VANOC may axe Whistler ceremonies
By BOB MACKIN, 24 HOURS, Dec 24, 2008
A Whistler forest may have been cut for naught.
Medals are supposed to be awarded nightly at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver and the Celebration Plaza next to Whistler Village during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Vancouver 2010 organizers -- faced with unprecedented recessionary pressure for a North American-held Games -- may cancel the Whistler ceremonies to save money.
So-called Lot 1/9 was logged last June to make way for Celebration Plaza. The forest was originally eyed for the Paralympic hockey arena, but that project was canceled in 2006 when costs ballooned to $60 million.
VANOC executive vice-president of services and operations Terry Wright said Vancouver 2010 and the Resort Municipality of Whistler "always envisioned and planned for the Whistler Celebration Plaza as a special place to celebrate the spirit of the Games and to showcase Whistler."
Wright said that all Games venues and operations are under review for a new budget expected to be approved at the Jan. 21 VANOC board meeting.
"It would be inappropriate to comment on specifics," Wright said.
******
2010 organizers put medal ceremonies on chopping block
By Stephanie Levitz, THE CANADIAN PRESS
December 24, 2008
VANCOUVER — A proposal to scale back on 2010 Winter Olympic medal ceremonies is raising the ire of politicians in Whistler, B.C., who’ve already committed millions of dollars for nightly parties around the event.
The 2010 organizing committee, known as VANOC, has suggested scrapping the plan to award alpine and Nordic event medals at nightly celebration events in Whistler as part of an ongoing review into how they can shave costs off their $1.6-billion operating budget.
“VANOC felt there must have been a reason why that would simplify their lives and potentially save money, but council said it’s very important for the Whistler community,” said Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed.
“Many members of the Whistler community thought this was a fantastic win for Whistler.”
The medal ceremonies are the first time a mountain host venue has been allowed to hand out medals. More than half of the total medals being awarded during the Games will be for events in Whistler, a two-hour drive outside Vancouver.
VANOC didn’t propose an alternate plan for awarding the medals, Melamed said.
“They were looking for feedback and the feedback essentially was negative. Council did not want to go there,” he said.
The organizing committee wouldn’t confirm it is looking at cutting the medal ceremonies.
“All Games-time venues and plans are currently under review, given the economic downturn and the final preparation of the update to the VANOC business plan,” said a statement from VANOC’s Terry Wright.
“Until that review is complete and the business plan is given final approval and then made public, it would be inappropriate to comment on specifics.”
Whistler has planned a multimillion-dollar party around the medal ceremonies, including construction of the celebration plaza.
Funds for the plaza’s $13.6-million budget were contributed by the federal government, the organizing committee and the municipality of Whistler. The plaza is also supposed to play host to closing ceremonies for the Paralympic Games.
The plaza will continue to be developed, Melamed said, and cultural events will be held as planned.
“It’ll be an important legacy for Whistler after the Games, irregardless, that part doesn’t stop,” he said.
But Melamed said the proposed change has irked council and at a special meeting Tuesday night they decided to hold off on Olympic-related bylaws until the organizing committee makes up its mind.
Council also remains concerned about transportation and housing during the Games, he said.
“(Council) wants VANOC to understand the community has some very strong feelings about some of the agreements that have been understood over the course of the delivery of the Games,” he added.
The bylaws would help ease the Games-time housing crunch in Whistler as well as allow for temporary retail and other outlets during the Olympics.
The bylaws have attracted opposition from some residents who are concerned the temporary stores would eat into promised business profits and lead to a carnival-like sales atmosphere in the city.
The Olympic committee is having such difficulty securing accommodation in the Whistler area that it recently revived a proposal to rent cruise ships to house workers in Squamish, halfway between Vancouver and Whistler.
Melamed said holding back on passing the bylaws wasn’t intended to hold VANOC hostage and he hopes the two sides can find a way to keep the medal ceremonies as planned.
Similar events are planned for Vancouver, to be held at B.C. Place stadium.
Olympic organizers have said they were combing through the budget to sort the “must-haves” from the “nice-to-haves” in an effort to ward off any potential hit from the slumping economy.
Proposed cuts are also being made to staffing and travel budgets, but the board of directors has already warned the committee against going too far and taking away from the spirit of the Games.
The new budget is to go before the board at a meeting on January 21.
Whistler’s council will reconsider the new bylaws a week later.
http://calsun.canoe.ca/Sports/OtherSports/2008/12/24/pf-7845466.html
