It’s east coast versus west coast in another round of debates over Calgary’s Olympic plebiscite
Posted Nov 2, 2018 8:28 am.
Last Updated Nov 12, 2018 5:11 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – As we near the time to vote in the Olympic plebiscite, people from other cities are giving their views on hosting the games.
Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) CEO John Furlong is in Calgary giving his experiences from the west coast and the 2010 games.
“Calgary is on the edge of possibly ending up with the most significant Olympic legacy in all of human history because this will have all happened beginning in 1980-81 and will end well past 2050.”
Furlong says there was an explosion of investment around Vancouver that continues to this day because of the games, including in areas like tourism.
“Our tourism strategy was built around yours (Calgary’s 1988 Games). I say ‘right back at you’ this is a chance to take what happened in Vancouver and build on it, do a great thing for the city, make a huge contribution for the country and brand Canada around the world.”
He says Calgary is actually further ahead in the bid process at this point than Vancouver was for 2010.
“If I had this budget that they have today at VANOC I would’ve said ‘thank you very much, I am on my way,’ said Furlong. “They (Calgary 2026 organizers) are in a very healthy situation today compared to where Vancouver 2010 was at the same time.”
Below is the complete interview with John Furlong.
On the other side of this debate is Chris Dempsey, an anti-Olympic crusader and author of No Boston Olympics: How and Why Smart Cities Are Passing on the Torch.
He says while it’s not the sexiest choice, investing in other areas in a better use of money.
“It’s much more important to invest in the basics, education, infrastructure, open space, the things that improve the quality of life for residents on a day to day basis.”
He says while the IOC has deeper pockets, grassroots groups can compete when it comes to getting the public the information it needs.
“The ‘yes’ side in Boston spent about $15 million, on the ‘no’ side we spent less than $10,000, so we were outspent more than 1,500 to 1, but we had the facts on our side.”
Below is the complete interview with Chris Dempsey.
The plebiscite is scheduled for November 13th.
