As CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee John Furlong was widely praised for the success of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and now, he says if a bid for the 2030 winter games goes ahead, the vision will be a radical shift from what it used to be.
“A compact plan of 2010 abandoned and replaced by a regional more inclusive plan that focuses on delivering a provincewide experience and advantage,” Furlong told the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Friday.
This means a shift from three host communities like in 2010 to as many as 8 or 9 around the Province in 2030.
Furlong did not list any specific communities, however, two spots on Vancouver Island appear to make sense, including curling in Victoria.
“So with the whole idea John Furlong has got now of doing it throughout the whole province, it would just make a lot of sense to have curling in Victoria,” said Keith Dagg, Chair of the 2005 World Curling Championships and Co-Chair in 2013. “We have a great arena in the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre and it holds 7000 people so it’s all ready to go.”
He says with the experience already gained hosting major curling events, there’s no reason why Victoria can’t host Olympic curling.
“2005 was so successful that we were able to bring back World Curling again in 2013 and again it was a big success, so Victoria is just made for it,” added Dagg.
The Nordic Ski Centre at Mount Washington is another possible Olympic site for 2030.
Several teams trained there before the 2010 games and it was the site of an International Paralympic Committee World Cup event in March 2007.
“We have the trails, we have the snow, we have a variety of volunteers and people who have direct experience now in those types of events so it certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility,” said Les Apedaile, Strathcona Nordic Ski Club President.
John Furlong said the 2030 games would cost about $2 billion but could be done without any public money for infrastructure.
He said the idea of a bid needs provincial approval before moving forward.
Dean Stoltz
