Greg Amos/Staff Writer/i
Possibilities of strong local benefits spinning off from the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics continue to entice municipalities around the Sea-to-Sky region.
"The Coast being so close to both Vancouver and Whistler, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed during a visit with Gibsons Mayor Barry Janyk on Wednesday. Janyk said four possible training venues on the Coast - the Dakota Ridge Winter Recreation area for Nordic events, the Gibsons Curling Club and the two ice arenas - could entice a national team, their families and training staff to spend significant time on the Coast before the Olympics. The road leading to Dakota Ridge was completed in part thanks to an Olympic live sites grant from the province.
"We're trying to use a municipality to municipality arrangement," Janyk said, explaining Whistler's council is one avenue through which the Sunshine Coast could get the attention of national Olympic committees (NOCs) of the various nations taking part in the Games.
Asked what the community's chances are of enticing an NOC to place a team on the Coast before the Games, Melamed replied it would be a "coup" for the Coast, in terms of the economic benefits it could bring.
"Just look at what Prince George did," he said.
Prior to the Olympic start date of Feb. 12, 2010, the Interior city will hold the pre-trials for the Olympic curling events. Sun Peaks ski resort near Kamloops has also positioned themselves as hosts - the Austrian ski team will be schussing on their slopes prior to the Olympic downhill events in Whistler, Melamed said.
The Games will last for 17 days, and teams will typically spend about 30 days in the Olympic host city, said Melamed, who experienced firsthand the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Like Janyk, he's running for re-election on Nov. 15, positioning himself to be mayor during the Games.
Volunteers from around B.C. will also be needed - 25,000 people are being sought for the Games, Melamed said. A four-hour training session in Squamish is required of potential volunteers, who can sign up on www.vancouver2010.com. In addition, a family hosting program can allow local families to share their homes with athletes' families.
Excluding costs of upgrades to the Sea-to-Sky highway, the Games' $2.3 billion price tag has incurred much criticism, Melamed acknowledged. Of that amount, roughly $600 million will be paid by the province, and about a third of the total cost is being funded by taxpayers.
Half the events for the games will be held in Vancouver, and the other half will be held in Whistler. Transportation up the Sea-to-Sky Highway continue to pose logistical challenges - until recently, the transportation plan for premier events such as the ski jump called for one bus leaving Vancouver each minute for more than three hours, in order to get the expected 10,000 spectators to the venues.
"I think you need to look at the human benefits that can come out of this," said Melamed, noting the nightly free cultural events in Vancouver will benefit those who can't afford tickets to the events. The Paralympic Games that begin on March 12, directly following the Olympics, are also "completely accessible and unpretentious," he said.
"The Paralympic athletes are every bit the athletes as those in the Olympic Games," he said. "For those with an aversion to the Olympics, the Paralympics are worth attending."
Janyk has a soft spot for the Olympics, as his niece and nephew are both on Canada's ski team. Britt Janyk, 28, is a medal hopeful, and Mike Janyk, 26, will also ski on the Canadian team.
The International Olympic Committee co-ordination commission recently made their seventh visit to Vancouver and praised the preparations made so far by the Vancouver Olympic Committee. "There are a lot of preconceived notions about what the Games are and aren't," said Melamed. "Until you've been there, you have no idea."
