC said it would be issuing a statement shortly. Ski cross, the IOC Board said, meets all of the IOC's criteria, and its "appeal to the youth has grown tremendously over the last year."

    The Board said it would not include curling mixed doubles and women's ski jumping "as their development is still in the early stage, thus lacking the international spread of participation and technical standard required for an event to be included in the program." The Board noted, however, that it would be closely following the development of women's ski jumping "with a view of its inclusion in future Olympic Games."

    IOC Executive Board member Ottavio Cinquanta said women's ski jumping had a limited appeal and too few athletes globally practiced the sport. "Therefore we said no, but we don't say it will never be," said Cinquanta. IOC Vice President Gunilla Lindberg urged the International Ski Federation to continue the discipline's development so it could reapply for the 2014 Winter Games. Ski jumping and Nordic combined are the only competitions in the Winter Olympics in which women don’t participate. Lindberg said, “In our analysis, there are not enough athletes and not enough countries. They have to work with the International Ski Federation and Nordic combined to be ready for 2014.”

    The Board also rejected the idea of including biathlon mixed relay, bobsleigh and skeleton team competition, luge team competition and alpine skiing nation team event. The Board said these events would only allow the same athletes already participating in an individual event to take part in another event and win more medals. Also turned down: individual curling and team luge.

    However, it also decided to continue the events that were included for the first time in Torino last February. Those included team-pursuit speedskating, mass-start biathlon, team sprint in cross-country skiing and snowboard cross.

    It coming to its conclusions, the Board gave its Olympic Program Commission more specific direction for future consideration of sport diciplines that want to be included in an Olympic Games schedule. These are:

  • Events must have a recognized international standing both numerically and geographically, and have been included at least twice in world and continental championships;

  • Global public and media interest in a sport must be considered as key elements in the analysis of sports for these are fundamental elements in the success of the Games;

  • The social value of a sport (e.g. elements of environmental impacts, athletes’ health, education, non-discrimination, fair-play and solidarity), should be considered;

  • A sport must show a direct emphasis on youth and development;

  • The judging and adjudication system of a sport must ensure objectivity, fairness and transparency.

    The executive board decisions now effectively freeze the competitions at the 2010 Games.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 28, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #2007

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    PRE-SALES OF POUND'S ANTI-DOPING REPORT BEGIN

  • A research company based in Dublin, Ireland, Research & Markets, has begun pre-selling a report on anti-doping that deals in part with the Olympics. The report, due to be released next month, was written by VANOC director Richard Pound, the head of the Montreal-based World Anti-doping Agency. Research & Markets describes itself as a "one stop shop for market research reports and industry newsletters from specialist research firms and niche market analysts." Pound's report, a spokesman says, is entitled "Inside Dope: How Drugs Are the Biggest Threat to Sports, Why You Should Care, and What Can Be Done About Them." It deals with the genesis of doping in sports as well as in the world of doctors and trainers; drug testing and the battle to stay ahead of users; drug companies and big business; and the role of WADA as an internationally endorsed anti-doping watchdog. The report, according to the publisher, "puts the issue of doping in sports into context: why it has become such a problem; the role of drug companies, big business, doctors and trainers; testing and the battle to stay ahead of the users; WADA as the worlds watchdog; standards and the future of doping and sports." The report costs C$40, plus about C$75 for shipping and handling.

    NORTH KOREA TO SUPPORT SOUTH FOR 2014 WINTER OLYMPIC BID

  • United Press International reports North Korea has promised its "strong support" for South Korea's bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, according to South Korean officials. "The North's side has expressed strong support for the South's bid to host the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, and agreed to extend full cooperation," Kim Jin-sun, governor of the province, told journalists after retuning from a four-day visit to Pyongyang. The North's agreement was made on the basis of the "mutual recognition" that the international sports event would make "a positive contribution to peace and stability" on the Korean peninsula, Kim said when he returned to Seoul. Under the three-point agreement, the North also promised to work on fielding a unified team and holding joint training for the 2014 Winter Olympics, to help Pyeongchang win the games bid, he said. Pyeongchang is one of three cities -- along with Sochi, Russia, and Salzburg, Austria -- vying for the 2014 Olympic Games, and the winner will be part of the 2010 Winter Games' Closing Ceremonies. The IOC is expected to make its decision in about eight months. South Korean narrowly lost to Vancouver for the 2010 Games. "The North's support will help us win the bid this time," Kim said.

    SPIRIT OF BC SESSION MEETS IN KELOWNA

  • The Spirit of BC meetings -- co-sponsored by 2010 Legacies Now, the BC government and the Royal Bank -- continue to make the rounds of BC communities. A group of presenters brings communities up to date on how to get involved in aspects of supporting the 2010 Winter Games during the tour. This past weekend they were in Kelowna, where the group met with community committees in south central British Columbia, an area known as the North Thompson Valley. The communities included representatives from Spirit of BC committees in Vernon, Kamloops, Lillooet, Lumby, North Okanagan district, Oliver, Osoyoos, Penticton, Shuswap and Summerland. Presenters included Betty MacLeod, senior manager of Olympic business development and Robin Smith, the manager of Business Development of Commercial Markets in Kelowna. They're both from the Royal Bank of Canada. Presenters also included Chris Gudgeon, the project manager for the BC government's Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts; Shaun Poole, one of the community relations staff of VANOC; and Ken Veldman, the Business Connections manager of the 2010 Commerce Centre.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 28, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:56 PM  

    Monday, November 27, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #2006

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    IOC EXPECTED TO APPROVE SKICROSS, NOT WOMEN'S SKI JUMPING

  • Despite powerful backing and intense lobbying from the Canadian and American Olympic Committees, the IOC's own program commission is recommending women's ski jumping not be approved for the 2010 Winter Games when the IOC's executive committee meets in Kuwait tomorrow. The commission's recommendations on the matter, and on other disciplines, have not been released publicly since it concluded its meetings a few weeks ago, but word on the recommendations has leaked out to various Olympic officials. COC vice-president Walter Sieber says, "I think we would have great results," but the Commission feels there is not enough women and not enough countries participating yet. The IOC's executive committee will make the decision, but it doesn't often go against recommendations from its program committee, Sieber said. Reports filtering out from Kuwait indicate other disciplines -- a team event in alpine skiing, individual curling, mixed doubles curling, a biathlon mixed relay and team luge -- are also unlikely to be approved. However, skicross, a freestyle event that drew good crowds when it first appeared at the Torino Winter Games last February, is likely to be confirmed for 2010 as well. It involves groups of skiers racing each other to the bottom of a course featuring jumps, rollers, banks created by natural and designed terrain features. VANOC has input on the inclusion of any discipline in 2010, but the IOC his the organization that makes the final decision on the events at any Games.

    OLYMPIC COMMISSION CONSIDERING FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF 2010-BOUND GROUPS

  • The Olympic Solidarity Commission says intends to study the possibility to provide support and assistance to athletes preparing the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010. So far, Olympic Solidarity has been concentrating its efforts in supporting athletes preparing the Summer Games, but it reported that it provided support grants to 80 national Olympic Committees around the world for their preparation and participation in Torino Winter Olympics, totaling (US$7 million; C$7.9 million). Today’s discussions, though, clearly indicate the Commission’s will to widen its support. The Commission approved a budget of US$60 million (C$68 million) for the 2007. IOC Executive Board member and President of the Olympic Solidarity Commission, Mario Vazquez Rana says, "This has been a very successful year, which has seen athletes from all continents benefiting from strong programs that have led them to take part in major continental competitions." So far, he says, 906 athletes have benefited from preparation scholarships for the Beijing 2008 (US$5 million; C$5.6 million) and 81 support grants were provided for team sports for Beijing 2008 (US$3 million; C$3.4 million). Olympic Solidarity is the IOC's body responsible for managing and administering the share of the television rights of the Olympic Games that is allocated to the National Olympic Committees.

    ARGENTINIAN ATHLETE DETERMINED TO REPRESENT SOUTH AMERICAN SKATING IN 2010

  • A 21-year-old former in-line champion skater from Mar del Plata, Argentina, credits two events that have prompted him to devote his life for the next few years to being the first speedskater to represent a South American country in a winter Olympics, and he's aiming for the 2010 Games. The first event for Jose Ignacio Fazio was being an exchange student in his last year at high school in Thunder Bay, Ontario. "When I was in Canada, that's when I find out I love snow and winter," Fazio told reporter Gary D'Amato of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I ended up doing cross-country skiing and snowboarding and I played a little hockey. It was a lot of fun. I wasn't that good with the stick but I was fast with the skates." The second event was when some Dutch speedskaters, in Patagonia for a winter sports festival on a frozen lake, noticed him working out in his hockey skates. "They arranged everything," Fazio told D'Amato. "I arrived in Amsterdam and they took me to the (Viking) factory and gave me clap skates. The following day, they put me on the ice. I was skating with the marathon skaters in the B Division. I didn't last long. I did 25 laps. Honestly, I was so tired." That got him noticed by US Olympic coach Dave Fenn, who invited him to train in Milwaukee. D'Amato reports that Fazio is living on a small budget at the Tommy Thompson Youth Center at State Fair Park, where he splits a dorm-style room with another skater and pays US$225 rent. He has an arrangement with the Pettit Center, where he trains: he receives ice time in exchange for volunteer work with its "Kids on Ice" program. He owns a laptop computer and his clap skates, and not much more. D'Amato reports that during the World Cup season open event Nov. 10-12 in Heerenveen, Holland, Fazio competed in the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 metre races and finished near the bottom of the B Division in every one. Last week, at a World Cup in Berlin, he was still near the bottom but showed improvement. And the organization behind him? Argentina's speedskating federation is four months old. Fazio's father, Jorge, is the president and his son is its only skater. Fazio, reports D'Amato, says he's realistic about getting his results up in time for 2010. But there's always the 2014 Games. And 2018...

    RESOURCES

    Olympic Solidarity Commission:

    www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/commissions/solidarity/index_uk.asp

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 27, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Paralympic| #2005

    IPC APPROVES VANOC'S UPDATED PLANS FOR 2010 PARALYMPICS

    The Governing Board of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has approved an updated Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games Concept as presented by John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).

    The IPC had asked for a formal report on the update that came about as a result of the decision taken by the Municipality of Whistler in August to not build a new arena for sledge hockey and wheelchair curling because it would be too expensive. VANOC, as a fall-back proposed moving the competitions, and their athletes, to Vancouver venues. Up to that point, all of the Paralympic events and awards were to be held in Whistler, and all of the Paralympic athletes would be housed in the Whistler Olympic Village.

    The IPC asked VANOC to develop an updated concept for the Games that dealt with the changes on the competition venues, as well as the overall impact on the Games experience.

    The decision was made over the weekend during the Board's meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

    The Board approved the new concept, which the IPC afteward refered to as “small-town spirit, big-city facilities and world-class exposure” for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. VANOC has not released the report, but the IPC noted that it allows more opportunities for spectators to see the Paralympic Games, and that in Vancouver, the Paralympic athletes will be housed in the same Village as their Olympic counterparts.

    IPC President Sir Philip Craven says “While the Paralympic Games in 2010 will no longer be compact, as originally proposed in the initial concept, we feel that this [new] concept will enable more spectators to witness Paralympic sport, and will spread the Paralympic spirit further through Canada. The IPC is very pleased with the work that VANOC has contributed to create such an sustainable concept for the Paralympic Games."

    Among other items, the Board also received a briefing from Furlong on the status of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. VANOC has not released that report, either.

    The latest version of the IPC Classification Code, following work of the Classification Code Working Group over the past 12 months, was also discussed during the meeting.

    Craven said the updated code, known as Version 3, would help it clearer in which category an athlete with one arm or one leg should compete. "This new version was the result of a 12-month process that included several reviews by experts and consultation with all stakeholders," he said. The new version would now be submitted for a final review by the 195 IPC members. The new Code is expected to take effect at the 2010 Winter Games.

    The Board, meanwhile, told a delegation from the International Sports Federation for Persons with an Intellectual Disability (INAS-FID) that more work still has to be done before it will consider including athletes with an intellectual disability.

    Paralympic Games only involve athletes with physical disabilities; the so-called "Special Olympics", in which intellectually disabled athletes compete, are not a part of the Olympic or Paralympic movements, despite the name.

    Craven says that issues involving eligibility and protest procedures still don't achieve "the standards expected for IPC-sanctioned competitions, including the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, and were not sufficiently robust to ensure fair competition for athletes with intellectual disability."

    Craven said following the meeting, “The IPC Governing Board wants to emphasize that the current decision is not a case of discrimination against a disability group. The IPC supports the participation of athletes with intellectual disability, but INAS-FID has yet to prove that they have the necessary processes in place to ensure the fairness of elite competition."

    He said the IPC will continue to support the research underway to form sport-specific eligibility systems for athletes with an intellectual disability. As a result, the status of athletes with an intellectual disability will be re-evaluated following the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 27, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:55 PM  

    Friday, November 24, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #2004

    VANCOUVER CALLS FOR TONS OF GRANITE FOR OLYMPIC VILLAGE FORESHORE, SEATING

    The City of Vancouver, which is rushing to complete the ground preparation of the 2010 Olympic Village, is calling for contractors to deliver about 250 tons of granite blocks of various dimensions for landscaping parts of the foreshore, and for public seating.

    The granite, which is to be the colour of salt and pepper, needs to be on the site on the southeast of False Creek by next March 15. A total of 254 blocks will be used for the landscaping, 13 will be used for seating, and a performance letter of credit for C$100,000 is required.

    The closing date for responding to the City's Request for Proposals is December 5, but there is to be a proponent's meeting next Monday.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 24, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #2003

    OTTAWA PUTS OLYMPIC PODIUM FUNDING SOLIDLY UNDER CANADIAN GOVERNMENT CONTROL

    The Canadian government has moved to bring the 2010 Winter Olympic Games' "Own The Podium" program and the Summer Olympic Games equivalent, Road to Excellence, under full federal cabinet control, along with about C$40 million in combined funding -- some of which is private money.

    Michael Chong -- who is the president of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, the minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and the minister for Sport -- as well as the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC); the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) were all involved today in creating Podium Canada.

    Canada's Privy Council Office "articulates and implements" the federal government’s policy agenda; it's the interface between the federal cabinet of ministers and the public service. It also manages the cabinet’s decision-making system, such as coordinating departmental policy proposals and conducting policy analysis.

    The original concept, "Own the Podium", was developed by Cathy Priestner-Allinger in a report she wrote shortly before being named the executive vice-president for sport at VANOC. The idea was to focus funds raised jointly between the federal government and from VANOC's private sponsors directly on winter sports where Canada was likely to generate medals during the 2010 Winter Olympics. VANOC and Ottawa each pledged to contribute a total of C$110 million by 2010. "Road to Excellence" was later developed for summer sports.

    They have been run by the Canadian Olympic Committee since their formation, with additional funding from the COC and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. Podium Canada's role, according to Chong, is as an advisory body. It will "make funding recommendations to the national funding partners based on expert analysis and to help NSOs[national sports organizations] implement their technical programs... Podium Canada will monitor NSOs' implementation of their high-performance programs to ensure maximum performance results," he says. Podium Canada, he adds, will assume the roles and responsibilities of the Canadian Sport Review Panel, which has been doing that work.

    Chris Rudge, the chief executive officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee, says that "With Own The Podium 2010 and Road to Excellence partnering under the same umbrella, we are laying the foundation for a strong high-performance sport system that will provide funding recommendations and unparalleled technical expertise to support Canada's athletes and coaches as they strive for the podium. The creation of Podium Canada also allows us to use Own The Podium 2010 and Road To Excellence resources in a mutually supportive manner to avoid redundancies and bring the best knowledge-base to all sports."

    Dr. Roger Jackson, who ran "Own the Podium", is the CEO of Podium Canada, and will directly supervise the 2010 winter sport aspects of Podium Canada. Alex Baumann, who ran the Road to Excellence summer sport program will continue in that position as Dr. Jackson's second in command.

    Under the new scheme, Podium Canada will be advisory committee to the Privy Council Office, and will not make binding funding decisions, just recommendations to the funding partners on close to $40 million in existing funding from government and non-government sources. Sport Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee will provide administrative support to the agency, as they have been doing.

    RESOURCES

    An explanation of the Privy Council Office system:

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen's_Privy_Council_for_Canada

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 24, 2006

    posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:54 PM  

    Thursday, November 23, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #2002

    VANCOUVER CONSIDERS APPLYING FOR C$206,000 TOURISM GRANT FOR FEBRUARY 2010 COUNTDOWN AND SIGNAGE

    Vancouver city staff are recommending the city apply for a C$206,000 grant from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Community Tourism Program to pay for several 2010-related items, including a three-year countdown ceremony next February.

    The city's general manager of Olympic and Paralympic Operations, Dave Rudberg, says the funds would be used for the countdown celebration on February 12, as well as for three new ‘Welcome to Vancouver’ signs, and a consultant report on how the city should construction a wayfinding system for tourists to be used leading up to, during and after the 2010 Winter Games. The city would add C$75,000 to help pay for the cost of the wayfaring report if its application for the grant is approved.

    Rudberg thinks there might be some donations to the projects coming from some unidentified community organizations which have "expressed an interest in collaborating on certain events." As well, he says, "sponsorships and in-kind contributions may also be forthcoming."

    Rudberg says the wayfinding system of signage developed by the consultant would serve residents and visitors "in navigating between various neighbourhoods and points of interest." He expects the wayfinding strategy will focus mainly on downtown, "but may highlight neighbourhoods of interest as well as more regional attractions." But, he adds, the maps and information panels will only be set up for pedestrians and cyclists, not for vehicles. The signage wouldn't talk about the 2010 Games at first; that would be added later, as the Games neared.

    The budget for signage would be C$60,000, while C$77 thousand would be assigned to the celebrations, C$62 thousand of that celibration component would be spent at the Coliseum.

    The Community Tourism Program is a C$25-million program funded by the BC government that is intended to help the province achieve a government goal of doubling tourism over the next 10 years. A year ago, the city received C$225,000, which it sued for the February 2006 Olympic countdown celebrations in Vancouver, which involved three large community events, free access to public skating rinks, five ‘Welcome to Vancouver’ signs, and a groundbreaking ceremony at Southeast False Creek at the site of the Vancouver Olympic Village. Rudberg says, "The events were successful in terms of media attention and building public awareness. The city received coverage by local, national and international media, as well as a great deal of coverage by local and national radio. The number of visits to the City of Vancouver’s website also went up dramatically during the City of Vancouver’s countdown celebration week."

    BACKGROUND

    Vancouver's proposed February countdown celebrations include three community events. The idea, according to Rudberg, is to "generate enthusiasm about the approaching Winter Games, engage people in the countdown to 2010, and educate citizens about the legacies provided by the 2010 Winter Games." He says they also help brand Vancouver as the host city of the 2010 Winter Games, and promote the City to visitors.

    Activities for the February 2007 celebration, he suggests, "may include:"

  • Unveiling an official 2010 countdown clock.

  • A community event at the Pacific Coliseum, a venue for the Games.

  • A groundbreaking ceremony at Hillcrest Park to mark the start of construction of the new Hillcrest Olympic and Paralympic curling venue.

  • Night lighting for the Olympic and Paralympic Flags currently flying beside each other at Vancouver City Hall; and;

  • Displaying 2010-themed street banners leading to and adjacent the city's Olympic venues.

    Some of the city's goals for the countdown celebrations are to promote recreation, arts and culture in the city as well as what he calls "active living." They idea is to target a young audience, so "youth activities would be a priority in the planning of this celebration and future celebrations." The city would work with staff from VANOC, Richmond and Whistler, all locations with VANOC venues to plan the celebrations. And, he says, it would "also work with 2010 LegaciesNow to leverage opportunities for legacies in sport and recreation, arts and culture and volunteerism."

    Council is expected to discuss whether to give staff approval to apply for the grant on Tuesday.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 23, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #2001

    VANCOUVER STAFF RECOMMEND AGAINST SELLING NAMING RIGHTS TO CITY-OWNED OLYMPIC VENUES UNTIL AFTER 2010

    Vancouver city staff have decided that they will recommend to city council next Tuesday that it not rename any of its sports facilities in east Vancouver until after the 2010 Winter Games.

    The recommendation, if followed, would end the potential of the city selling naming rights for 2010 venues such as the Coliseum in Hastings Park before the Olympics.

    The city's managing director of cultural services, Sue Harvey, is recommending, "In light of their upcoming use as Olympic venues, and the planning process for Hastings Park, staff recommend deferring any consideration of renaming of community sport facilities until after 2010, and then, only in the context of the Hastings Park Master Plan." Council is expected to discuss the issue on Tuesday.

    Harvey reports that public opinion was strongly against renaming existing facilities -- 83% were opposed in a public opinion survey commissioned by the city, and 71% were opposed in an online survey. However, suggests Harvey, that if council still wanted to go ahead with the idea, she's recommending that the existing name be included in the overall name.

    Staff have also decided it won't recommend any changes to policies about allowing exterior signage to identify a corporate sponsor of a room or area inside such a public building, since the public's opposed to that too, but if it did want to go ahead with that, only one such sign be allowed with various names on it, to prevent proliferation of commercial signage.

    Public opinion was also against the use of corporate logos in such situations, although not as strongly as names -- 52% against in the public opinion survey and 65% opposed in the online survey. Apparently people felt that "logos are advertising or names that are less commercial."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 23, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #2000

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    VANOC AIMING FOR MEDICAL INDEPENDENCE DURING GAMES

  • A report in the Vancouver Province newspaper indicates VANOC, as per previous Olympics, is aiming at being as medically independent as possible during the 2010 Games, so that it doesn't burden the existing health system. Reporter Claire Ogilvie quotes VANOC's chief medical officer, Dr. Jack Taunton, as saying, "We don't want to be bumping [patients] or jumping queues... The public is obviously concerned about that, so we want to be self-sufficient. That means we have to use our Olympic sponsors, our own budget and our own ingenuity as to how we can become as self-sufficient as possible." VANOC's total budget for this aspect, reports the paper, is C$21.8 million, with the BC government contribution C$12.8 million and VANOC's estimated spending, from its own fundraising, coming to about C$9 million of the total. In previous winter Olympics, Kodak, as an international sponsor, provided medical imaging equipment and other technology, however the company has not yet decided whether it will renew its sponsorship and repeat its Torino supplies for the Vancouver Games. VANOC's plans call for a polyclinic -- a full field-hospital type of medical operation -- at the Vancouver and Whistler Olympic Villages. Ogilvie reports VANOC has had 1,700 volunteers apply to work the medical side of the Games, although other reports indicate it has not yet begun to recruit them. She also reports that Taunton felt a main lesson for VANOC from the 2006 Torino Games, was to stay outside of the public health system as much as possible. She quotes him as saying that, "In Torino... they used an MRI in a hospital, so the quickest they could see anyone was four hours, even on a priority basis." Ogilvie quotes Torino statistics that indicate 1,198 people used a hospital there, 56% of them were part of the workforce, 13% were athletes, 12% were spectators, 10% were from those helping to put on the Games and about 8% were media.

    VANCOUVER STAFF PROPOSING SEMIS ALLOWED TO SERVICE OLYMPIC VILLAGE STORE

  • Vancouver's Engineering Services department says it is planning to report to the city council's Transportation & Traffic Committee the staff recommendations for truck access to the proposed grocery store approved for the city's Olympic Village site. There's been a lot of discussion about how best to control commercial truck traffic in the area, both before, during and after the 2010 Games, with a lot of deference given to bicyclists. In general, semis up to 15-metres (50 feet) are proposed to enter the building from Ontario Street and the new Walter Hardwick Avenue, and exit onto 1st Avenue going westbound. Smaller trucks, which are better able to negotiate the narrower streets of site, are expected to use Manitoba Street to get to the Village's commercial areas. Staff are also expected to recommend council approve installation of a "bike-permeable median" on 2nd Avenue at Ontario Street. The purpose of the median is to prevent eastbound traffic on 2nd Avenue from turning north onto Ontario to get into the Village, and to prevent traffic by vehicles on Ontario. The intersection is planned to have signals that are only activated by cyclist and pedestrian buttons. The median will have slots for bicycles to use. Staff feel that while Ontario Street, between 2nd Avenue and Walter Hardwick Avenue, will allow large trucks destined for the grocery store, the rest of traffic by vehicles on this part of the Ontario, which is supposed to be primarily a bikeway and green path, will be reduced by the median. An open house is expected to be held on December 1st to allow the public to review and comment on the truck route and median proposal.

    2014 BID CHIEF ASKING FOR NORTH KOREAN SUPPORT

  • Asian media today are reporting that Kim Jin-Sun, executive president of the 2014 Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee, is now in North Korea to seek that country's support for bid. Pyeongchang is one of the short list of countries bidding for the Games. A decision is expected to be made by the IOC next summer on which city will win them. Salzburg, Austria and Sochi, Russia are also in the running. Members of the IOC's evaluation team are scheduled to visit Pyeongchang in February to review the technical aspects of its bid. The country chosen will be part of the 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremonies, and officials and will be in Vancouver and Whistler on a regular basis leading up to the Games to observe VANOC's operation. Although tensions between South Korean and North Korea increased considerably last month when North Korean set off a test underground nuclear explosion, Kim continued with his scheduled meetings at the invitation of the Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation. North Korean International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Jang Ung earlier promised full support for Pyeongchang's bid during a meeting with South Korean officials when they were all in Torino last February for the Italian winter games. "It is hoped that a successful bid for the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games could help bring people together and ease tension on the Korean peninsula," a statement from the South Korean bid committee said. Pyeongchang narrowly lost to Vancouver's bid for the 2010 Games.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 23, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |International| #1999

    TOROC PRESIDENT SAYS OLYMPIC EVENTS MUST BE PLANNED TO 'SWITCH ON' THE EXCITEMENT OF THE POPULATION

    The president of Torino's Olympic Organizing Committee says the event that "switched on" the population of the Italian city was the Opening Ceremony of the Games last February.

    Valentino Castellani, during an interview this afternoon in Vancouver, says, "We invested a lot in conceiving the Opening Ceremony, with the aim of giving to all the spectators [watching] on television, but also the people of Torino, the pride of being Italian; to give them the feeling of the excellence of our country. There were a lot of events inside the Opening Ceremony that were messages for the city of Torino and the cities of the valleys. Those were not intended to be understood by the television viewers in Asia, for instance, but the citizens of Torino got the messages. It's important to prepare, in the Opening Ceremonies, things that talk to everybody. The Opening Ceremony was the switching on of the city, of the spirit. Something magic happened."

    Castellani said that, despite the years of planning for the Games and the events that surrounded them, it was decided the day after the Opening Ceremony to create two "White Nights", where the city's shops, restaurants, businesses and tourist-related institutions, such as museums, stayed open overnight on the second and third Saturdays during the Games; crowds thronged the streets. "It created security problems and organizing problems that were not so easy to be dealt with... but that was for the population. It was a celebration for the population. You have to invent something to switch on the passion that I believe is also in Canadians."

    Castellani, a telecommunications engineer who was mayor of Torino for two terms, including when the city decided to bid for the 2006 Winter Olympics, noted that about one million spectators arrived for the Games, and they stayed an average of four days. He said they had, generally, tickets for "one or two" Olympic or Paralympic events, and the rest of the time was available for tourism.

    He said that tourism packages have to be ready and in place when they start to arrive. "You have to prepare for them offers, convincing offers. For instance, a tour of wineries, for those that are interested in wine. People who come here and who want to go to Kelowna. You have to be prepared for them a tour of wineries, to have buses that bring them, to give them the information, and so on. Or a tour for, I don't know, food in general. We organized in Torino -- but not the Organizing Committee, this is not the task of VANOC, this is the task of institutions and the enterprises of [other communities] -- you have to prepare and offer your product in the market, like wine or nature. Many communities can be involved in the Games in this way."

    Castellani, talking about business and how it should be prepared by tracking the business side of the 2010 Games even though there are still three years before the Games begin, likened the event to a train heading quickly toward a destination. "It's only going by once, it's going fast, and it's passing now."

    He added that, "It's not easy to have the correct interface with the bid requirements of VANOC, which is independent and neutral. It is not outside of the Games, it is one of the actors [active participants] of the Games. VANOC cannot directly help the local business communities. VANOC has to act as a company, getting the best products and the lowest cost possible, and choosing who is best [to provide them.]"

    He said that local and regional companies have a competitive advantage because of their proximity to VANOC, or to the major contractors VANOC choses as suppliers or sponsors. "The proximity allows you to be informed in time, to get direct information. The physical interaction, in my opinion, is not necessarily as good as the virtual one. You get a lot of additional information. You can have a lot of additional confidence when you interact in that way."

    He also said small companies have plenty of opportunities to get involved with the Games through sub-contracting with larger firms that have deals with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC). "Small companies usually have good quality products, almost always at affordable prices, but what they can't ensure, usually, are the quantities that VANOC might require. It's important to get in contact with a prime contractor [before bidding for a contract], not necessarily based in Vancouver, but also perhaps in another part of Canada. There's a mutual interest; a prime contractor needs to know that it has the possibility of using suppliers in the communities, so that it's costs are lower."

    Castellani noted that the Torino Organizing Committee spent about C$850 million for goods and services in the marketplace, aside from construction. "Almost 45% of this amount went to prime contractors in the regional area. But if we add the sub-contractors, more than 60% of this amount remained in the region. And, on the whole, 84% remained in Italy, which was, to us, a very good result. There are a lot of possiblities, but you have to be prepared. The time is now. Three years ahead is the correct time to plan."

    He also noted that communities that want to encourage national Olympic or Paralympic teams to train in their area and to take advantage of the money they'll spend while they are there need to invest in enticing them. Austria, Norway and Sweden have already made their decisions about where their national Olympic and Paralympic teams will train, and more have yet to do so.

    "Nothing comes for free," he said, adding that cities and towns in Italy also invested in the test events that are scheduled, usually in the winter the year or two prior to the event. "VANOC has to test all the sports facilties before the Games. Our communities invested a lot in those events. We chose to have international events, a World Cup or continental championships. But that costs money. The additional amount of money that was needed was funded by the City of Torino, and by the regional government, because the organizing committee, TOROC, didn't have the money to do that. International teams came, all of them, at least one year before. Some of them were there even two or three years before."

    The comments came during a broadcast co-sponsored by 2010 Legacies Now, the British Columbia Olympic Secretariat, the host broadcaster of the Games, CTV, and VANOC's major financial sponsor, RBC, which is heavily focused on generating new corporate business as a result of its association with the 2010 Winter Games.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 23, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:52 PM  

    Wednesday, November 22, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1997

    2010 GAMES RAISED BY VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS DURING HEARINGS ON BC BUDGET SPENDING FOR NEXT YEAR

    The BC government's initial report of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, which covers the work of the Committee on the Budget 2007 Consultations, says it heard about the 2010 Olympics by various people and organizations during its survey that started last March.

    The report, designed to help the BC government as it prepares its budget for next spring, was just made public and prepared under the supervision of committee chair Blair Lekstrom, the government member of the legislature for Peace River South in the province's north-east sector.

    The report says, "Olympic cost pressures were frequently cited as an area of concern by on-line and flyer respondents. Several submissions highlighted the possibility of substantial economic benefits accruing to the province, but expressed concerns about the province’s financial indemnification of the Games."

    On the other hand, the BC Tree Fruit Growers Assocation told the Committee, "Agricultural marketing programs are needed. We are coming up to the 2010 Olympics without a clear plan to promote B.C. agriculture or B.C. goods and services. The real marketing opportunity will be from now until two years after the Olympics. Since we have so far failed to launch, this opportunity is being squandered. Industries such as our own are just too small to afford purchasing the logo and the rights to be suppliers to the Olympics."

    And the BC Food Processors Association added in its brief, "As you know, for the 2010 Opportunities Initiative, branding was identified as the number one priority... We absolutely must use a professional brander to lead that exercise. We know this works."

    Transportation was also a theme for 2010, according to the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce, which covers the northeast section of the Greater Vancouver area, centred on Coquitlam. It told the committee hearings, "Without rapid transit accessibility to and from the northeast sector, movement will be substantially limited. This will tremendously reduce the opportunities for our businesses to benefit by the 2010 Olympics."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 22, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1996

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    ANOTHER PART FOR 2010 WEATHER STATIONS TO BE SOURCED DIRECTLY

  • The Canadian government is going to direct yet another contract to a specific company without bidding as it continues to build four sophisticated weather stations to help the 2010 Winter Games. The latest contract, for up to C$100,000, is for Canadian Space Services (CSS) of Carp, Ontario, to supply a radome for the Sea-to-Sky doppler weather radar that is being built by the National Radar Program of the Meteorological Services of Canada. A radome -- the word is short for "radar dome" -- is the weatherproof enclosure that's used to protect a radar antenna. It is used mainly to prevent ice, and especially freezing rain, from accumulating directly on the metal surface of the antenna. It also protects the equipment from debris and vibration from wind. Environment Canada, the federal ministry that's buying the radome, uses CSS to supply and maintain the 28 radomes used by the national radar program across the country, and Environment Canada wants to maintain consistency, system compatibility and "to leverage the existing maintenance contract with CSS," a contract that was based on competitive bidding. The new radome is to be supplied by the end of March. The purchase is being made through the Vancouver branch of Public Works Canada. The latest contract, the fourth, brings the total spent by the Canadian Meteorological Service on the Doppler-weather stations at various companies to at least C$749,000 in new equipment, without going to tender.

    CANADIAN WOMEN SKI JUMPERS ASK FOR VANOC SUPPORT IN IOC VOTE

  • Four Canadian women ski jumpers have sent a letter to VANOC CEO John Furlong asking for the Organizing Committee's support for including women ski jumping in the 2010 Winter Olympics. The International Olympic Committee executive is to meeting in Kuwait November 29 to vote on whether to allow the sport into the Winter Games for the first time. If they lose the vote, they must wait until a similar meeting in late 2010 to request inclusion in the 2014 Winter Games. "This is it," former Salt Lake City mayor Deedee Corradini, is quoted as saying. She is a longtime women's jumping supporter who was on the bid committee that landed the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. "As far as we're concerned, this is make or break," she adds. The letter, from Katie Willis, Atsuko Tanaka, Nata de Leeuw and Zoya Lynch, says "This year, jumpers from 14 nations will be competing in 20 events staged by eight countries on three different continents. We sincerely believed and hoped that VANOC would embrace this opportunity to remove the final barrier to equal participation by women at the Vancouver Olympics and would encourage the IOC to approve the FIS request.... Inclusion of women at the ski jumping venue would have many positive benefits for Canada... We believe we would be strong role models to girls and women. We have already achieved excellent results in international competitions... To remain competitive, we need funding, and funding in Canada depends on the chance to stand upon the podium. If the IOC and VANOC give us a chance at the podium, our sport can continue to develop... How can the federal and provincial governments fund construction of a multi-million dollar facility that puts up a 'No Women Allowed sign?'" The IOC session is also to decide on whether to include ski-cross, a team event in Alpine skiing, individual curling and team luge.

    FURLONG SAYS THREE QUEBEC FIRMS ARE TALKING SPONSORSHIP

  • Furlong, in Montreal this week, says at least three Quebec-based companies are in serious discussions with VANOC's marketing department about sponsorships, while another two have engaged in licensing agreements. He declined to name the firmst talking about sponsoring the Games. Two of the Games' national sponsors - Bell Canada and RONA - are based in Quebec.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 22, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1995

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    CARLSON MARKETING SETS UP SHOP IN VANCOUVER FOR 2010 GAMES

  • Carlson Marketing, the international consulting firm that specializes in Olympic sponsorships and managing hospitality programs for the Olympics, is setting up its third Canadian branch office in downtown Vancouver because it is "taking steps to strengthen its Olympic presence in anticipation of the 2010 Winter Games." The Minneapolis-based firm already has offices in Toronto and Montreal. The Vancouver branch will be run by Pete Moore, who has worked with clients for eight Olympic Games, according to the company. Moore, the company's Director of Olympic Operations, has been a member of the International Olympic Committee's Hospitality Advisory Committee and its Transportation Advisory Committee. CB Wismar, the company's vice-president of Event Marketing, says. "This move to the west coast also will enable Pete to better serve our clients for the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, both from a geographical and time-zone perspective." Wismer says the Olympic commercial climate has changed as the number of sponsors per Games shrinks. He notes there were 80 in Sydney to less than 25 in Athens. "We have strengthened our offerings to adjust to this newly competitive environment which has attracted more agencies," said Wismer. "Our primary change has been to increase our marketing strategy and activation capabilities. With this focus, we help clients maximize their sponsorship investment by integrating their marketing mix, including hospitality, consumer and employee programs. We're also focusing on providing more value to the sponsors by taking advantage of the synergies between Carlson Marketing and our sister company, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, to deliver hospitality programs."

    ALPINE CANADA TO HOLD BUSINESS FORUM ON INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

  • Alpine Canada, the Canadian skiing federation whose athletes will comprise a large part of the Canadian Olympic Team in 2010, continues to come up with innovative ways to market the corporate side of the organization to the senior business community. Its fourth annual World Cup Business Forum takes place Friday, on the eve of the men’s alpine downhill race in Lake Louise, Alberta, as the 2006/2007 season opens. Former United States Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and Gwynne Dyer, noted Canadian writer on international political events, will headline the forum, which this year focuses on the effect international security clampdowns are having on business. “[It] offers an unmatched setting for business leaders to discuss issues critical to the future prosperity of Canada while also attending the exciting first men’s speed events of the season,” claims Matt Mosteller, Senior Director of Business Development for Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, which operates the Lake Louise resort. According to an Alpine Canada spokesman, "What makes this business forum unique is the added thrill of World Cup racing action." A gala dinner with a live band is part of the package as well. And, of course, it not only gives Alpine Canada a chance to thank its existing sponsors, it brings the attention of business executives and their colleagues on the organization. The organizing committee for the forum includes Murray Edwards, who is the chairman of Resorts of the Canadian Rockies; John Cassels, the chairman of the Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup organization; Ken Read, the chief executive officer of Alpine Canada; Perry Spitznagel, a partner of the Albertan law firm Bennett Jones LLP; Jim Rooney, Q.C., a Calgary-based counsel for the national law firm of Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP; Wayne Henuset, the owner and president of Willow Park Wines & Spirits of Calgary; and, Alison Keene, the senior vice-president and managing director of the Toronto-based investment firm of BMO Nesbitt Burns.

    CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE WARNED OF SEX-TRADE GROWTH IN 2010

  • The Canadian House of Commons Committee on the Status of Women was told yesterday in Ottawa that the thousands of visitors expected in Vancouver and Whistler for the 2010 Games will be the "biggest business opportunity" in Canada in two decades for traffickers who profit from the sexual exploitation of women. Benjamin Perrin of The Future Group, a non-profit organization created to combat human trafficking, told the Committee during hearings about trafficking in women that, "Traffickers will see this as a windfall." The "clock is ticking," Perrin told the Committee, adding, "Every major sporting event in the last decade, whether it's World Cup or the Olympic Games or even peacekeepers going abroad, has caused a trafficking explosion to spring up in the region."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 22, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:51 PM  

    Tuesday, November 21, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1994

    Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

    VANOC LOOKING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR AD-HOC WORK UNTIL 2010

  • VANOC has issued a formal Request for Proposals, calling upon professional photographers to help it with its on-demand picture requirements between January and March 31, 2010. The RFP says photographers interested in participating should contact VANOC by December 18 and submit a proposal; it's likely more than one will be selected. Photographers chosen will be required to provide a range of picture-taking several types in two groups. Creative photography involves pictures of street pictures of people going about their business; landscapes and cityscapes; product pics, portraits of specific people indoors and outdoors and, of course, sports and action photography but of general subjects. In the other component, Corporate Photography, VANOC is asking for four types: pictures of specific events, formal photos of specific groups and portraits under stage lighting, personal portraits and head shots, and pictures of news conferences -- those ones have a two-hour turnaround. Most of the work will take place in the Greater Vancouver or Whistler area -- within 150 kilometres of the photographer's office -- but VANOC estimates about 15% of the corporate portion will take place outside of that corridor, and about 5% of the creative. VANOC will be looking for pricing information for personnel, equipment and services provided, as well as a portfolio of work in a specific format. Also, as usual, there will be a gag order in the contract offered the successful proponent -- they won't be able to talk about their relationship with VANOC in any commercial way.

    VANOC TO START FOCUSING ON FIGURE SKATING EARLY NEXT YEAR

  • VANOC is expected to begin expanding the organization's figure-skating development role early next year. According to VANOC documents, it expects to start making and then implementing detailed plans for delivering the requirements of the sport, including all the test and training events. Overall planning has already been done. And it will begin the process of coordinating the preparations of the figure skating and short-track speedskating venue at the Pacific Coliseum, which is being upgraded in east Vancouver. VANOC will also begin working in detail with the International Skating Union, Skate Canada, other parts of VANOC, the City of Vancouver, which owns the venue, and the Pacific Coliseum management itself about how the facility will be organized during those events and the Games, including the field of play -- that's all the aspects an athlete works with -- sport technical requirements and competition management. It will also begin developing detailed sport operational plans and budgets. Over the next couple of years, the function will also recruit and manage the sport-specific VANOC work force, including the competition committee and the sport's technical volunteers.

    TOURISM ARTICLE LINKS 2010 OLYMPICS WITH SKI RESORT CAPITAL EXPENDITURES

  • An article by a freelance writer for Tourism BC that's getting wide circulation is suggesting, "With the countdown to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games well underway, B.C. ski resorts have spent millions of dollars in the off-season ramping up improvements to infrastructure and facilities, building new lifts, opening new terrain, unveiling luxurious lodges, and introducing new programs..." The article, by Steven Threndyle, is careful not to be specific that the 2010 Games is the reason for the expenditure, but he has tied the concepts closely in two parts of the article. There's more to come, he suggests. As he puts it, "As the countdown to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games continues, even more improvements and upgrades to facilities will be taking place at B.C. resorts. Regional, national, and international competitions will be staged throughout the province, not just at Whistler-Blackcomb."

    BACKGROUND

    Figure Skating at the 2010 Games:

    At the Olympic Games, according to VANOC, "figure skating consists of four events: men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs and ice dancing. All are judged competitions, where the skaters are assigned scores out of ten. Judges give marks for creativity, difficulty, variety, confidence and speed. In singles skating, skaters must complete both a short program (two minutes 40 seconds) of required steps, jumps, spins and combinations, and a longer free skate (four minutes for women and four minutes 30 seconds for men) to music. The free skate – worth 70& of a skater’s final score – allows the athletes to demonstrate their musicality, grace and strength. The pairs event follows the same format as the singles, with a compulsory short program and a free skate. However, in this event, one male and one female skater work as a team, with the male partner lifting and sometimes even throwing his partner. Both skaters must remain graceful throughout."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 21, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1993

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    FURLONG TELLS MONTREAL TWO-LANGUAGE COUNTRY SHOULD BE PROMOTED BY GAMES

  • VANOC CEO John Furlong today told a luncheon meeting of the Montreal Board of Trade that he wants to use the 2010 Winter Games to help promote the value of Canada's linguistic duality to the world. "We're a unique country," he said in his speech. "There are not too many like us and it's a tremendous opportunity for us to showcase the value of that on a world stage." The VANOC chief signed a protocol agreement with the government of Quebec last year in which each party would help the other in staging the Games, saying that he expected to sign similar documents with other provincial governments, but so far Quebec's is still the only one done. It covers a range of services, such as athlete training, cultural promotion, encouraging the use of French, and the encouraging business and job training opportunities. Quebec hosted the 1967 Summer Olympics, which is why he told the Montreal business people who attended, "You've got a great sports tradition here. There is a tremendous organizational capacity here in Quebec and we wanted to take advantage of that obviously." On the field, Quebec athletes are expected to form about half the Canadian team and win its share of medals, Furlong said, adding that nearly a quarter of employees at the Vancouver organizing committee are bilingual, and that number will grow. Pierre Cleroux, assistant deputy minister of economic development in Quebec, said Quebec has a lot to offer the Vancouver Games. He noted that Quebec companies helped with 2006 Winter Games in Turin, and said the provincial language office can help with French terminology in Vancouver. All of VANOC's formal Expression of Interest, Request for Quotes or Requests for Proposals are in both languages, as are its contract documents, and two Montreal-based companies, Bell Canada and Rona, the renovations company, are major sponsors of the 2010 Games. Seminars have also been held in Quebec to show companies how to be involved with VANOC. Although the budget and venue-construction deadlines have been extended several times since VANOC's formation in 2003, Furlong told the group that construction of Olympic venues is slightly ahead of schedule and under budget.

    IOC SHORTLISTS FOUR AD AGENCIES FOR FIFTH YEAR OF BRAND CAMPAIGN

  • The International Olympic Committee has selected four advertising agencies to submit full proposals for its global integrated marketing communications campaign. The four -- Havas, Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi and United -- were chosen as part of the IOC’s formal Request For Information process in October. The short-listed agencies will present their final proposals to the IOC "in the first quarter of 2007," with the expectation that one will be chosen to launch the global campaign later in the year. The 2007/8 campaign will be the fifth version of an program called “Celebrate Humanity.” The IOC’s campaign objectives are to communicate the key Olympic values of its brand -- excellence, respect and friendship -- to a global audience, targeting the 12-19 age group. Previous iterations of the campaign have been communicated entirely through TV, radio and print work, but the IOC's brief to the selected agencies asks for "a creative, multi-dimensional approach, comprising TV, online, viral promotion, experiential and PR activities." The first “Celebrate Humanity” global promotion was developed in the build-up to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Summer Games by the agency TBWA\Chiat\Day. That company subsequently adapted the work for the Winter Games in Salt Lake in 2002. Saatchi & Saatchi then handled the campaign for the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 and again in Torino earlier this year. Their ads featured personalities recognized around the world, such as Nelson Mandella, describing their personal experiences of the Olympic values.

    Rogers again in top 100 of Canada's "most powerful women"

  • Judy Rogers, the City of Vancouver's manager and one of VANOC's 20-member Board of Directors, has been ranked in the top 100 of Canada's "most powerful women" by the Toronto-based Women's Executive Network. Rogers was recognized as one of 11 women in the Public Sector category; it's the four time in a row she has been on the annual list. The rankings are alphabetical, not numerical. She has held the role of City Manager since 1999 and is the first woman to be appointed to the position in Vancouver. She has been the City's representative on the VANOC board of directors since 2003, and her term was renewed for another four years this month.

    RESOURCES

    The Top 100 Women as compiled by the Women's Executive Network of Canada:

    www-wxnetwork-com/images/Top100/WXN%20Awards%20Book-pdf

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 21, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |General| #1992

    TOROC PRESIDENT CASTELLANI SAYS BOOKS WILL BE BALANCED AT C$5.2 BILLION BUT GAMES IMPACT WILL TAKE LONGER

    The president of the Torino Olympic Organizing Committee says the 2006 Winter Games ended with a balanced budget of C$5.2 billion when the books are closed on the Games at the end of this year, but it will be a decade before the full impact of the Games is known on the area.

    The budgeted amount says, Valentino Castellani, includes operations and venue construction, but he warns that it's difficult to compare the budgets of two Games, such as Torino's and Vancouver's, because each organizing committee and their governments decide what expenditures to include, which are required and which are optional, and those decisions are determined by the structure of their relationships. It also includes additional revenues generated by government lobbying to top up the budget before the Games.

    Castellani is in BC this week to take part in a Legacies 2010 Now speaker series around the province.

    "There were a lot of investments made by different entities in connection with the Torino Games," he notes, such as, "the first underground line in the City of Torino and some infrastructure interventions of urban regeneration of Torino that were anticipated with respect to the planning, and so on and so on. I must say that we can be satisfied with the results."

    He notes the University of Rome has constructed an independent model of the economic impact of the Games. "For each Euro invested in the Olympic Games had an added value impact that induced e1.3, which is an interesting measure of the multiplication. I believe that we should have a very patient attitude in measuring these effects, because you have to wait at least four or five years to see what is going on, and what has been consolidated. It's still early to judge. The medium and long-term effects are what we call 'legacy', and so we have to measure them in five or 10 years from now."

    The Piedmonte Regional government estimates that the economic impacts will be about C$25.6 billion in valued added increased production nationally in Italy, with C$19 billion of that occurring within the region. The Games, it estimates, increased the domestic gross product by 0.2% nationally.

    Catellani notes that TOROC spent about C$838 million on marketplace goods and services, with 44% of that staying locally, 60% of it staying regionally and 80% it staying nationally. VANOC has an operational budget of about C$1.7 billion.

    One of the most successful marketing ideas, he said, was the decision to go to local and regional suppliers and put together a gift basket that focused on locally produced high-profile items to help bolster tourism visits. The basket included wine, cheese and chocolate, and was given away by sponsors to VIPs, to guests and sold at retail stores to spectators at kiosks set up at all the venues. "Food and beverages are culture," Castellani says, particularly for international visitors.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 21, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |IOC| #1991

    CANADIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE MEETS WITH BEIJING-BOUND TEAM TO TALK GAMES STRATEGY

    With 625 days to go before the 2008 Summer Olympics, the Canadian Olympic Committee has gathered a group of 60 Olympic-bound athletes and 70 coaches, team leaders and other support staff in Toronto to discuss game strategy.

    It's also a pattern expected to be repeated by the COC, and the Olympic committees of other countries, for the 2010 Winter Games when the time comes.

    The session was part of a four-day conference sponsored by the COC and its sponsors, designed to provide athletes, coaches and their support team with the practical skills and strategies necessary to get them on the podium in Beijing.

    As part of the workshop agenda, athletes met with previously successful Olympians to discuss the importance of devising a personal Olympic plan that meshes with that of the organization, while also providing personal accounts of the strategies used to overcome personal obstacles and challenges en route to capturing an Olympic medal.

    Dr. Judy Goss, a sport psychology consultant for the COC Athlete Relations section, says, "For an Olympic athlete, gone are the days where you could simply rely on talent alone to achieve podium success, The main point we try to communicate to athletes at the Olympic Excellence Series is that there is no smooth road to the Olympic Games. On the road to Beijing, Canada's athletes will encounter a variety of struggles and challenges. Through the Olympic Excellence Series, our goal is to have successful Olympians provide them with the skills and strategies to help them effectively manage those challenges and distractions to ensure a greater probability of podium success."

    In addition to the athlete portion of the Series, the COC and its Performance Enhancement Team met with the coaches, team leaders and high-performance members of each summer national sport federation to provide an initial overview of the Olympic environment, and information on some of the on-site challenges their sport may encounter in Beijing. That information was gleaned by COC officials in visits to the city beforehand.

    The COC's second and final Olympic Excellence Series for 2008 Olympic hopefuls is scheduled for a year from now, in next November.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 21, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |General| #1990

    VANCOUVER CITY COUNCIL BUDGET HEARING INVOLVING PROPOSED OLYMPIC LEGACY FUNDING DISRUPTED BY MOB

    A group of people calling themselves the Anti-Poverty Committee last night stormed a public meeting at the main library called by Vancouver city council to hear comments about its budget for next year, which included items to do with the 2010 Olympics.

    The city’s Olympic and Paralympic Operations Office some time ago asked council to put aside C$5 million each year for four years, starting in 2007, to create a Legacy Reserve Fund for the Winter Games. This reserve would be used to implement community, sustainability or hosting ideas.

    The group, however, has been demanding for months that the city spend more money on housing for homeless and low-income people, particularly on the city's tough Downtown East Side area. After marching several blocks from the Vancouver Art Gallery to the library, chanting and shouting, and, when they arrived, pounded on the doors of the meeting room.

    Vancouver police, as they brought the mob under control, said some people who were grabbing for officer's gun belts, were pepper-sprayed by one officer. Some of the protesters were able to get into the meeting, and began throwing chairs.

    Several people, including the group's leader, were arrested.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 21, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1989

    VANCOUVER TO PAY C$1.9 MILLION FOR FOUNDATION WORK ON OLYMPIC VILLAGE STRUCTURE, AND ANOTHER C$1 MILLION FOR SURROUNDING SITE SERVICING

    The City of Vancouver has awarded another contract, this one worth C$1.9 million, to a Prince George construction company for work on the city's Olympic Village, and council has approved yet another C$1 million to help pay for the Village's growing site-servicing costs.

    The contract went to Ruskin Construction -- a firm that specializes in foundation and marine construction -- which last January won a C$1 million contract from Vancouver to build a temporary coffer dam to aid construction work on the Village's foreshore. Ruskin's price of C$1,657,370 was the lowest of bidders responding to an RFP issued in October to upgrade the foundation of the Salt Building, a distinctive heritage structure that is to be used for the 2010 Olympics, and then turned over to the City as a cornerstone building for the residential neighbourhood the Village is to become after the Games are completed. The additional C$242,630 is to cover the federal government's 6% Goods and Services Tax and sundries.

    The foundation upgrade is just part of the structural upgrade of the entire building to prepare it for potential use during the 2010 Winter Games and afterwards with a still-to-be-determined use, but will likely be retail. The foundation upgrade, including the installation of steel sheet piles around the perimeter of the building, is required before the roads surrounding the building can be excavated and backfilled with clean structural fill.

    Meanwhile, city staff requested -- and council granted -- another $1 million for additional site-servicing costs, including:

  • Construction site logistics including fencing, security and first aid;

  • Change orders to existing construction contracts for site servicing and the Olympic

    Village; and

  • Design modifications required to accommodate updates to the site plan.

    It's not the first time City staff have asked for more money to cover the increasing costs of preparing the eight-block site for construction of buildings, expected to start early next year. The latest approval brings interim funding to C$3.2 million. Previous interim site-servicing funding requests occurred on May 12, 2005, for C$200,000, to cover consultancy contracts. Last January 19, council approved C$1 million for consultancy and construction work, and a further C$1 million was approved on July 18.

    The money is coming out of the City's Property Endowment Fund, which is acting as the land developer. A private company, Millennium Development, through a similarly named subsidiary, is designing and will be constructing the condominiums and apartment buildings that will form the Village itself, and after the Games has agreed to buy the property.

    BACKGROUND

    The story so far on Vancouver's 2010 Olympic Village construction:

    On May 12, 2005, Vancouver city council established the South East False Creek & Olympic Village Project Office to manage the development of the Olympic Village and surrounding city-owned lands, as well as oversee the design and construction of the public infrastructure for the entire area. That work included selecting a developer and work with it to design and construct the buildings on city lands in the Olympic Village, as well as designing and constructing the parks, streets, waterfront, other public spaces, and the site-servicing infrastructure, such as sewer, water, storm water, energy and other utilities.

    Site preparation began in early January 2006 with the removal and disposal of the decking and piles in a small inlet located northwest of the Salt Building. Construction by Ruskin of the cofferdam to aid work in and around the inlet began in early February and is now completed. In early April, the site preparation, excavation and backfill began, along with and the waterfront densification; work that is also now done. Also in April, the road excavation and backfill and construction of a large storm-water outfall began. In July, construction of the roads and utilities in the Olympic Village, including the installation of water, sanitary, storm, district heating, lighting, electrical and telecommunications infrastructure began. Construction of a small man-made island and work on the shoreline began in August. In the meantime, Millennium was designing and preparing the documentation for a public hearing on rezoning the property from industrial to residential.

    ==

    Here is the tender pricing from the three lowest firms for the Salt Building foundation work:

  • Ruskin Construction - $1,657,370

  • West Shore Constructors - $2,342,962

  • JJM Construction - $2,546,000

    The prices listed exclude GST and are based on a lump-sum amount for mobilization, demobilization, removal of debris from below the building, temporary bracing of the building and concrete work. They also include unit rates for excavation, disposal of excavated material, supplying and placing backfill material, and suppling and installing steel-sheet piles. The contractor is to be paid for the actual quantities of material, whether it is more or less than the amount estimated.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 21, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:49 PM  

    Monday, November 20, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1988

    REAL ESTATE FIRM SAYS ADVENT OF 2010 NO LONGER HEATING UP WHISTLER HOUSING PRICES

    A Whistler-based company says enough of the heat has come out of the area's real estate prices, despite the advent of the 2010 Games, that the market has switched from one that favours sellers to one that favours buyers.

    Pat Kelly, the president of Whistler Real Estate Company, says, "The market is positive, and prices are stable -- whether it is a condo in the C$300 to C$400 thousand range, or a chalet-style home in the C$1 million-plus range, price levels have stabilized, there is good value, and lots of choices." The company has been in business in the area for about 30 years.

    Kelly says he and his agents have watched the rapid growth in recreational real estate sales in Whistler and the surrounding area for several years. "Excitement surrounding the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympics games, international interest because of the low Canadian dollar, improved access to the ski area, aggressive marketing, and an unparalleled mountain recreation experience all contributed to that growth between 1999 and 2003," he says.

    But Kelly adds that such an escalation rate in the marketplace was never sustainable, "A predictable adjustment in activity and prices has occurred. Now the market has settled into a steady, sustainable, but less-hurried pace."

    Kelly says the momentum has shifted to buyers. "They are recognizing the value in Canada's premiere mountain community because there is so much more than a world-class skiing experience. Whistler has become a sophisticated four-season recreational and resort area with all the attendant amenities and entertainment features. It has developed its social services, infrastructure for seniors and people with disabilities, health facilities, local arts community and technology infrastructure. Whistler has evolved into a full-time, diverse, mountain community of 12 thousand people."

    BACKGROUND

    WHISTLER SALES STATS

    Year Ytd Oct 31/03 Oct 31/04(*) Oct 31/05 Oct 31/06

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Attached(xx)

    C$350k to C$650k

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sales 213 244 155 144

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    C$ Average (Mean) 451.4k 434k 466k 460k

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Attached(xxx)

    C$651k to C$1.5 mil

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sales 115 131 70 65

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    C$ Average (Mean) 855.1k 904.5k 914.6k 988k

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Detached

    C$600k to C$1.5 mil

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sales 59 27 45 55

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    C$ Average (Mean) 975k 1,039k 988.3k 1,022k

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    C$1.5 mil and above

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sales 17 23 35 46

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    C$ Average (Mean) 2,751k 2,706k 301k 2,907k

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Shared ownership

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sales 57 44 29 53

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    C$ Average (Mean) 199k 185k 197k 171k

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Source: Whistler Real Estate Board and Whistler Real Estate Company

    (*)Note that 03/04 included 125(03) and 182(04) of new home sales

    (xx) 'Attached' in the $350k to $650k range would, for the most part, be apartments

    (xxx) 'Attached' in the $650k to $1.5 mil range would, for the most part, be townhouses

    RESOURCES

    Whistler Real Estate Company

    www.wrec.com

    Pat Kelly: 1-800-667-2993

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 20, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1986

    Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

    WADA SHORT ONLY THREE COUNTRIES FOR CONVENTION

  • The World Anti-Doping Agency's Executive Committee, meeting in Montreal, has been told it still needs three more countries to agree with its International Convention against Doping in Sport Convention before the convention can start being enforced. So far, 27 countries have ratified the convention, but 30 are needed. Still, "The Convention holds the record for being the fastest drafted and the fastest ratified within UNESCO, as its formal ratification is expected to be completed within less than one year of its being sent to governments for ratification," said WADA Director General David Howman. "This is a clear demonstration of international governmental support for anti-doping. It leads the way for governments to align their domestic policies with the Code and facilitates cooperation and coordination among sport and government in the fight against doping." Meanwhile, WADA is expected to commit about C$205,000 to projects in social behavioural research to look at the motivation behind the use of doping in sport. "Understanding the behavioural aspects and value judgments behind doping will help us to develop and disseminate strong values-based anti-doping education programs," said Howman.

    JAMAICAN BOBSLED TEAM LEAVES CANADA AFTER TWO WEEKS OF TRAINING

  • The Jamaican bobsled team is now back in their tropical country after spending two weeks in Calgary at the Olympic ice track as part of the team's development for the 2010 Olympics. National coach Wayne Thomas and a three-member delegation were in the Albertan city. However, plans to return to Canada for more practice and compete in two races before Christmas have been postponed until early next year. Jamaica's bobsleighers have competed in four subsequent Winter Olympics since they first showed up for the Calgary Winter Games of 1988, where the highly motivated team created considerable interest. They decided not to attend the Torino Games early this year, however. The head of the Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation, Tal Stokes, says, "When we came to the point of getting people overseas to the Bobsleigh School at Canada's Olympic Park in Calgary Alberta, there were some concerns. There was monetary constraint and, secondly, we had to be satisfied that we would have people there with some experience whom we could expect to stick through the whole driving program, especially in the driver development phase."

    VANOC SPONSOR HBC RESTARTS ADVERTISING AGENCY REVIEW

  • VANOC's Tier-1 retailing sponsor, HBC, has sent out requests for proposals as part of its advertising-agency review process. The review only involves strategy and production, because media buying is handled by HBC. The Bay account is estimated at more than C$40 million. Those receiving the RFP include DDB, Doug Agency, FCB, John Street and Saatchi & Saatchi. Padulo Integrated, the company that has been managing the account during the review, isn't participating, but will continue its 25-year relationship with HBC as one of the company's marketing-services resources. A decision is expected in a few months.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 20, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1985

    ALBERTA PUTS UP C$69 MILLION AS SEED MONEY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CENTRE FOR SPORT EXCELLENCE; VANOC APPROVES

    The Alberta government says it will provide 25% of the C$276 million cost of a project by the Calgary Olympic Development Association to upgrade its existing facilities, built during the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, as well as establish a new athletic and ice complex, which will house Hockey Canada, and support Own the Podium 2010.

    The OTP initiative is designed to place Canada at the top of the medal standings for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver-Whistler.

    "The C$69 million provided by the Alberta government towards the planned C$276 million rejuvenation of our unique Winter Olympic legacy allows CODA to begin developing the first Centre of Sport Excellence in Canada," said Bob Nicolay, president and chief executive officer, CODA. "The Alberta government just delivered more Olympic medals to Canada, and CODA is fully committed to raising the additional money required to give athletes the facilities and services required to be the best in the word."

    The Alberta government earlier began to spending money to renew the 1988 Winter Olympic legacies by providing C$25.6 million to renew the Canmore Nordic Centre and C$600,000 to upgrade the ski jump facility at Canada Olympic Park.

    Today's funding is part of Alberta's support for the Alberta-British Columbia Memorandum of Understanding on the Sharing of Olympic Training and Competition Facilities, a protocol reached last year between the two western Canadian provinces.

    The agreement strengthens access to training and competition facilities and programs for athletes, coaches and officials in targeted summer and winter sports, as well as promoting sport tourism in each province.

    The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) is in favour of the whole thing. "This investment by the Government of Alberta will contribute significantly to furthering the important legacy of the Calgary 1988 Games," said John Furlong, VANOC's CEO. "It will also profoundly strengthen the ties between the Calgary, Canmore, Vancouver and Whistler communities, and will give our Canadian athletes the ultimate advantage as they work to Own the Podium in 2010."

    Last August, Furlong wrote a letter of support for the project, saying, "It is my belief the road to Vancouver must go through Alberta if we are to achieve our collective goal of Canada finishing number one at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. With Canada Olympic Park serving as the hub, the Centre of Sport Excellence in Alberta will assist in providing Canadian athletes with the resources and competitive advantage needed to be the best in the world."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 20, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1984

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    FURLONG TO SPEAK TO MONTREAL BOARD OF TRADE TOMORROW

  • VANOC CEO John Furlong, who presided over a partial opening of VANOC's freestyle venue and a construction party to bring attention to the Olympic Oval venue last week, is in Quebec this week, and is scheduled to speak to the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal during a luncheon tomorrow, and he's expected to give a status-report talk. The Board has about 7,000 members. Quebec is the only province to have signed a protocol agreement on working with the 2010 Olympic Organizing Committee. The luncheon is co-sponsored by the Quebec Economic Development ministry.

    MORE 2010 OVAL TRADE WORK TENDERED

  • Tenders for doing some of the trades work at the Olympic Oval sports complex have been issued by Richmond to companies that were shortlisted by the city's formal public expression-of-interest process early this year. Tenders were given to the three companies that want to do sprinkler-related electrical work. Those firms are:

    Elgar Electric Ltd. of Surrey, BC, a Vancouver suburb

    Status Electrical Corporation of Abbotsford, BC, a city east of Vancouver

    Western Pacific Enterprises of Coquitlam, BC, a Vancouver suburb

    The five firms given tenders for doing the mechanical work on the sprinkler system:

    Georgia Mechanical

    Black & McDonald of Toronto, Ontario

    Keith Plumbing & Heating of North Vancouver, BC

    Mitchell Installations of Burnaby, BC, a Vancouver suburb

    Fred Welsh Limited of Vancouver

    And the four firms that were given tenders for doing refrigeration-related work are:

    Cimco Refrigeration of Toronto, Ontario

    Fraser Valley Refrigeration of Aldergrove, BC, a city east of Vancouver

    Pace Industrial Inc, the Burnaby office of this Canada/US firm

    V & V Refrigeration of Richmond, BC, a Vancouver suburb

    The tenders for the three contracts are expected to be opened on Thursday afternoon at Richmond city hall.

    CANADIAN MILITARY PONDERS POSSIBLE 2010 DEMAND FOR SOLDIERS

  • A military briefing document prepared for Canadian Defence minister Gordon O'Connor last February 5, and which was made public today under Access to Information legislation, says, "Planning and mounting the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games security operation is a high-priority activity that will represent a major commitment for the Canadian forces, and will have a significant impact on domestic operations in 2009 and 2010... Security commitment for the Games could also affect the Canadian forces' ability to deploy a large number of forces overseas." Security for the Games is multi-jurisdictional requirement co-ordinated by an office at VANOC headquarters led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. O'Connor told Parliament in Ottawa today during Question Period that, "We recognize there is an Olympics in 2010. We have not been formally requested by the province [of British Columbia] to provide troops, but we are sort of advancing our plans now." The major overseas commitment for the Canadian military is a 2,300-member force in Afghanistan, about a quarter of the country's armed force, and Canada's agreement to provide the troops to the NATO-run operation expires in 2009. Polls have shown that the Canadian population is split roughly equally between those supporting the Afghanistan mission, and those who do not. A former military officer Le Devoir newspaper in Montreal that, "There's no doubt. It's impossible to protect the 2010 Olympics and maintain forces elsewhere in the world, whether it's Afghanistan or somewhere else," retired colonel Michel Drapeau said. "We're already squeezed." Italy used about 15,000 military and police force members to secure the Torino Winter Olympics, although its venues were much more dispersed than those of the 2010 Games.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 20, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Sports| #1983

    NEW ZEALAND GIVES HUGE BOOST IN WINTER SPORTS FUNDING IN RUN FOR MEDALS AT 2010 GAMES

    The New Zealand government agency Sport & Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) has increased high-performance winter sport funding five-fold to help the country compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler.

    The agency is providing C$444,800 to snow and ice sports in the country after a case was made for considerably increased funding by Academy of Sport South Island winter sports program director, Mark Elliott. It was a huge boost in funding compared with the C$77,000 the winter sports received for sports medicine and sports science activities last year.

    Note, however, that even the higher amount pales in comparison to the C$22 million budgeted annually for the Own The Podium program over five years, co-funded by money raised from sponsors of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) and the Canadian government.

    The funding is part of C$4.3 million given to 17 different sports that submitted applications for what SPARC calls "contestable high performance investment" in 2007 and beyond. SPARC says it has earmarked C$1.5 million for the Winter Performance Project over the next four years. "International elite sport has developed rapidly in recent decades, with more investment and higher standards of professionalism being the norm," says SPARC CEO Nick Hill. "As a result, we are focusing our resources

    in order to build depth in results-capable sports that align with our mission."

    The Snow Sports Centre will open at Wanaka, New Zealand, next month. Elliott expects to have all the snow and ice sports working together from there. "We want to have one organisation driving the winter sports instead of a lot of small groups pushing their own programs," Elliott is quoted as saying by the Otago Daily Times of Dunedin, New Zealand. "It will give us the capability to deliver more efficient programs. Combining together gives us a lot of strength and that is the reason why SPARC is investing in us"

    There are 48 athletes in the New Zealand winter sports programs of ski racing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, skeleton racing, cross-country skiing, curling and speed skiing.

    Elliott started as head of winter sports two years ago with the idea that he would find wasy to develop the potential of athletes and coaches. "But after two months in the role, I realised we needed to change the way the sports operated and make them more efficient," the newspaper quotes him as saying.

    That meant, he says, turning the skiers and snowboarders into athletes. "We have to make sure they have a year-round training program to make them a lot leaner and meaner," Elliott said. "I want the different sports to develop efficient structures and learn from each other."

    That's what he's been doing since, and it enabled Elliott to put a strong case to SPARC for the winter sports preparations begin for the 2010 Olympics. "It is a considerable investment in us which we will utilise efficiently and put to good use."

    He says that the first year’s funding will be used to develop sports science and sports medicine in the winter sports. Two athletes who did well for New Zealand in Torino will get individual scholarships to help them focus on training. There are also a bulk grant for the free skiers, snowboarders and skeleton racers as they prepare for world championships. "If any of them reach the top 10, they will qualify for individual grants," Elliott said.

    The easiest part was putting the program together to meet the standards expected by Sparc. "The hardest job will be to implement the program. We only have three years to do this," Elliott said. The challenge was to create a high performance mind-set in the winter sports. "We have got the talent to do it," Elliott said.

    Curling, however, is a special case. There was a New Zealand team at the 2006 Torino Olympics, and Elliott feels its players are able to be in the top five at when they play in the new Hillcrest Rink just about to start construction in Vancouver.

    Elliott asked each individual sport to produce a high-performance program leading to the 2010 Olympics. But he did not submit the curling plan to Sparc. "I didn’t think it was up to the level we wanted it to be," the Timnes quotes Elliott as saying. "I will work with curling over the next few months to help them prepare plans going forward. "My role is to give sports direction and make sure each sport’s strengths can be utilised across the whole program," he said.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 20, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:45 PM  

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1988

    REAL ESTATE FIRM SAYS ADVENT OF 2010 NO LONGER HEATING UP WHISTLER HOUSING PRICES

    A Whistler-based company says enough of the heat has come out of the area's real estate prices, despite the advent of the 2010 Games, that the market has switched from one that favours sellers to one that favours buyers.

    Pat Kelly, the president of Whistler Real Estate Company, says, "The market is positive, and prices are stable -- whether it is a condo in the C$300 to C$400 thousand range, or a chalet-style home in the C$1 million-plus range, price levels have stabilized, there is good value, and lots of choices." The company has been in business in the area for about 30 years.

    Kelly says he and his agents have watched the rapid growth in recreational real estate sales in Whistler and the surrounding area for several years. "Excitement surrounding the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympics games, international interest because of the low Canadian dollar, improved access to the ski area, aggressive marketing, and an unparalleled mountain recreation experience all contributed to that growth between 1999 and 2003," he says.

    But Kelly adds that such an escalation rate in the marketplace was never sustainable, "A predictable adjustment in activity and prices has occurred. Now the market has settled into a steady, sustainable, but less-hurried pace."

    Kelly says the momentum has shifted to buyers. "They are recognizing the value in Canada's premiere mountain community because there is so much more than a world-class skiing experience. Whistler has become a sophisticated four-season recreational and resort area with all the attendant amenities and entertainment features. It has developed its social services, infrastructure for seniors and people with disabilities, health facilities, local arts community and technology infrastructure. Whistler has evolved into a full-time, diverse, mountain community of 12 thousand people."

    BACKGROUND

    WHISTLER SALES STATS

    Year Ytd Oct 31/03 Oct 31/04(*) Oct 31/05 Oct 31/06

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Attached(xx)

    C$350k to C$650k

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sales 213 244 155 144

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    C$ Average (Mean) 451.4k 434k 466k 460k

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Attached(xxx)

    C$651k to C$1.5 mil

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sales 115 131 70 65

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    C$ Average (Mean) 855.1k 904.5k 914.6k 988k

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Detached

    C$600k to C$1.5 mil

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sales 59 27 45 55

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    C$ Average (Mean) 975k 1,039k 988.3k 1,022k

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    C$1.5 mil and above

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sales 17 23 35 46

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    C$ Average (Mean) 2,751k 2,706k 301k 2,907k

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Shared ownership

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sales 57 44 29 53

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    C$ Average (Mean) 199k 185k 197k 171k

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Source: Whistler Real Estate Board and Whistler Real Estate Company

    (*)Note that 03/04 included 125(03) and 182(04) of new home sales

    (xx) 'Attached' in the $350k to $650k range would, for the most part, be apartments

    (xxx) 'Attached' in the $650k to $1.5 mil range would, for the most part, be townhouses

    RESOURCES

    Whistler Real Estate Company

    www.wrec.com

    Pat Kelly: 1-800-667-2993

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 20, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1986

    Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

    WADA SHORT ONLY THREE COUNTRIES FOR CONVENTION

  • The World Anti-Doping Agency's Executive Committee, meeting in Montreal, has been told it still needs three more countries to agree with its International Convention against Doping in Sport Convention before the convention can start being enforced. So far, 27 countries have ratified the convention, but 30 are needed. Still, "The Convention holds the record for being the fastest drafted and the fastest ratified within UNESCO, as its formal ratification is expected to be completed within less than one year of its being sent to governments for ratification," said WADA Director General David Howman. "This is a clear demonstration of international governmental support for anti-doping. It leads the way for governments to align their domestic policies with the Code and facilitates cooperation and coordination among sport and government in the fight against doping." Meanwhile, WADA is expected to commit about C$205,000 to projects in social behavioural research to look at the motivation behind the use of doping in sport. "Understanding the behavioural aspects and value judgments behind doping will help us to develop and disseminate strong values-based anti-doping education programs," said Howman.

    JAMAICAN BOBSLED TEAM LEAVES CANADA AFTER TWO WEEKS OF TRAINING

  • The Jamaican bobsled team is now back in their tropical country after spending two weeks in Calgary at the Olympic ice track as part of the team's development for the 2010 Olympics. National coach Wayne Thomas and a three-member delegation were in the Albertan city. However, plans to return to Canada for more practice and compete in two races before Christmas have been postponed until early next year. Jamaica's bobsleighers have competed in four subsequent Winter Olympics since they first showed up for the Calgary Winter Games of 1988, where the highly motivated team created considerable interest. They decided not to attend the Torino Games early this year, however. The head of the Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation, Tal Stokes, says, "When we came to the point of getting people overseas to the Bobsleigh School at Canada's Olympic Park in Calgary Alberta, there were some concerns. There was monetary constraint and, secondly, we had to be satisfied that we would have people there with some experience whom we could expect to stick through the whole driving program, especially in the driver development phase."

    VANOC SPONSOR HBC RESTARTS ADVERTISING AGENCY REVIEW

  • VANOC's Tier-1 retailing sponsor, HBC, has sent out requests for proposals as part of its advertising-agency review process. The review only involves strategy and production, because media buying is handled by HBC. The Bay account is estimated at more than C$40 million. Those receiving the RFP include DDB, Doug Agency, FCB, John Street and Saatchi & Saatchi. Padulo Integrated, the company that has been managing the account during the review, isn't participating, but will continue its 25-year relationship with HBC as one of the company's marketing-services resources. A decision is expected in a few months.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 20, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1985

    ALBERTA PUTS UP C$69 MILLION AS SEED MONEY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CENTRE FOR SPORT EXCELLENCE; VANOC APPROVES

    The Alberta government says it will provide 25% of the C$276 million cost of a project by the Calgary Olympic Development Association to upgrade its existing facilities, built during the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, as well as establish a new athletic and ice complex, which will house Hockey Canada, and support Own the Podium 2010.

    The OTP initiative is designed to place Canada at the top of the medal standings for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver-Whistler.

    "The C$69 million provided by the Alberta government towards the planned C$276 million rejuvenation of our unique Winter Olympic legacy allows CODA to begin developing the first Centre of Sport Excellence in Canada," said Bob Nicolay, president and chief executive officer, CODA. "The Alberta government just delivered more Olympic medals to Canada, and CODA is fully committed to raising the additional money required to give athletes the facilities and services required to be the best in the word."

    The Alberta government earlier began to spending money to renew the 1988 Winter Olympic legacies by providing C$25.6 million to renew the Canmore Nordic Centre and C$600,000 to upgrade the ski jump facility at Canada Olympic Park.

    Today's funding is part of Alberta's support for the Alberta-British Columbia Memorandum of Understanding on the Sharing of Olympic Training and Competition Facilities, a protocol reached last year between the two western Canadian provinces.

    The agreement strengthens access to training and competition facilities and programs for athletes, coaches and officials in targeted summer and winter sports, as well as promoting sport tourism in each province.

    The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) is in favour of the whole thing. "This investment by the Government of Alberta will contribute significantly to furthering the important legacy of the Calgary 1988 Games," said John Furlong, VANOC's CEO. "It will also profoundly strengthen the ties between the Calgary, Canmore, Vancouver and Whistler communities, and will give our Canadian athletes the ultimate advantage as they work to Own the Podium in 2010."

    Last August, Furlong wrote a letter of support for the project, saying, "It is my belief the road to Vancouver must go through Alberta if we are to achieve our collective goal of Canada finishing number one at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. With Canada Olympic Park serving as the hub, the Centre of Sport Excellence in Alberta will assist in providing Canadian athletes with the resources and competitive advantage needed to be the best in the world."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 20, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1984

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    FURLONG TO SPEAK TO MONTREAL BOARD OF TRADE TOMORROW

  • VANOC CEO John Furlong, who presided over a partial opening of VANOC's freestyle venue and a construction party to bring attention to the Olympic Oval venue last week, is in Quebec this week, and is scheduled to speak to the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal during a luncheon tomorrow, and he's expected to give a status-report talk. The Board has about 7,000 members. Quebec is the only province to have signed a protocol agreement on working with the 2010 Olympic Organizing Committee. The luncheon is co-sponsored by the Quebec Economic Development ministry.

    MORE 2010 OVAL TRADE WORK TENDERED

  • Tenders for doing some of the trades work at the Olympic Oval sports complex have been issued by Richmond to companies that were shortlisted by the city's formal public expression-of-interest process early this year. Tenders were given to the three companies that want to do sprinkler-related electrical work. Those firms are:

    Elgar Electric Ltd. of Surrey, BC, a Vancouver suburb

    Status Electrical Corporation of Abbotsford, BC, a city east of Vancouver

    Western Pacific Enterprises of Coquitlam, BC, a Vancouver suburb

    The five firms given tenders for doing the mechanical work on the sprinkler system:

    Georgia Mechanical

    Black & McDonald of Toronto, Ontario

    Keith Plumbing & Heating of North Vancouver, BC

    Mitchell Installations of Burnaby, BC, a Vancouver suburb

    Fred Welsh Limited of Vancouver

    And the four firms that were given tenders for doing refrigeration-related work are:

    Cimco Refrigeration of Toronto, Ontario

    Fraser Valley Refrigeration of Aldergrove, BC, a city east of Vancouver

    Pace Industrial Inc, the Burnaby office of this Canada/US firm

    V & V Refrigeration of Richmond, BC, a Vancouver suburb

    The tenders for the three contracts are expected to be opened on Thursday afternoon at Richmond city hall.

    CANADIAN MILITARY PONDERS POSSIBLE 2010 DEMAND FOR SOLDIERS

  • A military briefing document prepared for Canadian Defence minister Gordon O'Connor last February 5, and which was made public today under Access to Information legislation, says, "Planning and mounting the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games security operation is a high-priority activity that will represent a major commitment for the Canadian forces, and will have a significant impact on domestic operations in 2009 and 2010... Security commitment for the Games could also affect the Canadian forces' ability to deploy a large number of forces overseas." Security for the Games is multi-jurisdictional requirement co-ordinated by an office at VANOC headquarters led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. O'Connor told Parliament in Ottawa today during Question Period that, "We recognize there is an Olympics in 2010. We have not been formally requested by the province [of British Columbia] to provide troops, but we are sort of advancing our plans now." The major overseas commitment for the Canadian military is a 2,300-member force in Afghanistan, about a quarter of the country's armed force, and Canada's agreement to provide the troops to the NATO-run operation expires in 2009. Polls have shown that the Canadian population is split roughly equally between those supporting the Afghanistan mission, and those who do not. A former military officer Le Devoir newspaper in Montreal that, "There's no doubt. It's impossible to protect the 2010 Olympics and maintain forces elsewhere in the world, whether it's Afghanistan or somewhere else," retired colonel Michel Drapeau said. "We're already squeezed." Italy used about 15,000 military and police force members to secure the Torino Winter Olympics, although its venues were much more dispersed than those of the 2010 Games.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 20, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Sports| #1983

    NEW ZEALAND GIVES HUGE BOOST IN WINTER SPORTS FUNDING IN RUN FOR MEDALS AT 2010 GAMES

    The New Zealand government agency Sport & Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) has increased high-performance winter sport funding five-fold to help the country compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler.

    The agency is providing C$444,800 to snow and ice sports in the country after a case was made for considerably increased funding by Academy of Sport South Island winter sports program director, Mark Elliott. It was a huge boost in funding compared with the C$77,000 the winter sports received for sports medicine and sports science activities last year.

    Note, however, that even the higher amount pales in comparison to the C$22 million budgeted annually for the Own The Podium program over five years, co-funded by money raised from sponsors of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) and the Canadian government.

    The funding is part of C$4.3 million given to 17 different sports that submitted applications for what SPARC calls "contestable high performance investment" in 2007 and beyond. SPARC says it has earmarked C$1.5 million for the Winter Performance Project over the next four years. "International elite sport has developed rapidly in recent decades, with more investment and higher standards of professionalism being the norm," says SPARC CEO Nick Hill. "As a result, we are focusing our resources

    in order to build depth in results-capable sports that align with our mission."

    The Snow Sports Centre will open at Wanaka, New Zealand, next month. Elliott expects to have all the snow and ice sports working together from there. "We want to have one organisation driving the winter sports instead of a lot of small groups pushing their own programs," Elliott is quoted as saying by the Otago Daily Times of Dunedin, New Zealand. "It will give us the capability to deliver more efficient programs. Combining together gives us a lot of strength and that is the reason why SPARC is investing in us"

    There are 48 athletes in the New Zealand winter sports programs of ski racing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, skeleton racing, cross-country skiing, curling and speed skiing.

    Elliott started as head of winter sports two years ago with the idea that he would find wasy to develop the potential of athletes and coaches. "But after two months in the role, I realised we needed to change the way the sports operated and make them more efficient," the newspaper quotes him as saying.

    That meant, he says, turning the skiers and snowboarders into athletes. "We have to make sure they have a year-round training program to make them a lot leaner and meaner," Elliott said. "I want the different sports to develop efficient structures and learn from each other."

    That's what he's been doing since, and it enabled Elliott to put a strong case to SPARC for the winter sports preparations begin for the 2010 Olympics. "It is a considerable investment in us which we will utilise efficiently and put to good use."

    He says that the first year’s funding will be used to develop sports science and sports medicine in the winter sports. Two athletes who did well for New Zealand in Torino will get individual scholarships to help them focus on training. There are also a bulk grant for the free skiers, snowboarders and skeleton racers as they prepare for world championships. "If any of them reach the top 10, they will qualify for individual grants," Elliott said.

    The easiest part was putting the program together to meet the standards expected by Sparc. "The hardest job will be to implement the program. We only have three years to do this," Elliott said. The challenge was to create a high performance mind-set in the winter sports. "We have got the talent to do it," Elliott said.

    Curling, however, is a special case. There was a New Zealand team at the 2006 Torino Olympics, and Elliott feels its players are able to be in the top five at when they play in the new Hillcrest Rink just about to start construction in Vancouver.

    Elliott asked each individual sport to produce a high-performance program leading to the 2010 Olympics. But he did not submit the curling plan to Sparc. "I didn’t think it was up to the level we wanted it to be," the Timnes quotes Elliott as saying. "I will work with curling over the next few months to help them prepare plans going forward. "My role is to give sports direction and make sure each sport’s strengths can be utilised across the whole program," he said.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 20, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:45 PM  

    Friday, November 17, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1982

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    MOST TENDERS OF RICHMOND OVAL VENUE COMPLEX TO BE AWARDED BY END OF YEAR

  • Richmond mayor Malcolm Brodie says about 55% of the construction trade tenders have now been awarded for building the C$178 million sports complex that will house the long-track speedskating oval for the 2010 Winter Games. He made the comment this afternoon during a ceremony to mark the start of concrete being poured, about three weeks later than expected two months ago. Heavy rains lashed the area, which is now a sea of mud and water, and big jets from the Vancouver International Airport thundered periodically overhead during the event, which attracted about 200 people. The mayor adds that most of the remaining construction tenders will be awarded within the next month. The budget includes the waterfront park, a plaza and parking structure. The venue will house a 400-metre track and seating for about 8,000 spectators. The Richmond Oval is expected to be home of up to 12 medal events in 2010. During the next two years, more than 1.1 million cubic feet of concrete, 5.6 million kilograms of steel rebar and one million board feet of lumber will go into completing the mammoth 33,650 square metre complex. The distinctive roof, which looks like a line of baseball caps, is being made separately nearby in Richmond. VANOC has contributed C$60 million to the project from its C$580-million capital budget. The complex, VANOC's signature building for the 2010 Games and eventually the centre piece of a large neighbourhood to be developed on 32 acres along the banks of the Fraser River, is scheduled to open in the fall of 2008.

    GRAPHIC DESIGNERS ORGANIZATION AIDED VANOC'S MASCOT SELECTION PROCESS

  • Two years ago, VANOC ran into stiff opposition from the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada when VANOC used a contest format to have people across Canada design its logo on the possibility of winning a prize of C$25,000 and tickets to the Opening Ceremonies of the Games. The GDC said the contest violated the GDC's code of ethics when VANOC called upon professional designers to do work on speculation. VANOC didn't repeat the problem when it designed its process for development of the mascots for the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics. A draft copy of the Expression of Interest documentation for those interested in qualifying to design the mascots was provided to the BC Chapter of the GDC for comment, and a team of designers from the Chapter met with VANOC staff to work with them on the final version. The EOI closed early this month. Once a short list of designers is chosen, they'll be paid to come up with concepts from a list of ideas submitted to VANOC, from VANOC itself, and from the designers. The winning concept design will be chosen and implemented next year.

    NANAIMO FRANCOPHONES URGE VANOC TO CONSIDER MAPLE SUGAR FESTIVAL FOR SUPPORT

  • The Nanaimo Francophone Association has asked VANOC vice-president of culture and ceremonies, Burke Taylor, and Robert Kerry, VANOC's program director, about the possiblity of promoting the 10th anniversary of the Maple Sugar Festival in Nanaimo as part of the cultural Olympiad that will accompanying the 2010 Olympic Games. The anniversary will occur during the time the Games are on. During the meeting with the VANOC officials last Wednesday, the Association noted that by doing so, tourists would be encouraged to visit Nanaimo, on the east coast of Vancouver Island. That, they say, would help boosting tourism, especially French-speaking visitors, since the maple sugar festival is rooted in Quebec culture. The festival attracts between 8,000 to 10,000 participants each year, and an economic study done in 2004 found that 51% of those people come from outside Nanaimo. The two VANOC officials are hearing from a number of applications for potentially taking part in the Olympiad, and it's expected the decision on what will, and won't, be supported won't be known for several months.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 17, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1981

    ONTARIO DEPUTY MINISTER TO BE NEWEST EXECUTIVE VP OF 2010 ORGANIZATION

    A veteran senior bureaucrat from Ontario's government has been hired by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) to help CEO John Furlong in VANOC's dealings with government relations and working on the organization's strategy.

    David Guscott was approved by VANOC's Board of Directors for the role of executive vice president, corporate strategy & government relations, and he will join the other six EVPs reporting to Furlong. The job search began last spring, after the Board approved the concept at that point to help reduce Furlong's considerable, and growing, work load. He starts work December 15. Furlong says Guscott will focus on "strategic planning and management, fiscal management and government relations."

    Guscott has been a deputy minister and the associate secretary of Cabinet, Communications since the beginning of 2004. About a month after he began working in the Communications section, he was involved in a minor controversy when a 15-page document he wrote on communications tactics was leaked to media. The document detailed the "tactical roll-out" to media by officials of government plans that would, according to the document, "identify one or a series of tactics that will positively pre-condition media, the public and stakeholders in advance of the launch." The controversy blew over after a few days.

    In June, 2005, he took on the additional responsibility of managing various special projects for the Secretary of the Cabinet. He has also been deputy minister of Transportation and deputy minister of Labour.

    Earlier he was:

  • Assistant deputy minister of Policy Coordination for the Ontario Cabinet;

  • Assistant deputy minister of Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Transportation; and

  • Director of Ontario's Southeastern Region and then Central Region with the Ministry of the Environment.

    He also held various positions with the ministries of Municipal Affairs and Treasury and Economics.

    Guscott is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. He has a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Queen's University and a Bachelors Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Waterloo.

    He has sat on Ontario's GO Transit Board of Directors, the Board of the Ontario Financing Authority, the Board of the Ontario Transportation Capital Corporation and the Ontario Realty Corporation. A year ago, he was appointed to the Board of Infrastructure Ontario, which is overseeing C$100 million worth of hospital and courthouse construction.

    BACKGROUND

    The other six executives that report directly to Furlong, in alphabetical order:

  • Kenneth M. Bagshaw, Q.C., Chief Legal Officer

  • Ward Chapin, Chief Information Officer

  • Dave Cobb, Executive Vice President, Revenue, Marketing and Communications

  • Dan Doyle, Executive Vice President, Construction

  • Rex McLennan, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

  • Cathy Priestner Allinger, Executive Vice President, Sport, Paralympic Games and Venue Management

  • Donna Wilson, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Sustainability and International Client Services

  • Terry Wright, Executive Vice President, Service Operations and Ceremonies

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 17, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1980

    WHISTLER THINKING ABOUT C$5.8 MILLION UPGRADE TO ITS CITY HALL, DRIVEN IN PART BY 2010 RATIONALE

    The Resort Municipality of Whistler is contemplating a C$5.8 million upgrade and expansion of its city hall, in part because of the administrative and regulatory demands connected with hosting the 2010 Winter and the image council wants to give to those coming to see the Games.

    The municipal hall, one of the oldest public buildings in Whistler, was built in 1973 as a restaurant. It was moved to its present location and renovated in 1982, expanded and renovated again in 1995. Staff say the 33-year-old building has issues with its envelope, accessibility and air quality, and it isn't up to the community's own buildings codes.

    Staff say there are nine major reasons to go through with the work, which should give the building another 30 years of life. Two of the priorities deal with the 2010 Games:

  • Priority number 6: "...Staff requirements will change over the next 10 years to provide efficient services to the community and to respond to the requirements to host the 2010 Winter Games. The renovation will provide the desired adjacency, relationships and space planning to ensure the success of the corporate organization realigned with Whistler 2020’s priorities...." The "Whistler 2020" is a reference to a community plan that was updated to include the 2010 Whistler Olympic Village as the core of a larger neighbourhood.

  • Priority 7: "Building Image – 2010 Olympics and Community Pride – Provide a modern, efficient and energy sustainable municipal hall that will present a positive symbol to the world and the community as Whistler hosts the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Create civic pride with the development of the municipal hall along with other developed municipal facilities, such as the library, the Spring Creek Firehall and Meadow Park Sports Centre."

    In particular, the exterior of the building would be changed, so that "new exterior materials and finishes will more closely create a strong positive impact, instill civic pride, and be a welcoming image for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games dignitaries and visitors and that recognizes and respects Whistler’s Heritage."

    The proposed upgrade would be to LEED Silver standards, include the community's Emergency Operations Centre, community meeting space, larger public-hearing areas, a larger council chamber and improving public access to municipal operations.

    The funding for the project is in the current municipal five-year budget plan.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 17, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:41 PM  

    Thursday, November 16, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1979

    OLYMPIC VIP MANAGER'S JOB UP FOR GRABS

    The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) expects to hire a key manager early next year who will need the skills of a diplomat, coupled with those of an international hotel maitre de.

    You need to be patient and fluent in both French and English, and you need to apply by November 28.

    The job title is called Manager of VANOC Secretariat Protocol, and it's a senior, though middle-management job with the organization's International Client Services function. The person chosen will be, according to VANOC, "responsible for Protocol and Secretariat services and relations for the Olympic and Paralympic family members."

    And what, exactly, does that mean?

    The person, with the help of support staff and other people working in the function, will be dealing with all the requirements, demands and foibles of all those people from international and national organizations who expect to be treated like dignitaries and VIPs because of who they are, who they work for, or who they represent, from royalty to the politically connected.

    The person hired -- VANOC's just starting to look for candidates to interview for the job -- will be getting their general service levels and requirements from the International Olympic Committee, and translating them into how VANOC expects the dignitaries to be treated. They'll be responsible for developing the training program for the Protocol volunteer teams, and then help select, train and manage them for the IOC and VANOC Secretariats before, during and after the 2010 Games.

    The person will also oversee how the "Olympic and Paralympic Family Manual and Games Guide" is written, edited, published and distributed. The Guide is to contain all of the protocol guidelines for VANOC's International Dignitary Program, among other things. They'll help develop the "Olympic family" transportation plan, and work with VANOC's Airport Venue Management Team to identify Olympic and Paralympic family needs as the VIPs arrive.

    They'll figure out all of the pre-Games protocol services. That includes figuring out which services to use, then co-ordinate how those services are provided. They will trouble shoot those protocol services at the airport, at the hotels, at all of the VANOC venues, including the Olympic Village.

    During the Games, they'll be the primary service rep for all of the dignitaries at the hotels that VANOC has already signed up to provide quarters during the VIP stays, and that includes setting up and manning the VANOC-VIP concierge desks at those hotels, where they are to provide "critical information" to the VIPs. Figuring out Olympic and Paralympic flag requirements and medal presentations? Yes, that's in their brief as well.

    And, in case you were still under the impression this might be a 9 to 5 type of job, not only can you forget that, but VANOC, as things evolve, says, "Other duties may be assigned as required."

    VANOC says it needs somebody with at least eight years experience in doing this type of work, and that the person must have previous Olympic Games experience with such a position, or similar large-scale "meeting and event" experience. You'll also need to know how to use the Microsoft Office suite of applications... but then you anticipated that need, right?

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 16, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1978

    2010 COMMITTEE TO SEND "SMALLER" TEAM TO OBSERVE 2008 BEIJING SUMMER OLYMPICS

    The CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) confirms that a VANOC team of observers will attend the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, but it will be a much smaller group than travelled to Torino last February and March to observe those winter Games.

    However, John Furlong says, "Our partners and our sponsors plan to use Beijing as a major platform." Furlong notes that there's not as much reason to observe the Summer Games, "Our project will be very advanced by the time we go to Beijing, but we'll be there to talk about our project. We'll be the next Games up, and there will be a lot of Canadians there. We'll have a strong presence, and the world's media attention will switch from Beijing towards the end of the Games in the direction of Vancouver, and we need to be ready for that. But, as a learning experience, it won't be the same as the one we just had in Torino."

    Some of the main things that VANOC wants to observe during the Summer Games is transportation, particularly the complexities of moving large numbers of people, and the way the Chinese organizing committee is managing "all of the access points" within the venues "inside the fences."

    One of the main groups that will be going is a small team of about three or four from VANOC's Communications Function. The vice-president of Communications, Rene Smith-Valade says that the group was so busy during the Torino Games dealing with communications issues involving 2010 and Torino, that it didn't get much of a chance to observe behind-the-scenes operations. "We had to forfeit the observer time to answer all the questions that journalists had," she says, adding, "We look at Beijing as an opportunity to do some of those observer programs that are offered, and go behind the scenes, but also to meet and talk to the world media that are there, because we didn't even get a chance to go around and talk to many of them in Torino."

    VANOC expects to also hold a news conference just before the Beijing Games start, to coincide with VANOC's regular major report to the full International Olympic Committee, which meets in the host city just before each Olympics. And, there will also be another news conference by VANOC near the end of the Beijing Games that will be focused on the fact the 2010 Games will be the next Olympics. The Communications group, she says, will also be part of the promotional projects that are expected to take place at the BC pavilion in Beijing, "and possibly a Canada-Olympic House as well."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 16, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1977

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    LENOVO DECISION ON COMPUTER SPONSORSHIP EXPECTED WITHIN WEEKS

  • VANOC CEO John Furlong says he expects to know "within the next 90 days" if Lenovo, the Chinese-owned computer maker based in New York state, will be an international sponsor of the 2010 Winter Games. Negotiations, he says, are underway now between Lenovo and the International Olympic Committee about extending Lenovo's sponsorship agreement beyond 2008's Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. The company, formerly IBM's personal computer division, also supplied all the desktop and laptop computers used by the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. Lenovo's purchase of the computer sponsorship package for the two sets of Games was its first foray into the Olympics, and it had indicated last year it would likely decide over the summer of 2006 if it would extend its agreement to include the 2010 Winter Games and the 2012 Summer Games, after it had a chance to analyze the effectiveness of its sponsorship during the Torino set. The supply of computers is a fairly large line-item for VANOC, and Furlong says that if Lenovo decides not to extend its sponsorship, the IOC could either auction the computer sponsorship to another international firm, or it could allow VANOC to pursue a national sponsorship for the technology. However, Furlong says he's "80% positive" Lenovo and the IOC will successfully conclude their talks.

    VANOC BOARD EXTENDS DIRECTORS TERMS TO FOUR YEARS

  • The length of term for the new VANOC Board of Directors was extended to four years from three by the Board by vote when it met in Vancouver yesterday, effectively making it the last Board for the organization, which will be all but wrapped by the November, 2010. The first three-year term of the Board's directors ended at the beginning of the meeting. Furlong, who is not a director, said it was a pragmatic decision, since another three-year term would have meant the board's terms ending in November, 2009, only weeks away from the start of the 2010 Games in February, 2010. The 20-person Board represents the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees, as well as the Canadian, BC, Vancouver, Whistler and aboriginal governments. Those organizations could make replace one of their existing directors, but if that happened, the new person would simply complete the existing term of office. The decision, said Furlong, "was mostly for stability."

    VANOC BUSINESS PLAN GOT GOOD RECEPTION AT BOARD MEETING, SAYS FURLONG

  • Furlong says VANOC's second major version of a business plan, expected to be the first one to be made public sometime in the next few months, was received by the Board during its meeting yesterday, and, he said, there was "good discussion around it." But parts of the document, said to be "inches and inches thick" and dealing primarily with the operations of the Games as opposed to the venue construction, is still not stable. Furlong said that the Board didn't approve it at the meeting because, "We have some additional work yet to do, we have to have some discussions with the IOC about specific pieces of it, and also [discussions] with our partners [the BC and Canadian governments]. I think the Board felt pretty good about the work that's been done so far. We certainly felt good about what their sense of what's in the plan, and the comments on it in general, as a planning document, were extremely positive by all directors." Furlong says there are some areas of the plan "where we want to do some more work," but he would not specify which those might be, adding only, "there are a whole number of areas where we want to go back and take another look to see if we can find some more room, or if there is room for changes, find some new revenues in some areas, and some areas where we might take a different approach." Furlong said that with such a document, in which VANOC expects the public will hold it to account, "we're always looking for the tightest possible plan, so this is a process that's going to continue for a long time, and even though this plan might sometime soon be finished, we will move on and there will be other versions as we go onto the end, constantly getting tighter, tighter and tighter as we get closer to the Games." Furlong says there will be discussions with the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the middle of December, in which VANOC will provide a briefing of the plan to IOC officials -- "there are so many things in the plan that the IOC has a stake in" -- and he expects it will double-check the "findings and assumptions we've made to make sure we have it right."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 16, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |General| #1976

    2010 ABORIGINAL ECONOMIC SUMMIT CONFERENCE TO TAKE PLACE IN VANCOUVER FEBRUARY 1, 2

    The aboriginal co-ordination organization working with the Winter Games has scheduled a "2010 Aboriginal Economic Summit" conference for February 1st and 2nd in downtown Vancouver to figure out ways to pay for the construction of an aboriginal long-house pavilion.

    Tewanee Joseph, the executive director of the Four Host First Nations Secretariat, says, "We're inviting aboriginal people from across Canada, as well as any individuals that are interested in developing partnerships with aboriginal people. It's an open invitation that's absolutely connected with the Games."

    Joseph says all of the organizations connected with the 2010 Games, including representatives from the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) are expected to do a presentation at the conference. He said the entire economic opportunity of the pavilion would be outlined at the conference. He expects representatives from the federal and provincial governments to also be in attendance. The Secretariat works with VANOC and the four aboriginal bands who claim ownership of land on which VANOC venues are being constructed. They include the Squamish, Lil’wat, Tsliel-Waututh and Musqueam.

    Morgan:News:2010 first reported last May that the Secretariat had begun the planning for the pavilion, which would be erected in the months ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in indoor space in downtown Vancouver. Joseph says the feasibility study for the concept has now been completed. "We're looking at five buildings, including a great hall, a feast house and a retail centre. We're just looking for a location right now."

    Joseph estimates between 2,300 and 2,600 square metres (25,000 and 28,000 square feet) of space would be needed for the pavilion. "It will feature aboriginal art, culture and cuisine, as well as traditional and contemporary performances. Now we're getting out and spreading the word about what we're looking for."

    Joseph says the Secretariat wants to find "business people, contractors, artisans, performers" as well as sponsors. He said the Secretariat would like "as much as possible" for companies to be comprised of aboriginal people, but it's not a requirement. "We will be developing a human resources policy, ideally; a guiding document for aboriginal contractors." However, he said, the organization would be open to non-aboriginal companies working with aboriginal firms to build or supply the pavilion. "We want aboriginal and non-aboriginal companies to come together to make bids on what we're looking for, and also other activities that are going on around the Games. We feel that if the private sector learns more about the aboriginal sector, then we'll be able to create more opportunities for aboriginal people in the Games as well."

    The conference is expected to take place at the Wall Centre in downtown Vancouver, where an Olympics Economic Summit meeting was hosted by the BC government two years ago.

    RESOURCES

    Our story from last May that provides the details of the Secretariat's planned pavilion:

    'Aboriginal longhouse pavilion, with sponsors, contemplated for Vancouver 2010 Olympics'

    [Morgan:News:2010:Number:1658; Published on Thursday, May 11, 2006]

    RESOURCES

    Four Host First Nations Secretariat:

    <fourhostnations@shaw.ca>

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 16, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1975

    CYPRESS MOUNTAIN'S FREESTYLE RUN FIRST VENUE READY FOR ATHLETES

    The CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) today confirmed our report earlier this week that VANOC's first venue, the Cypress Mountain freestyle ski run, has been sufficiently completed that athletes can begin using it now.

    John Furlong said that one of the main reasons for finishing its venues as early as possible, along with keeping cost and complexity down, was a promise to Canadian team athletes to let them have as much time as possible to train on the courses before the 2010 Games in an effort to make them more competitive. He called the development of opening the freestyle venue, "Step one of delivering that promise." And, he noted, that VANOC will begin opening some of its other venues within the next year.

    Meanwhile, the chief executive officer of the Canadian Freestyle Association, Peter Judge of Vancouver, says his organization will start "cycling" athletes through the venue during the winter months of 2007, with a World Cup test event to be held in early February, 2008, as the first major freestyle rehearsal for the 2010 Games. A World Cup event is the level of competition that is one step below that of the Olympics or Paralympics. Judge says putting some of the Canadian freestyling team on the runs will give them "venue familiarization", and add a "pressure-cooker atmosphere" for the athletes.

    And, Judge says, it will also allow the organization and VANOC to help gauge public interest in world-level competition in the area. Interestingly, snowboarding officials have been considering the concept of only working on the runs privately, in an effort to keep an advantage in the highly competitive sport.

    Judge says the VANOC freestyle course is not the toughest or most technical one in the world, but he says, it is one of them, and the final plan was a lot better than the first draft. "VANOC's been really brilliant in not just talking the talk, but walking the walk in terms of trying to create a home-court advantage. The original proposal for the course was one that had definitely been dumbed down. For our athletes, the ones that we consider to be technically superior, it would have been a definite disadvantage had it been built, because it would have sucked the rest of the field up to the level of our guys. We pushed VANOC hard to lengthen and steepen the course, which eventually they found a way to do, and we're extremely happy because it definitely helps our athletes with that type of course." Judge says the Salt Lake City course qualifies as the toughest, while the second toughest is in Japan, where the Freestyle World Cup will be held in 2009.

    Cypress Mountain will serve as the venue for four freestyle skiing events, including men's and women's aerials and moguls, and six snowboard events: men's and women's parallel giant slalom, halfpipe and a provisional event, snowboard cross. VANOC’s budget for the freestyle and snowboard site is C$14.6 million, jointly funded by both the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia as part of VANOC’s C$580-million construction budget. The construction process began last May following a wide-ranging environmental review, mandated by governments.

    All the coursework is complete on the freestyle venue, according to John Eastman, VANOC's Managing Director of Venue Construction, but quite a bit of work has yet to be done on the snowboarding course. The work was done under the management of Cypress Mountain's management group and VANOC.

    The major ground-moving work on the freestyle venue by the main contractor, North Construction of North Vancouver, began in the middle of last May, and, though it was difficult work because of the steep inclines, it was completed by the time the snow began falling in early November. An estimated 30,000 cubic metres (1,059,440 cubic feet) of material was moved during the seven months. Eastman, noting that safety is a high priority for VANOC -- it signed a specific protocol with BC's equivalent of a worker's compensation board last year -- complemented North Construction on its ability to complete the work during the year without a safety-related incident, even though some blasting was required.

    Eastman says there is still finishing work on that specific venue to be done starting when the snows lift in March or April. Contracts for it are expected to be let during the next few months for a start when the snows melts, and they will include course lighting. VANOC will also be installing a small chair-lift to service the freestyle venue, he adds.

    Eastman says the venue is slightly ahead of schedule for completion, as much of the underground infrastructure has also been done in the last few months. This includes the main piping for the snow-making equipment and electrical work. Construction in the 2007 building will mostly focus on completing the snowboard courses, which include the main run and a parallel practice run.

    Work began in July on the upper parts of the snowboarding course, and the top half of the half-pipe is now completed, says Eastman. Cypress's "Windjammer" public ski run is to be diverted to complete the work on the new snowboarding venue. Work will resume on that venue, he says, "just as soon as the last skier is down."

    There is also more work to be done on the snowmaking sections of the work.

    Meanwhile, VANOC has begun detailed planning for how the facility will be operated, and what will be required for the so-called Olympic Overlay, the temporary structures that will be put in place once VANOC's exclusive-use contract with the mountain venues takes over in late 2009.

    VANOC officials say that test events, such as the first one -- a NORAM snowboard cross event that will be held early next year on the completed top half of the snowboard venue -- will help VANOC train volunteers and VANOC staffers in the operation of sophisticated games in the venues. Other test events will involve ariels and moguls and half-pipe, and about one year out from the start of the 2010 Games, in February, 2009, test events on both of Cypress's venues will be held within a few weeks of each other, to put the operations, volunteers and staff under stress as training for the actual Olympic Games.

    BACKGROUND

  • North Construction is a heavy-construction contractor that specializes in ski-area development, road and highway construction projects through mountain corridors, and civil construction work in steep or challenging terrain. The company is well-known to Cypress operators. It has been working with them on various aspects of the mountain's work since 1998 from the inception of Cypress's re-development plans.

    Its construction services include:

    -- Project Management

    -- Design/Build Consulting

    -- Surveying and GPS Mapping

    -- Ski Area Design and Construction

    -- Civil Engineering

    -- Road and Highway Infrastructure

    -- Helicopter Logistics

    RESOURCES

    North Construction

    #123 - 998 Harbourside Drive

    North Vancouver, BC

    Canada V7P 3T2

    Tel: 604.904.2300

    Fax: 604.904.2343

    www.north-construction.com/

    ==

    Canadian Freestyle Skiing Association

    www.freestyleski.ca

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 16, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:40 PM  

    Wednesday, November 15, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1973

    BOARD OF DIRECTORS RE-ELECTS POOLE, SHUFFLES AUDIT COMMITTEE

    Jack Poole was relected chair of the 20-person Board of Directors for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) in Vancouver today, as the newly constituted Board met for the first time with some new directors. Poole has held the job since the board, whose directors all have three-year terms, first formed in 2003.

    Most of the organizations that have a seat on the Board reappointed their directors. The board is made up of 20 members appointed by: the Canadian Olympic Committee, which has seven directors; the Government of Canada (three); the Province of British Columbia (three); the City of Vancouver (two); the Resort Municipality of Whistler (two); the Canadian Paralympic Committee (one); a joint appointment by the Band Councils of the Lil'wat and Squamish aboriginal bands (one); and one member, Poole, appointed by the other 19 members.

    The new Conservative Canadian government replaced the appointees of the previous Liberal government with Peter Brown, Jacques Gauthier and Carol Stephenson on November 2, and Beckie Scott replaced Catriona Le May Doan as one of the Canadian Olympic Committee representatives.

    The Board also set up its working committees. Former audit-committee chair Michael Phelps, who represents the Canadian Olympic Committee, has turned the position over to Richard Turner, who represents the BC government. The federal and BC governments each conducted detailed reviews last spring of VANOC's capital budget, which they equally fund, and the federal government is expected to start auditing shortly all of the federal government money flows from next March back to April, 2003.

    VANOC pays for its own annual audit.

    Here is the make-up of the Board's committees:

    AUDIT COMMITTEE:

    Richard Turner (chair) - Government of British Columbia

    Richard Pound - Canadian Olympic Committee

    Chris Rudge - Canadian Olympic Committee

    Carol Stephenson - Canadian Government

    FINANCE COMMITTEE:

    Annette Antoniak (co-chair), BC Government

    Ken Dobell (co-chair), BC Government

    Peter Brown - Canadian Government

    Jim Godfrey - Whistler

    Gibby Jacob - Aboriginal bands

    Patrick Jarvis - Canadian Paralympic Committee

    Michael Phelps - Canadian Olympic Committee

    Judy Rogers - City of Vancouver

    SUSTAINABILITY & HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE:

    Jim Godfrey (Chair) - Whistler

    Jacques Gauthier - Canadian Government

    Gibby Jacob - Aboriginal bands

    Jeff Mooney - Government of British Columbia

    Walter Sieber - Canadian Olympic Committee

    Richard Turner - Government of British Columbia

    GOVERNANCE & ETHICS COMMITTEE:

    Rusty Goepel (Chair) - Government of British Columbia

    Michael Chambers - Canadian Olympic Committee

    Charmaine Crooks - Canadian Olympic Committee

    Barrett Fisher - Whistler

    Patrick Jarvis - Canadian Paralympic Committee

    SPORT & SPORT LEGACY COMMITTEE:

    Walter Sieber (Chair) - Canadian Olympic Committee

    Patrick Jarvis - Canadian Paralympic Committee

    Beckie Scott - Canadian Olympic Committee

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 15, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Paralympic| #1972

    CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE ELECTS NEW BOARD, NEW PRESIDENT

    The Canadian Paralympic Committee's new board of directors has been formed following contested elections, but the organization will continue with its mandate to promote and expand sport opportunities for Canadians with physical disabilities.

    The new president is a former bronze-medal winner in swimming, Carla Qualtrough, from Vancouver, and there are two new members on the 12-member board: Hugues Gibeault, from Ottawa has become the Director of Marketing, and James Westlake of Oakville, Ontario. David Legg of Calgary was acclaimed in the new position of vice-president, and Lorette Madore, Ottawa, returns as Director of Administration.

    “Great strides have been made in the awareness of the extraordinary athletic accomplishments of our Paralympic athletes, but we still have a long way to go,” said Qualtrough. “We must also work to create a system that ensures Canadians with physical disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in sports as able-bodied athletes. I am really excited to help advance the Canadian Paralympic movement as we prepare to showcase Canada’s Paralympians in my hometown of Vancouver in 2010.”

    Ms. Qualtrough is a member of the International Paralympic Committee’s Legal Committee, Director of its Inclusion and Sport Tourism, and legal counsel for the separate organization, 2010 Legacies Now.

    Gibeault is executive vice-president and co-founder of Optime International, a sales and marketing consulting firm with offices in Toronto and California. He was vice-president of Corporate Properties for the International Paralympic Committee from 1999-2000, director of Corporate Properties at the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association from 1994-1998, vice-president of Sales and director of Corporate Properties for a team in the Canadian Football League, the Ottawa Rough Riders, from 1993-1994 and director of Marketing for Alpine Canada, the Canadian ski federation, from 1990-93.

    Westlake is group head of Personal and Business Clients Canada at RBC Financial Group, the tier-1 banking sponsor for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC). He is a member of the company’s group executive, which sets the strategic direction of the Royal Bank of Canada, which is also a national sponsor of the Canadian Paralympic Committee. He is past chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. He attended the 2006 Torino Winter Paralympic Games, where his son, Greg Westlak, won gold as a member of Canada’s sledge-hockey team.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 15, 2006

    posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:39 PM  

    Tuesday, November 14, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1971

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    VANOC SPONSORS SPEECH BY UN PEACE ENVOY

  • VANOC is sponsoring a presentation on Friday in Vancouver by the United Nation's special adviser on Sport for Development and Peace. The presentation by Adolf Ogi, the former president of Switzerland, is to come during a luncheon speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade. Ogi is scheduled to outline how he believes there is a role that sport can play to improve health and education, create employment opportunities and promote tolerance and mutual understanding. VANOC says he will "speak to the opportunity that Canada has through the 2010 Winter Games to promote these powerful ideals. Sport and physical education are no longer considered by the international community as luxuries, but rather as essential tools to foster development and peace."

    US HOMELAND SECURITY MULLS BORDER TEST TO AID 2010 MOVEMENT

  • Washington State has asked the US government's Department of Homeland Security to authorize a three-month test program to scan the driver's licenses of people crossing its border with British Columbia. Associated Press reporter David Ammons says Governor Chris Gregoire hopes a successful test of the US$10,000 hand-held wireless scanners, to be used by US border personnel at the Blaine and Port Angeles crossings, will persuade the American government it doesn't need to require passports or a new security card. They will be required for all land border crossings starting no later than the summer of 2009, athough they will also be required for air and ferry landings starting January 7. The governor and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell are trying to streamline the process for border crossings ahead of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The devices scan the bar code on the back of US and Canadian licenses to check for fakes, and to see if the driver's name is on the security watch lists of either country. Ammons reports that British Columbia supports the trial and is reportedly eying its own project, likely using the same technology.

    Brown hired to train UK curling team for 2010

  • The Scottish Institute of Sport, British Curling and the Royal Caledonian Curling Club have agreed to hire Derek Brown to take over responsibility for delivering "world-class plans for curling in the build up to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver." Brown spent the past three years coaching the Olympic team with the British Curling Association. He also helped develop the team which won bronze at the European Championships in 2005, and then ended with fourth place at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games and gold at the World Championships in April 2006. In addition to supporting the senior teams, he will be responsible for developing the Olympic Futures program, to identify curlers with great potential to develop them for the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 14, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1970

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    VANOC CYPRESS VENUE FIRST TO BE READY FOR ATHLETE USE

  • VANOC's Cypress Bowl venue, which will host snowboarding and freestyle skiing events in 2010, is expected to be declared on Thursday by VANOC as its first competition venue that will ready for use by 2010-bound athletes for training purposes. The venue's construction work, however, isn't yet finished; it will continue until its scheduled completion about a year from now. VANOC CEO John Furlong made a reference during a speech in Victoria on the weekend that one of its venues will be ready this week. VANOC has scheduled a news conference for Thursday morning at Cypress, which is located in West Vancouver. Furlong is expected to be in attendance, along with local politicians in the area, such as James Moore, the Member of Parliament for the riding of Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam, Joan McIntyre, the Member of the BC Legislature for West Vancouver-Garibaldi, representatives of the four aboriginal bands involved with the 2010 Games, and Pam Goldsmith-Jones, the mayor of West Vancouver, as well as several athletes from the Canadian Olympic Team. Venue work on the mountain includes modifications to existing runs, a new in-ground halfpipe, a new snowmaking system and water reservoir, lighting, a new freestyle site for aerials and moguls, and a re-graded parallel giant-slalom course. As of early September, VANOC had completed construction on the mogul and aerial courses, and was expected to complete the grading of the courses by the beginning of October. The snow making and lighting work is expected to be completed by August. Construction began with work on the reservoir a year ago.

    SUN PEAKS READIES RUNS FIRST FOR AUSTRIAN OLYMPIC TEAM

  • Jamie Tattersfield, Mountain Operations Manager at Sun Peaks Ski Resort near Kamloops, reports that grooming and snow-making operations to prepare the operation's OSV run at the Nancy Greene International Race Center for the Austrian Ski Team, are nearly complete. A turn in the weather in the last week has meant cooler temperatures, allowing the snow-making machinery to create piles for the grooming machines to spread, coupled with a series of large storms rolling in from the Pacific that has dumped quite a bit of natural snow on the area. The equipment will shortly be focused on readying the rest of the ski runs for Sun Peak's official public opening on Saturday. The Austrian Ski Team selected Sun Peaks Resort earlier this year as its official North American training center for both its men's and women's teams through 2010, and expects to spend between 35 and 45 days per year there. It was the first national team that will be attending the Winter Olympics to commit to training in BC, however, Norway has signed up with Silver Star, near Vernon, in BC's south-central area to train its cross-country ski teams -- about 40 men and women, while the Australians are booked to train there periodically until 2010 for pre-season workouts; they're expected to arrive next week with a small group, with more of the Australians due to arrive December 4. The Whistler, Blackcomb and Creekside areas, site of several 2010 venues, has also received the first heavy fall of snow, bringing to an end the construction season, which is expected to resume in the spring. Those venues are expected to be completed by time the snow starts falling again next year.

    US ADDS FUNDS TO SUPPORT 2010-BOUND BIATHLON ATHLETES

  • The United States Olympic Committee has added additional funding for biathlon training in order to better American chances for a medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Jerry Kokesh, development director of the U.S. Biathlon Association, suggests the support sends an important message to American biathletes: "The Olympic medal is not some sort of a pipe dream anymore... The USOC has stepped up to the plate and believes that." The 2006 biathlon season starts November 29 with a World Cup event in Sweden. "This pool of athletes are now coming into their prime," Kokesh said. "They are 28 to 30 years old, and if you look at who's winning, they are all 30 to 35. We have a great training plan developed for the next four years, and we are better funded than we've been in over five years. There is nothing on the agenda other than winning medals in Vancouver."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 14, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |General| #1969

    WADA EXECUTIVE TO MEET WEEK ABOUT POTENTIAL ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES

    The Executive Committee and Foundation Board of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will meet next week in Montreal, starting with the Committee's meeting on Sunday, November 19 and the Foundation Board the next day.

    The organization provides the guidelines for anti-doping for Olympics, including that of the Vancouver Games. WADA chairman Richard Pound has been one of the Canadian Olympic Committee's representatives on the 2010 Board of Directors for the past three years.

    WADA's Board is expected to consider constitutional amendments involving Board membership and representation. The proposed changes would allow an increase of the Foundation Board membership from 36 to 38. If approved, that would allow it to select a president and vice-president from outside of the Board. It's also expected to discuss the clauses that limit service of individuals to three terms of three years; and it is expected to support the principle alternating the president and vice-president seats so there is representation for both sports and governments, but limiting consecutive tenure to six years.

    The Board is also to elect a WADA vice-president for 2007. The current vice-president, Brian Mikkelsen, minister of Sport of Denmark, is completing the second of two consecutive one-year terms.

    Among other topics to be addressed by the Board and Executive Committee are:

  • The appointment of the Executive Committee for 2007;

  • The adoption of WADA's 2007 budget

  • Updates on ratifications by individual countries of the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport

  • Progress of anti-doping organizations in their implementation of the Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS); and

  • Various issues raised in recent investigations of doping cases.

    In addition, Board and Executive Committee members will be updated on the Agency's activities in the areas of research, testing, education, anti-doping development, independent observers, monitoring compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code by stakeholders, and the status of regional offices.

    The organizations will also discuss the annual working-draft changes to the World Anti-Doping Code, the product of the first of three consultation phases with stakeholders. The draft will be sent to stakeholders by January for the second consultation phase. The Code review will end at the Third World Conference on Doping in Sport, held by WADA and Government of Spain from November 15 to 17, 2007, in Madrid, Spain.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 14, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1968

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    MANITOBAN EXPECTS TO INFLUENCE PARTS OF 2010'S EMERGENCY PLANNING

  • The head of Winnipeg's Fire Paramedic Service expects to play a major role in emergency planning for the 2010 Winter Olympics when he becomes associate deputy minister for emergency management in the B.C. government next month. Wes Shoemaker says he leaves Winnipeg December 1 to start his new position. For the past eight years Shoemaker has been trying to amalgamate paramedic services and fire crews. He has reportedly done so with some success, even though the city's firefighters union has been opposed to the concept.

    AUTISTIC GIRL HANDS OVER 600 LETTERS URGING VANOC TO CREATE KERMODE MASCOT

  • A 12-year-old autistic girl, who last year raised money for New Orleans flood victims, has this year turned over about 600 letters to VANOC calling for the Kermode bear to be the mascot of the 2010 Games, primarily for environmental reasons. Aleesa Paterson of Langley, a city about 20 kilometres east of Vancouver, wrote a letter October 4 to Leaders Now BC, a youth-help organization, which posted a call for letters to be sent to the girl by November 1 so she could take them to VANOC. Paterson says her reasons for nominating the bear, which has acquired the nickname of 'Spirit Bear' in the last few years: "I am very worried about the Spirit Bear and their danger of extinction. The Spirit Bear is a beautiful North American Black Bear that is born White. The population has grown with the protection of the Spirit Bear but with logging and pollution (Global Warming) the Spirit Bear risks extinction. My idea is to bring World awareness to the Spirit Bear by having it as the 2010 Olympic Mascot. I think that people need to know more about our animals and the danger they are in." VANOC is in the process of selecting a designer for its Games mascots.

    Own the Podium testing high-altitude training theories

  • An Own the Podium research project designed to test the veracity of high-altitude training claims is expected to wrap up under Calgary's Olympic Oval stadium next Monday. A group of young, healthy and fit men are spending their nights in special tents from Hypoxico Incorporated of New York. The men donate blood and are wired to monitor their body's oxygen-carrying capacity for University of Calgary researcher Jon Kolb. He's trying to find ways to improve performance at altitude, which is where many venues for winter sports take place. The theory he's trying to prove or disprove is that training under low oxygen conditions causes the body to make more oxygen-carrying blood cells, which makes the body's energy production greater and more efficient, particularly with sports that require stamina. Kolb isn't saying much about results, but then neither are researchers in the United States, France, Germany, at least, who are also conducting the same types of tests for the same reason: to give the country an edge in Olympic sports competitions.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 14, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:38 PM  

    Friday, November 10, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1967

    ORGANIZING COMMITTEE CALLS FOR PROPOSALS FOR WHISTLER CREEKSIDE SAFETY NETTING AND FENCING TO PROTECT SKIERS AND SPECTATORS

    The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) has asked suppliers to contact it if they are interested in supplying 69 kilometres of safety netting, fencing and the rigging necessary to protect skiers and spectators at its Whistler Creekside downhill skiing venue.

    And, somewhat unusually, VANOC says that in this particular case, suppliers can either propose that VANOC buy the netting and fencing outright or propose a sponsorship package, which would allow a supplier access to marketing itself with the 2010 brands in exchange for the products, whichever the designated supplier prefers.

    In any event, VANOC says the netting and fencing should be "capable of having colour sponsor logos applied by some means such as silk-screening or fabrication into the design of the resistive fabric," although this is not a deal-breaker.

    The call for proposals, which closes December 15, is for three distinct types of "state-of-the-art" netting, all in VANOC's blue colours:

  • 4.8 kilometres of type 'A' polyethylene rope net -- plus rigging, maintenance and support towers -- which are designed to stop at least an 80-kilogram ski racer traveling at 100 kilometres per hour from crashing into the net "without exceeding a deceleration force of 7.5 G’s on the athlete." (That's a 175-pound skier moving at 62 miles per hour.) This type of net also needs a system called a slip-skirt that prevents any part of the skier or their equipment from slicing the netting. The system also needs to have "a practical snow-removal feature that allows for accumulated snow to be discharged from periodic locations at the base of the nets, rather than removed from the race-hill side of the installation."

  • 32.7 kilometers of type 'B' netting -- plus rigging and support systems, as well as maintenance -- that's similar to the type A system for protecting skiers crashing into it, but the mesh and support system is a bit different, and a method that allows it to be layered in places along the downhill track, in case extra protection is necessary.

  • 31.5 kilometres of type 'C' net fencing -- including designing, supplying and maintaining -- that's at least 1.3 metres (4.2 feet) tall once it's installed, to separate and protect spectators and athletes. It's to be designed in such a way that its sections are easy to roll up and carry for a single skier.

    If there's an accident that involves investigation by authorities, VANOC's contract with the supplier requires it to co-operate and provide expertise on the net and fence systems. VANOC will also require the supplier and its workers to undergo detailed security checks, and, unless there's a sponsorship agreement, the contract will include VANOC's usual gag clause, preventing suppliers from talking about their relationship with VANOC.

    All of the netting has to be packaged in ways that it can easily be handled in readily identifiable bundles by equipment such as forklifts, pallet jacks or snow-grooming machines, and so it can be easily stored, transported by trucks and rolled out or taken down as needed. "Conventional shipping transport will be by deck-side loading on a covered flat deck. The cradles and net handling units will be able to be double-stacked and in double rows to facilitate efficient use of deck space.... cradles will be transportable on a 14.7 meter (48-foot) deck."

    VANOC hopes to award the contract by mid-January. The towers for the A and B net systems have to be installed by September 1, 2007, and all three net systems have to be delivered to Creekside by December 31, 2007.

    BACKGROUND

    VANOC's dark blue for the fencing is Pantone 288.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 10, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |General| #1966

    IDAHO 2010 COMMITTEE STARTS PLANNING FOR TAKING STATE ADVANTAGE OF 2010 GAMES

    Eight people, members of the Idaho 2010 Olympic Committee who are focused on tourism and economic development for US state as a result of the 2010 Winter Olympics, met yesterday in Boise to begin establishing a revenue-generating plan for the state.

    The plan is expected to be similar to the one that was done for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games [see BACKGROUND, below], but no details were immediately available on the outcome of the meeting. The group intends to meet twice a year leading up to the Games as it develops its planning. The committee was formed late last year by the state's governor.

    Carl Wilgus, of the Idaho Commerce Department tourism section and spokesman for the group, says the 2002 Games plan generated generated US$100 million for the state in economic impact, mostly from tourism and from money spent by athletes and teams training for the event. Wilgus was the leader of the committee that worked on the 2002 Games, and he focused on training sites, cultural Olympiad items and fundraising for the program.

    "You know, it's not rocket science," he says, adding, "There was not anything revolutionary done in what we did. We put together a plan, we had it fairly well financed and we executed it. That's really all there was to it, but it did require doing it."

    Though Boise is about 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from Vancouver and on the far side of an international boundary and a mountain range, Wilgus hopes that the committee's 2010 plan can aim for a similar goal. "We ought to consider ourselves to be lucky and take full advantage. We're not going to have quite as clear a field as we did in 2002, but... the Olympics are a big enough thing that this incoming tide of awareness and opportunity I think will float everybody's boat and give us an opportunity to gain from it."

    To prepare for the 2002 Games, Wilgus and his group met to hear briefings on topics such as sponsorship activity, tour operator opportunities, travel information centres, special skier license plates, Idaho/Olympic webpages, the Paralympics, specific events, such as cross-country skiing.

    The 2002 program, budgeted at US$750,000, was partly financed by sale of special license plates with the outline of a skier on it, with US$10 added to the sale price so that it could be donated to the Idaho Olympic Committee. The sale of the plates was expected to raise about US$150,000 per year.

    BACKGROUND

    Boise is pronounced "BOY-zee"

    ==

    Here's the plan Wilgus and his group formulated by the three-year-out mark for the 2002 Winter Games:

    1. Olympic Training Sites: the State of Idaho identified 26 different areas where downhill skiers, cross-country skiers and hockey player can acclimate weeks, months or even years before the games.

    2. Events/Exhibitions: the Idaho Olympic Committee promoted events and exhibitions connected with ice hockey, figure skating, biathlon, curling and snowboarding before and after the games.

    3. Taking the Scenic Route: the Idaho Department of Transportation worked to lure visitors from Seattle, Missoula and Vancouver, Oregon, south along dedicated "Olympic highways" that passed through Idaho.

    4. Corporate Sponsorships: the Olympics corporate hospitality ticket packages put together for VIP’s had several days of downtime between events that Idaho focused on skiing in the state's Idaho destinations.

    5. Idaho Base Camps: to avoid the crowds and high prices of the Salt Lake City area, visitors were to be encouraged to fly into Idaho communities that offered direct flights into Salt Lake City, including Sun Valley, Boise, Pocatello, Twin Falls and Idaho Falls.

    6. Tour Operators: contact would be made with travel agencies and tour operators in other countries that have Olympic tickets available to promote Idaho destinations.

    7. Attract Utah Residents: According to the Idaho Olympic Committee, during the Atlanta games, many local residents rented their homes and left the area, making extra money and avoiding the Olympic crowds. The committee will advertise Idaho to the Wasatch Valley with messages such as "Avoid the Crowds" or "Experience the Solitude of Idaho."

    8. Raising Awareness: using the games as a catalyst, the Idaho Olympic Committee would raise the awareness of tourism in Idaho on a national and international scale by sending packages to Olympic beat media.

    9. Travel Information Center: the Idaho Olympic Committee envisioned setting up a centre with brochures promoting Idaho opportunities.

    10. Buy Idaho: The Idaho Olympic Committee prepared a list of designated Olympic memorabilia that could be sold throughout Idaho. The list included everything from Olympic key chains to fine art. The list could be obtained from chambers of commerce in the state.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 10, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Paralympic| #1965

    PARALYMPICS MARKETING CHIEF BRIEFS VANOC SPONSORS ON TORINO SUCCESS AND IPC BRANDING

    An International Paralympic Committee executive told about 300 sponsor representatives at a 2010 workshop last week that the Torino Winter Games last February was the "most successful" yet for the organization.

    The comments, by Alexis Schäfer, the Marketing Manager for the IPC, came during a closed-door session in Vancouver set up by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC). It was the first time the IPC had addressed VANOC's sponsors directly, although it was the second annual meeting for the group, which also included representatives of the International Olympic Committee's international sponsors that will be supporting the 2010 Games.

    As Schäfer put it, "Torino was the most successful Paralympic Winter Games in terms of international media, universality and passion." He reported there were more than 160,000 spectators in the Paralympic venues, there were athletes from 39 nations and 1,012 media representatives covered the Games.

    Shafer noted that the the worldwide TV cumulative audience for the Torino Games was 1.4 billion, with particular interest coming from North American broadcasters ESPNU and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC lost the bid to broadcast the 2010 Games to competitor CTV and its related networks). ESPNU is a television channel based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that specializes in college sports.

    Overall, Shafer reported, there was a "strong increase" in Torino's coverage by broadcasters, compared with the previous Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. He also notes that the worldwide coverage was augmented by the IPC's own new Internet TV channel, ParalympicSport.TV, which was launched just before the Torino Games last February.

    Schäfer told the group that a survey of random Germans in 2003, sponsored by the IPC, which is headquartered in Bonn, showed that a surprisingly strong 80% of all respondents believed that Paralympic sponsors gain in appeal with the audience during a Paralympic Games. The study, called "Sport und Markt, Sponsoring 21+," involved 1,012 representative German citizens between the ages of 15 and 69. That sample size would mean an accuracy of about 3%, 19 times out 20.

    The study showed, he said, that Paralympic sports and athletes interest about 33% of the population. He said the study showed that companies gain specifically because they link themselves with disability sports, boosting their average audience approval rating from 80% to 86%, whereas companies simply involved in sports sponsorship gain only about 1%, moving from about 71% to 72%.

    BACKGROUND

    The IPC's Schäfer noted the key Paralympic values that resonate best with audiences are:

  • Determination - Overcoming obstacles and conquering adversity

  • Courage - Pushing beyond expectations and proving that we all can achieve the unexpected

  • Inspiration - Applying the spirit and accomplishments of Paralympic athletes to your personal life

  • Catalyst for Change - Promoting awareness, acceptance and the potential of persons with a disability to break down social barriers

    The major Paralympic positioning points for marketers, then, are these, Shafer reports:

    "The Paralympic brand teaches the values of acceptance and appreciation for persons with a disability through the lessons and examples of Paralympic athletes and the Paralympic Games. Paralympic athletes demonstrate uncommon courage and tenacity, and they inspire all mankind to believe that anything is possible -- even the unbelievable. The Paralympic brand is a bridge which links sport with social awareness to challenge stereotypes and inspire understanding."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 10, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1964

    QUALICUM WEATHER STATION UPGRADED FOR 2010

  • Environment Canada is in the process of upgrading its weather station at the Vancouver Island town of Qualicum to help it provide more accurate forecasts for the 2010 Winter Olympics activities at Whistler, about 135 kilometres (85 miles) to the northeast. The station, located at Qualicum's airport on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The station is part of a province-wide system to track weather patterns between now and the opening of the Games, but Environment Canada has been focused on placing more than C$1 million worth new, sophisticated equipment in the mountains around Whistler and Cypress, near Vancouver. The reason Qualicum was chosen for upgrading -- there's no word on the cost -- is due to way the flow of air and storms occurs during BC winters. The station, which will be available on the Internet once it's completed this fall, will begin building an expanded historical database of what happens on the east coast of Vancouver Island, east of the Island's mountainous central spine, and how the information works with the other stations. The new station will measure precipitation and its intensity, along with wind, gusts, humidity and temperature.

    IOC COMMISSION EXECUTIVE QUIETLY ARRIVES, TALKS, LEAVES

  • The IOC has issued a bland comment that the routine semi-annual VANOC review by the executive of its Coordination Commission, chaired by René Fasel. The group completed "a successful two-day project review of the Vancouver Games" this week. If it found anything amiss or complimentary, it said nothing publicly about it. VANOC itself has so far not mentioned the arrival, meetings, nor departure of the small inspection team, nor did it hold a news conference, as it often has in the past, to discuss its status. The project review group, "which also included members of the IOC administration and IOC experts", all unidentified by the IOC, spent the two days of meetings behind closed doors at VANOC's headquarters in Vancouver talking about athlete accommodation, sport, marketing and press operations, among other, also unidentified, things. We do know that IOC executive director Gerard Felli was in attendance, and that they met with VANOC CEO John Furlong and some of his executives. The last project review visit followed the session last July in which the Torino Winter Olympics administration briefed VANOC on the operations of its Games last February and March. The full Commission visits once a year until four years before the Games, and then twice a year until the Games.

    TERRACE CAMPAIGN FOR KERMODE MASCOT AT 2010 STILL COOKING

  • Even though VANOC has a formal process underway for developing a major piece of its marketing, mascots for the Olympics and Paralympics, people in the city of Terrace in northwestern BC are still quite hopeful they can campaign in favour of it being representative of their region, the Kermode bear. The white bear, who acquired the moniker of "Spirit Bear" from environmentalist public relations, is a stable mutation of the much more common brown bear that inhabits large parts of British Columbia's forests. Terrace, who uses the Kermode as its own brand, was on a strong campaign to promote the bear to VANOC in 2004 and 2005, and it appears VANOC's call for designers to submit qualifications for shortlist last month has revitalized the community. November 1 was the deadline for designers and artists to submit their proposals for the development of the mascot, but VANOC officials say they are still encouraging the public to submit their own ideas as to what the mascot should be. Therein, hints George Clark, president of Kermode Tourism, a member of Terrace's Spirit of 2010 committee, which also includes representatives from the Terrace & District Chamber of Commerce and the Terrace Economic Development Authority. Gardiner wouldn't put a deadline on when people should submit mascot suggestions. Ali Gardiner, director of brand and creative for VANOC, has told reporters, "In terms of public input, the earlier we get it the earlier we can pass it on to the artist we select." Between December of this year and summer of 2007 the successful artists, in collaboration with VANOC, will develop mascot concepts. Clark says one of the ideas the Spirit of 2010 Committee is considering: whether it should ask VANOC if Terrace can have a presence in the Olympic media centre as an education resource about the Kermode bear.

    RESOURCES

    An interactive map showing Qualicum Airport's location:

    tinyurl.com/y3m2so

    A picture of Rene Fasel, IOC 2010 Commission chairman:

    tinyurl.com/ylddww

    A picture of a Kermode:

    www.nathab.com/content/SpiritBear.jpg

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 10, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:36 PM  

    Thursday, November 09, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1963

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    VANOC, IPC PITCHED THE PARALYMPICS AT SPONSOR WORKSHOP

  • A bit more information has come to light from the tightly closed-door Vancouver 2010 Sponsor Workshop held last week in Vancouver for the second year in a row. The idea of the meeting to help VANOC's sponsors to develop their pre-Games marketing and activation strategies and prepare for hospitality operations during the 2010 Winter Games. But a marketing pitch can go in several directions at such a session. VANOC wants to ensure the Paralympic Games are also supported, and that through sponsor marketing some of the attention goes to building the Paralympic brand. During the meetings, VANOC reportedly presented research to show that the Paralympic Games provide potential for "a positive brand-image transfer for Games sponsors." The research, however, was not made available. For the first time, as well, the International Paralympic Committee was able to give a presentation to the sponsors about the organization and Paralympic values.

    VANOC STATUS MEETING FOR PEMBERTON PEOPLE NEXT WEEK

  • VANOC has scheduled a 2010 status report at the Pemberton Community Centre for next Wednesday at 7 p.m. Pemberton is the town just north of Whistler. VANOC spokesman Maureen Douglas says the meeting is expected to outline VANOC's venue construction progress, and talk about potential opportunities for the area's residents. “We will need hundreds of volunteers and we will provide a brief look at where we are at with transportation planning,” Douglas told reporters. “In 2007 we will continue to work out of the Whistler office with the goal of lobbying where ever I can for Pemberton opportunities." There has been some discussion in the Pemberton area about the possibility of encouraging VANOC to build some housing in the area, which would first be used to help VANOC fill some of its shortfall in rooms for the Olympic family and convert the buildings to seniors housing after the Games but, so far, nothing official has come of it.

    IDAHO STARTS TO CONSIDER 2010 POSSIBILITIES

  • The Idaho 2010 Committee is hold its first meeting this afternoon in Boise to begin mapping out a strategy for the state to take advantage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The committee is a member of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region Initiative (PNWER). It includes Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Alberta, Yukon and British Columbia. The Idaho committee is expected to begin laying the groundwork for events that can take advantage of the Olympic theme, as well as the economic benefits that Olympic team training sites and facilities could offer the state. Events such as Idaho's 2009 World Winter Special Olympics, which involves athletes with a mental disability and which is not a part of the International Olympic Committee, might be used to tie in with the increased exposure offered by the Vancouver games. A committee spokesman, Commerce and Labor Director Roger B. Madsen, says, "While Vancouver will serve as the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Idaho and the other members of the PNWER 2010 Initiative have a unique opportunity to be part of a successful Olympic effort. Along with being a part of that success, we also have an opportunity to reap some of the benefits of having the Olympics so close to us."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 9, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |General| #1962

    VANOC, LONDON 2012 REPORTED TO BE TALKING ABOUT CONSISTENT FRONT IN IOC REVENUE-SHARING TALKS

    London, England's Daily Telegraph newspaper is reporting today that the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) is in "urgent discussion" with the London 2012 Organizing Committee about forming "a joint front to get more money from the International Olympic Committee."

    Reporter Mihir Bose notes the funding issue has been caused by a long-known change in the way the IOC distributes revenue from television rights for the Games. A city hosting the Games has until now been entitled to 49% of the global television income received by the IOC. That is what Beijing will receive for the 2008 Olympics.

    The IOC removed the automatic distribution formula years ago, when cities began bidding on the 2010 Games and beyond. Bid cities, including Vancouver, were given a budget number from the IOC to use in completing their bids, but were told the actual distribution amount would be negotiated. VANOC has been waiting until it could incorporate what it learned from the Torino Winter Games operations into its budgeting before it began talks with the IOC over what would be its negotiated share, and VANOC has said those talks would begin shortly.

    The IOC, which says it uses only about 8% of its revenue for its own administrative operations, distributes the balance of the revenue it generates from corporate sponsorships and broadcasting rights to national Olympic Committees and international sports federations around the world.

    Bose reports that the current proposal from the IOC is that Vancouver will receive the amount allocated to the previous Winter Games hosts, Torino, plus an inflation factor -- there was no word on how this might be calculated -- and that London 2012 would receive the Beijing allocation plus an inflation factor.

    The IOC told Bose this new formula "is more appropriate, as they [the IOC] are now doing the host broadcast for the Games and saving the host city many millions as a result. However, with the television rights for the Olympics are generating more money each time they are sold, this means that in absolute terms Vancouver and London will get less than if the 49% formula had been applied."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 9, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:32 PM  

    Wednesday, November 08, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1961

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED ABOUT HIKING VANCOUVER TAXI NUMBERS FOR 2010 GAMES

  • How many taxis will be needed in Vancouver, Richmond, West Vancouver and Whistler, the venue communities, when the 2010 Games are on? How many will be needed in 2008 and 2009, during the run-up to the Games, as more and more crews, VIPs and IOC officials gather to set up for the Games? If more cabs are added to the infrastructure, what happens to them in April, 2010, when the Games and crowds have left town. If more are added and their licenses aren't temporary, what effect will it have on the value of existing cabbie licenses? These questions and more are behind a motion by Vancouver councillor Suzanne Anton that intends to put "significantly more" taxis on the road in Vancouver by next year's tourist season. In addition, the motion, supported by mayor Sam Sullivan, asks city staff and the Vancouver Taxi Roundtable to begin working on recommendations for council about recommending additional permits, including more that are accessible by wheelchairs, from 2008 to 2010. The City has 447 taxis, 59 of them wheelchair accessible. That's about a cab for 1,258 people in the city, compared with one for every 540 in Toronto. The motion is on the agenda for council's November 14 meeting.

    COUNCILS OF VANCOUVER, WHISTLER MEET

  • The mayors and municipal councils of Vancouver and Whistler met in Vancouver today for the first of a series of joint in-camera meetings that will be taking place over the next few years as they develop ways to take advantage of the fact both cities are host communities of the 2010 Winter Games. Whistler mayor Melamed said that while the meeting will be behind closed doors, the aspects will be discussed during opening meetings of each council when decisions are necessary. He also said that while the Games period had been running since the bid was awarded by the IOC in 2003, the new councils that were elected late last year are the ones with the terms in office that will be dealing with the run-up period to the Games, which gives the planning some stability. Neither mayor discussed any achievement beyond talking in general terms about the session being introductory. "The intent of this meeting was to start at a very high level," Melamed said. "We already know we have a lot in common; it was just a way to get to know each other better, and find out where we can improve on the relationship, so we can take the most advantage that we can. We're two cities that have been joined at the hip for the Games." As mayor Sullivan put it, "If we end up having 'the best Games ever', and that's all, then we will have failed. We have to go beyond that." Councils have asked their respective staffs to draw up a partnership agreement over the next few months, but neither Sullivan nor Melamed indicated they were in much of a hurry to nail down the concepts, which could include various tourism initiatives. The next meeting, the date not yet set, is expected to take place in Whistler.

    COC SETS UP 'PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT TEAM' TO SUPPORT CANADIAN ATHLETES IN 2008

  • The Canadian Olympic Committee, now that it has federal and Olympic money moving into its infrastructure, has introduced the concept of what it calls a "Performance Enhancement Team" that is being established to help Canadian team athletes at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The announcement was made two years away from the start of those Games. COC officials say the Team is a group of sport experts and specialists who will provide Canada's summer National Sport Federations with "strategic information on potential medical, environmental, climatic and other challenges that athletes may face in Beijing, along with strategies for overcoming them in order to perform to the best of their ability..." The Team is to develop in two phases. The first phase is setting up the team with five experts. Those appointed today include a chief medical officer, a chief therapist, a performance nutritionist, an environmental physiologist and a meteorologist. The second phase involves appointing a sport psychologist and a strength-and-conditioning expert to the Team.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 8, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1960

    ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY IS AS ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY DOES

    The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) has written a feature on its web site that talks about a few of the environmentally friendly initiatives it has taken, or will take, in the construction of its venues.

    For instance, it says, rainwater falling on the sports complex that will house the speedskating oval in Richmond will be used (the article claims it will be "reused.") Wood debris from VANOC's mountain venue sites is being donated to "regional stream-habitat restoration projects." Elsewhere it says, "The refrigeration plant at the Whistler Sliding Centre, for example, will capture waste heat generated through the cooling process at the refrigeration plant. This ‘captured heat’ will then be transferred to other buildings on site – resulting in cost savings, over time, with the accompanying reduction in energy demand." It also talks about items on which Morgan:News:2010 has previously reported, such as landscaped "green roofs", which are expected to be constructed on the buildings of the Vancouver Athletes Village.

    Although the feature doesn't mention it, a similar approach to that of the Sliding Centre in Whistler is expected to be taken with the heating/cooling plant developed for the new Hillcrest Curling Centre in Vancouver, and the Olympic Village in Vancouver is also capturing heat from a large passing sewer line and using it to augment heating systems in the Village buildings. Other VANOC projects are also doing, or planning to do the same. Nor does it mention that all of the buildings constructed by VANOC have to meet at least LEED Silver environmental standards, several of them LEED Gold, and possibly one, the community centre structure at the Olympic Village, could be LEED Platinum.

    The feature does, however, mention that at the Whistler Nordic Centre, more than 23,000 cubic metres (30,000 cubic yards) of wood waste "after cleared timber was sold or donated" was chipped on location. "Additional organic material was then added to it," says the feature, "and the entire mixture was stuffed into large plastic ‘ag-bags’ for composting. Once composted, this material will be removed from the bags, mixed with indigenous wildflower seeds, and then applied to the disturbed soil sites to facilitate vegetation re-growth (known as ‘green up’). Greening up a site helps prevent soil erosion and sedimentation to waterways while restoring natural vegetation and habitat to disturbed areas. Any leftover compost will be shared with other venues and projects within the Sea-to-Sky corridor for their use in greening up areas disturbed by construction." Apparently the work to do this was sub-contracted; no formal VANOC request for proposals was circulated regarding this work.

    The feature also notes: "The Vancouver Olympic Village project will create habitat corridors throughout green spaces, facilitating urban habitat nodes for birds. The development of the overall site is aimed at improving overall water quality in False Creek. It includes creating additional fisheries, as well as cleanup of inlet contamination."

    After some determined translation, this seems to mean that the Village plans include some strips of park-like areas that will have some trees where you'll eventually be able to see birds, and that the Village's construction includes getting rid of contaminated soil that was leaching its contamination into adjacent False Creek. The "additional fisheries" phrase seems to be an oblique reference to the slightly increased areas where fish can live, accomplished by the way the Village's foreshore is designed. We're fairly sure it doesn't mean fish farms or that commercial fishermen in large boats will be trolling or netting their catch of the day just offshore once construction is finished.

    RESOURCES

    Click here to read the full VANOC feature:

    tinyurl.com/y6nzhf

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 8, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:31 PM  

    Tuesday, November 07, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |General| #1959

    TIPPED GRAVEL BARGE AT VANCOUVER OLYMPIC VILLAGE NOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM

    The project manager for the Vancouver Olympic Athletes Village says a barge that spilled some of its load yesterday as it was tied up in False Creek at the shore of the Village's construction site is unlikely to have done any environmental damage.

    The barge took on so much rainwater during a deluge yesterday that it listed to starboard, and crews had to scramble to prevent it from going further. Part of the design of the reconstructed shoreline in front of the village is a small artificial island that is physically joined to the shoreline at low tide. The island is being built for environmental reasons to make up for the loss of fish habitat elsewhere on the shoreline.

    Jody Andrews says, "The barge that tipped belonged to a contractor working on the shoreline. It was loaded with new fill, medium-sized rocks, that were destined to be deposited to create the new island. The tip actually occurred at the location of the island and was within the protected boundaries for the project. The barge listed first, spilling some of the fill, but the balance of the fill was removed before the barge tipped to its current position."

    The project is being heavily monitored from an environmental point of view, with daily water run-off measurements, and the construction area is surrounded on the False Creek side by pollution barriers.

    Andrews adds that, "The barge had no equipment or fluids on it, so only clean fill went into the water, at roughly the same location as its final placement. The environmental monitor was notified immediately. No adverse impacts have been reported from either the tipped barge or [anywhere in the project by] the heavy rainfall. The mitigation measures already in place on the project, such as the silt curtain and settling ponds, have performed well."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 7, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1958

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    VANOC'S NETWORKER BEGINS SETTING UP VANCOUVER OFFICES

  • Atos Origin, the big European sponsor that works with the International Olympic Committee to set up the complex computer network of each Olympic Games, is in the early stages of setting up operations in Vancouver. The company will be building an integration testing laboratory and staffing it with technicians. One of the key local jobs is the manager of the lab. They're in the process of hiring the manager now. The test lab is responsible for ensuring all of the hundreds of computer systems will tie together properly, using a lot of existing equipment and procedures Atos Origin's winter-Olympic team has developed over the years. But, because computer and networking technology evolves so quickly, there are also a lot of changes to incorporate into the system for each Games. As well, there are also new technology relationships that are built with each Games. For instance, the infrastructure that VANOC telecommunications sponsor Bell Canada is building between the 2010 venues will be fully based, for the first time on Internet protocols. The lab also works with the Olympic Broadcast System, which provides the TV and sound feeds to broadcast networks around the world, with Swatch's Omega-brand timing systems for the 2010 Games, as well as with VANOC's computer networks and many other systems. Besides the physical and internet-connection systems the lab has to test, it also is responsible for developing test scenarios and test data to ensure everything is working before it's installed, and that all the redundant systems and networking security systems the IOC and VANOC requires will also be in working order. Atos Origin is using the services of the Vancouver office of Ajilon Consulting, a national Canadian technology firm based in Toronto, as its local advisory operation.

    MONTREAL AGENCY TO SET UP 2010 ANTI-DOPING LAB IN VANCOUVER

  • The Vancouver Sun's Jeff Lee reports today that VANOC and its new contractor for anti-doping, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, are negotiating with Dr. Christiane Ayotte, who runs the Doping Control Laboratory at Montreal's Institut National de la Recherché Scientifique (National Institute of Scientific Research), to set up a temporary lab. It's expected to be located at the Vancouver Olympic Village, possibly in the shell of an elementary school slated to be built by the Vancouver School Board if it can secure financing for the C$5 million structure before March 31. If the funding can't be arranged, VANOC has said that it would likely set up the lab in a temporary structure, which is common at most Games.

    VANCOUVER, WHISTLER POLITICIANS TO FINALIZE "COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS" FOR 2010

  • Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan and Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed are expected to hold a two-hour meeting tomorrow between the City Councils of Vancouver and Whistler to discuss "collaborative projects" between the two host cities of the 2010 Winter Games. The closed-door meeting takes place in a Vancouver City Hall committee room.

    RESOURCES

    Ian McMillan,

    President

    Ajilon Consulting

    Vancouver Office

    543 Granville Street, Suite 302

    Vancouver, British Columbia

    V6C 1X8

    Tel: 604.689.8717

    Toll Free: 1.888.238.5908

    Fax: 604-629-1182

    VANinfo@ajilon.com

    --

    Paul Melia

    President and CEO

    Canadian Centre for Ethics and Sports

    Suite 202, 2197 Riverside Drive

    Ottawa, Ontario K1H 7X3

    Phone: 613.521.3221 (direct)

    Fax: 613-521-3134

    E-mail: pmelia@cces.ca

    ==

    Institut National de la Recherché Scientifique

    www.inrs.ca (French only)

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 7, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:30 PM  

    Monday, November 06, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1957

    2010 ORGANIZATION TO SET UP SMALL ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE IN WHISTLER-AREA INDUSTRIAL PARK

    The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) has contracted to lease office space at Unit 202 – 1002 Lynham Road, a low-rise building about five kilometres south of Whistler.

    The agreement -- with the co-owners of the Lynham Road building, Millar Creek Developments and Kenwood Properties -- is for two years and covers an area of 300 square metres (about 3,200 square feet). It is in a light-industrial park just off the main highway leading into Whistler, near the intersection of the highway and the Cheakamus Lake Road.

    VANOC is also the first operation to take advantage of a new Whistler bylaw designed to control the use of temporary space for the 2010 Winter Games. Since general office use isn't allowed in the area, the bylaw approved by Whistler Council on October 16 over-rides the provisions of the blanket industrial-use bylaw in the area. Whistler municipal staff are also currently working on a draft bylaw that, if approved, will cover various issues that Council will have to deal with as the start of the Games approach. The draft bylaw is expected to include provisions that will give Council additional power to decide how temporary commercial-use permits are to be issued.

    VANOC says it intends to use the office space to help administrate the Games in the area, which is near to where the 2010 Winter Olympic Village is under construction, and not far from the new junction from the highway that leads to the Callaghan Valley, where it is building the Whistler Nordic Centre.

    The office space will allow VANOC administrative staff to be located in the Whistler area during the next two years, and its the first such space it has rented. Until now, it has only operated a tourism-related office in downtown Whistler, which only has a small room for administration.

    The new space is next door to similar sized space leased by Paradata Systems, an 11-year-old Internet-based payment service whose expertise in security technology, software development and transaction processing was purchased earlier this year by owned by Payment Processing Inc. of California.

    The value of the agreement was not released.

    RESOURCES

    A photo of the building at 1002 Lynham Road

    www.kenwoodconstruction.ca/images/1002_lynham_lg.jpg

    A map of the building's location:

    tinyurl.com/y3e4qx

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 6, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1956

    Here are three moguls we ran into today:

    GMC GIVES ALPINE CANADA ANOTHER FIVE YEAR SPONSORSHIP DEAL

  • General Motors Canada has extended its tier-1 sponsorship contract with Alpine Canada for another five years. Alpine Canada is one of the national winter-sports federations that supplies high-performance Canadian athletes to the Canadian Olympic Team for a number of winter skiing teams. GMC will continue to sponsor the GM Pontiac Cup, one of Alpine Canada's major competitions, during that period, as it has done for the last few years. GMC is also a tier-1 sponsor of VANOC.

    US LUGE ASSOCIATION UNCONCERNED ABOUT CANADA FOR 2007 WORLD CUP DOUBLES

  • Despite the money flowing into Canada's Own The Podium 2010 program to support Olympic and Paralympic-bound athletes training for the 2010 Winter Games, the US Luge Association doesn't see Canada as a threat for the 2007 luge doubles World Cup. World Cup competitions are used to help judge the strength of competitions for Olympic events. A news release from the Association previewing the 2007 season focuses on eight sleds from various countries, including the American team, that it believes will be the main threats for the next World Cup. They include sleds from Germany, Austria and Italy.

    CYPRESS VENUES PROMOTED BY TOURISM VANCOUVER

  • Tourism Vancouver, an industry organization that co-ordinates tourism marketing for the city, is using the Olympics to promote Cypress Mountain in one of its popular monthly promotional newsletters that lists things to do and see in the City in the coming month. In the December edition of "Fresh Start", issued today, editor Emily Armstrong writes, "Round up the family and head to Cypress Mountain for some skiing or boarding and make your first tracks of the season. Cypress will be home to the 2010 Olympic freestyle skiing (moguls and aerials) as well as snowboarding (half pipe and parallel giant slalom), so be sure to visit this world-class alpine destination and see for yourself where Olympic athletes will compete for gold." Cypress Mountain ski area is in the mountains just north of Vancouver. Construction on the venue, budgeted at C$14.6 million, is expected to be completed by next October. There are to be two stadiums that can hold a total of 11,800. One is for freestyle skiing, which includes aerials and moguls, and the other is for snowboarding, with a half-pipe and a snowboard giant slam site. VANOC expects to be substantially finished the freestyle venue this year, and next year it expects to complete the snowboard venue.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 6, 2006


    Morgan:News:2010 |Business VANOC| #1955

    SPONSOR PETRO-CANADA PLEDGES C$13 MILLION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CANADIAN HIGH-PERFORMANCE SPORT

    Petro-Canada, one of the national sponsors of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC), is revamping its Olympic Torch Scholarship Fund, so that it will focus C$13 million on the development of future Olympians and Paralympians.

    The Canadian oil-and-gas company says the investment has three major components:

  • It will make a C$3 million contribution to VANOC's fundraising for the Own the Podium 2010, the national sport initiative co-funded by the Canadian government that is designed to help Canada's Olympic and Paralympic winter sports improve its medal success during the 2010 Winter Games;

  • C$2.8 million to create a new support program called Fuelling Athletes and Coaching Excellence (FACE); and,

  • C$7 million to extend Petro-Canada's funding of athletes and coaches beyond the company's current sponsorship period of the Games, which contractually ending December 31, 2012.

    The FACE program is being set up to help with C$4,000 the personal expenses of 50 pairs of Olympic and Paralympic athletes and coaches each year who are attempting to receive a national carded status within their sport, so they can eventually compete or coach at a world-class level. Each coach/athlete pair will receive the funding, to help them train or develop their coaching skills.

    Chris Rudge, chief executive officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee notes that, "By helping both parts of the athletic team, Petro-Canada is providing the necessary assistance for these groups of up-and-comers to be successful at future Games."

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 6, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 5:23 PM  

    Friday, November 03, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1954
    VANOC, CANADIAN CENTRE FOR ETHICS IN SPORT ARRANGE TO DELIVER "COMPREHENSIVE" ANTI-DOPING SERVICES

    The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), as expected, has completed arrangements for the the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) to deliver anti-doping services for the 2010 Winter Games.

    The service will be supervised by VANOC's own anti-doping program, run by Dr. Jack Taunton, VANOC's Chief Medical Officer.

    VANOC and CCES worked on the project since the spring of 2005. VANOC says its anti-doping program's primary goal is to "prevent, deter and detect doping" using a number of channels. This approach, which VANOC officials describe as "comprehensive", involves an extensive pre-Games education program aimed at Canadian and international athletes, and a pre-Games testing program.

    Dr. Taunton says, "The CCES is providing valuable support to VANOC, including the release of senior staff to join the VANOC team until after the Games and providing services on a cost-recovery basis." Under the terms of the agreement with VANOC, it will also provide 2010 organizers with expertise and training as well as a range of other services.

    CCES Board Chair, Dr. Roger Jackson says the partnership is designed to, "provide Canadian athletes and the international sport community with a tremendous level of confidence in the anti-doping program for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Dr. Jackson suggests that "The VANOC Anti-Doping Program will provide a model of excellence for future international sport organizing committees and other major games organizations."

    CCES, an independent, national anti-doping agency certified by the International Standards Organization.

    CCES, at its core, is a non-profit organization set up to promote "ethical sport" for Canadians through "research, promotion, education, detection and deterrence."

    RESOURCES

    Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport
    www.cces.ca

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 3, 2006




    Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1953
    REFRIGERATION CONTRACTORS SOUGHT FOR TWO VANCOUVER-AREA OLYMPIC VENUES

    The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) and the City of Vancouver are getting ready to select a contractor to build new ice plants at two 2010 Olympic venues.

    VANOC and the City are working together to renovate the Pacific Coliseum Arena at Hastings Park in east Vancouver, and build the new Hillcrest Curling Centre in central Vancouver.

    The Pacific Coliseum is an NHL-sized ice rink that's well used by the general public and specific groups, and which is programmed by the Pacific National Exhibition. It is being expanded on total budget of C$25.7 million to international Olympic size so it can host the 2010 short-track speedskating and figure-skating competitions. Because of the amount of renovation work needed to be done, and to keep the disruptions to its on-going operation to a minimum, the work is being scheduled over several years, mostly during the summer. This past summer, for instance, was Phase I and the ice slab was increased to international size. Phase II, during three months starting next June, organizers are planning to replace the ammonia refrigeration plant and all the associated electrical work, and have it in operation by late August.

    The new curling sports complex, to be built for a budget of C$37.1 million at Hillcrest Park near Vancouver's Little Mountain in collaboration with the City's Parks Board, will start construction early next year and is expected to be completed by December, 2008. When complete, it will be the largest such venue ever provided for an Olympics; it will host all the Olympic and Paralympic curling events, which are popular in Canada. Afterwards, an NHL-sized ice ring will be incorporated into the structure and the eight curling sheets will continue in operation as part of a community centre complex that will continue in operation into the future. In-slab cooling and heating pipes, and all the refrigeration equipment and controls that will be needed to service the hockey and curling ice sheets will be constructed and installed as part of the construction. One of VANOC's most recent sponsors, Dow Chemicals, will provide the heat-transfer fluids and expertise in their uses as part of its arrangement. One of its brands, Dowtherm SR-1, for instance, is used to maintain high-quality ice in arenas.

    In the back of VANOC's operational mind are the problems that were associated with the electrical system at one of the temporary rinks constructed at the Torino Winter Olympics, where an inadequate power system forced those organizers to rip out the refrigeration plant at considerable expense literally in the last few weeks before the 2006 Games began and install a new system after there were complaints about poor ice during test events.

    VANOC and the City are calling on contractors with a lot of experience in this type of work to file Expression of Interest documents with VANOC's contracting department by November 15. A VANOC/City panel will shortlist three of them to receive a formal Request for Proposals document, with full details of the work, by early December.

    BACKGROUND

    VANOC is working with the City of Vancouver, as the owner of the buildings and it, in turn is using the Hasting Park Capital Works Committee (HPCWC) as the structure for dealing with the upgrades at the Coliseum. The HPCWC has representatives of VANOC, the City and the Pacific National Exhibition on it. In short, it is the HPCWC that does the administration of the project for VANOC.

    VANOC first began work on the Coliseum last year when it replaced 16,000 seats, most of the work done just in time for the World Junior Hockey Championships held last December. Some of the work was completed in January.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 3, 2006

    posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 7:01 PM  

    Thursday, November 02, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1952
    CANADIAN GOVERNMENT APPOINTS FINANCIER, LAWYER AND TELCO CEO TO VANOC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

    The federal Conservative government has exercised its right to replace the three Liberal-appointed directors that represent Ottawa on the board of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC).

    David Emerson, the Minister responsible for the federal government's Vancouver-Whistler Olympic portfolio, said the three new directors are:

  • Financier Peter Brown, of Vancouver;

  • Lawyer and sustainability advocate Jacques Gauthier, of Montreal; and

  • Telecommunications and technology expert, Carol Stephenson, of London, Ontario, who is CEO of Lucent Technologies, and who is a former executive of Bell Canada, VANOC's biggest corporate sponsor.

    They are all volunteers, and replace France Chretien-Desmarais, who is the daughter of former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien and the wife of Andre Desmarais, president of Power Corporation: Peter Dhillon, the CEO of Richberry Group of Companies; and Tony Tennessy, the former president of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 115 and a director of Concert Properties. Their three-year terms expire this month.

    "The Government of Canada is a major funding partner and key service provider for the 2010 Winter Games," says Emerson. "The three new appointees have significant expertise in leading complex projects, and will play a key role in providing the Vancouver Organizing Committee with strategic and financial advice."

    The Conservative government has been quite suspicious about the financial flows between Ottawa and VANOC. It was the first to call in a construction consultant to review VANOC's C$580 million capital program for venues last spring, which Ottawa and BC have agreed to split 50/50, even though the BC government at first said it didn't need to do so, but later commissioned its own study. And the federal government has also commissioned a full audit of the cash flows between the federal government and VANOC from the government's 2003 fiscal year to the end of March, 2007.

    The new directors will begin work on November 15, at the board's annual general meeting.

    VANOC's Board of Directors is also composed of representatives from the Government of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, a single director representing the Lil'wat and Squamish aboriginal bands, the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and the Canadian Olympic Committee.

    BACKGROUND

    Here are the biographies of the three new directors:

    PETER BROWN, Order of BC, LL.D.

    Founder, current chairman and chief executive officer of Canaccord Capital Corporation, Canada's largest privately owned bank. Brown is also a director of the Investment Industry Association of Canada. Brown has also served as chair of the British Columbia Enterprise Corporation and the Vancouver Stock Exchange and acted in the capacity of the Government of British Columbia's chief negotiator on the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. Through Canaccord, Brown helped finance a large number of British Columbia businesses. He has served as chairman of the University of British Columbia. He was also chair of the Expo '86 Finance Committee and as vice-chair of Expo '86 Corporation.

    JACQUES GAUTHIER

    A lawyer with a strong interest in sustainable energy, Mr. Gauthier is senior vice-president and chief operating officer at Kruger Inc., a private energy company. He was previously president and chief executive officer of Boralex Inc., a private producer of renewable energy. Gauthier maintains a private law practice specializing in corporate reorganization. Gauthier is a negotiator and prefers strategic planning, operations, and finance.

    CAROL STEPHENSON

    Stephenson is president and chief executive officer of Lucent Technologies Canada Corporation, a telecommunications firm, with about three decades of experience in financial management, strategic planning, marketing, operations, and technology development. Stephenson sits as a member of the General Motors of Canada Advisory Board -- GM is also a major sponsor of VANOC -- and as a director of ING Canada, a financial institution, and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. She is also dean of the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in London, and holds the Lawrence G. Tapp Chair in Leadership. Her previous positions include group vice-president for logistics and for rates, regulatory matters and strategic planning at Bell Canada, as well as president and chief executive officer at BCE Media and Stentor Resource Centre.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 2, 2006

    • posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 6:59 PM  

    Wednesday, November 01, 2006

    Morgan:News:Bronze:Service is published regularly, but the articles are delayed by at least three months to protect our subscribers. For timely news that comes to you, please subscribe to our Gold or Silver service at Morgan:News:2010. Bronze is free for the use of news services and for non-commercial public use under conditions described at: Morgan:News:2010:Bronze (There is a nominal charge for certain commercial uses, as described there.) You can use Google to search the site, simply add “site:morgan-news.com” after your search terms.

    Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1951
    VANCOUVER TO SPEND C$30 MILLION IN VANOC MONEY ON SOCIAL HOUSING

    Vancouver City Council has voted to approve staff recommendations that the C$30 million the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) gave to the City to help construct the city's Olympic Village be used instead to subsidize the capital cost of constructing 'affordable' apartment buildings on the site.

    The decision came during a meeting of Council's City Services and Budgets Committee meeting. The idea is to allocate VANOC's $$30 million, plus about C$2 million for replacement housing generated by the city's Development Cost Levies generated by the Village development as a capital contribution to the 250 units of "affordable housing" to be developed in the Olympic Village. The Director of the Housing Centre and the Project Manager of the Southeast False Creek's Project Office, which is helping to build the Olympic Village to report back to Council on the level of affordability that can be achieved once the costs to build the apartment buildings are finalized. Three million of the C$30 million is to be used for designing the buildings.

    VANOC provided the C$30 million for the Village to compensate the City for costs incurred from making the site available for the 2010 Winter Games. In its bid to develop the Village land, the Millennium Group agreed to cover most of those costs, such as the holding costs of making the residential units available to VANOC for the duration of the 2010 Games. Since that freed up VANOC's funding, staff suggested that council use it for its social housing requirements, which were part of the Olympic bid.

    City Manager Judy Rogers, a director of VANOC, says that under the concept approved today, the City would lease the land for the social housing "for a nominal prepaid rent," and would commit VANOC's contribution to the Olympic Village to the housing to help subsidize the housing. "The City does not generally subsidize affordable housing beyond making land available at a discount," Rogers notes, "and it is appropriate that VANOC's contribution to the Olympic Village be used to generate affordability beyond what can be generated by 'free' land." The City would be the developer of the social housing. "There are risks inherent in development," she notes, "such as escalating construction costs or soft markets," and they have to be managed.

    BACKGROUND

    Vancouver's definition of "affordable housing" means dwelling units designed to be affordable to people whose household pays more than 30% of their combined gross annual income to rent "an adequate and suitable rental unit, including utilities, to meet the basic housing needs of the household at an average market rent."

    RESOURCES

    The first story on this topic:
    'VANOC's C$30 million for Vancouver Olympic Village proposed for 'affordable housing' on site'
    [Morgan:News:2010:Number:1914; Published on Thursday, October 12, 2006]

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 2, 2006




    Morgan:News:2010 |Sports| #1949
    DR. PETER DAVIS HIRED TO OVERSEE SCIENCE, MEDICINE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR OWN THE PODIUM 2010

    Dr. Peter Davis has been hired to head up the Canadian Olympic movement's winter and summer sport technical programs as Director of Sport Science, Medicine and Technology.

    The decision was this summer made by a panel representing Sport Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and followed an extensive national and international search. In his new role, Davis will plan, coordinate and implement the national high-performance sport science, medicine, technology and innovation programs that are part of the Own the Podium 2010, a national winter sport technical initiative, and Road to Excellence, the national summer sport equivalent.

    Dr. Davis, who will be based in Calgary with other executives of the initiatives, has relocated to Canada from Australia, began his responsibilities with Own the Podium 2010 and Road to Excellence today.

    Says Davis. "This is a very exciting time for Canadian high performance sport and I look forward to contributing to the achievement of the performance goals that have been established by both initiatives for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, Vancouver and beyond."

    Dr. Davis has been involved in the coaching education and athlete development programs for the U.S. and Australian Olympic teams. He was Director of the Coaching and Sport Sciences Division for the United States Olympic Committee for five years, where he managed science and technology programs for Olympic athletes in both summer and winter sports. Before that, he was Manager of Sport Sciences & Sport Medicine for the Olympic Athlete Program for six of the nine years that he was with the Australian Institute of Sport. In that role, restructured the nation's Sport Science programs to prepare for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Australia achieved fourth place in total medal count with its best achievement of 58 medals.

    In the past six years, Davis has advised Olympic organizations and high performance coaching staff in more 20 countries.

    "Without a doubt, Peter Davis will make a tremendous contribution to the overall coordination of sport science, medicine and technology for winter national sport federations, Canadian sport centres, and most importantly, our athletes and coaches," says Roger Jackson, CEO of Own the Podium 2010. "Davis' experience from Australia and the United States, two countries which have seen unprecedented success as a result of new excellence funds and programming, will provide Own the Podium 2010 with tremendous new insights that will help us achieve our goal of becoming the top medal finisher at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and placing in the top three nations at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games".

    Chris Rudge, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee says Dr. Davis's hiring, "is the latest example of our strengthening sport system's ability to attract to Canada the best international sport experts."

    BACKGROUND

    Half of the C$110 million in funding for Own The Podium 2010 comes from the Canadian government through its operations division, Sport Canada. The other half of the funding comes from negotiations by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) with its sponsors including the Province of British Columbia, Bell Canada, General Motors of Canada, VANOC's retailer sponsor HBC, McDonald's Restaurants, Petro-Canada, VANOC's renovations sponsor RONA and its financial sponsor, the RBC Financial Group. The Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Vancouver 2010, and the Calgary Olympic Development Association also provide professional services and resources to OTP 2010.

    Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on November 1, 2006

    posted by Peter Morgan, Editor at 6:58 PM