There’s only a few months to go until the Olympics but Vancouverites are still not fully on board for the big show. Should Vancou- ver have even taken on the Olympics in the first place? Would the money have been bet- ter used for social programs? Or will the new infrastructure and international attention im- prove Vancouver beyond dollars and cents? 2010 Olympics will build a future of athletic success By Karin Keefe hat major city has not hosted an Olympic Games? Who wouldn’t want to join the likes of Paris, Tokyo, or Berlin? Well, apparently 36 per cent of the people who cast a vote way back in 2003. I was one of those who voted “no,” but I admit I have been won over by the beautiful speed skating oval in Richmond, the speedy transit route to the airport (the first one in Canada, I might add) and even though it is not politically correct to like highway improvements, the new Sea to Sky Highway. Robson Square is also getting a much-needed facelift. These games are going to bring us lots of attention which will pay off in a myriad of ways. In addition to the infrastructure improvements, there will be a boost to tourism, our young athletes will be inspired to greatness, the competing athletes will benefit from the hometown support, and we will have a two-week party in our town! There is going to be tremendous energy around the events, and the City of Vancouver is creating two gathering places, one in the downtown area and the other in Yaletown, to give people a place to publicly celebrate. People often complain about the cost and the hassles. A lot of people talk about how they are going to rent their house out and leave town for two weeks. But they forget how inspiring these games can be. People in Calgary in 1988 got to witness the efforts of ski jumper Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards and the unlikely bobsled team from Jamaica. Both stories have been the inspiration for feature films: Cool Runnings which is based on the experience of the Jamaican team and the biopic of Eddie “The Eagle” which is coming out sometime this year. The Games are about fostering the spirit of competition and inspiring us all. Watching Cindy Klassen win a record five medals in Torino makes us realize what is possible, and hopefully pushes us to do better. For a young aspiring athlete to witness these achievements in their own backyard must make a big impact. In the 1988 Calgary Games, Canada won a total of five medals, but 16 years later in Torino, the total was 24. The young people who watched the spunky figure skater Elizabeth Manley fight for her silver medal, and Gaetan Boucher win a then-record three medals in the speed skating oval, were not only inspired to match these achievements, but they then also had access to a place to train. The success of the Canadian speed skating team can be directly attributed to the Calgary Games. Cindy Klassen and Clara Hughes are two great examples of what can happen. However, the venues will not only be used to train athletes, they will also be available to the general public. We will all get to reap the benefits. Who can put a price tag on the benefits of civic pride? Twenty years from now, we will put on our 2010 gear and gather with the same nostalgia as they did in Calgary last year and remember these amazing two weeks. So stop grumbling about the cost overruns, the increased security near the venues, and the traffic jams. Put on your red mitts and toque and soak it all in. The Jamaican bobsled team is planning to return in 2010. Who knows, Vancouver might be the setting for the sequel, Cool Runnings: 22 Years Later. i More costs to the Olympics than mere dollars By Janina Stajic awarded the honour of hosting the 2010 Olympics. I felt a sense of pride and excitement that our city had been given this golden opportunity. Then, I returned to my normal life and promptly forgot about it. After all, 2010 was years away; I had more pressing things to ponder. Then slowly the vaunted event crept closer, and reports emerged that made me rethink my staunch support for these games. They first told the story of protesters trying to change the proposed new route of the Sea to Sky highway. They were adamant the route through Eagleridge Bluffs would destroy pristine forest and the wetland home of the rare, red-legged frog. The transportation minister was unmoved, and although I was concerned, I easily dismissed the stories... the wetland wasn’t in my backyard. Then reports surfaced that businesses on Cambie Street were going out of business due to the disastrous management of the Canada Line construction. The reply from the powers that be was businesses should cope as best they can—it was for the greater glory of the Olympics. It was then that my dislike of these games took on Olympic proportions, for I suddenly realized that they are no longer about the athletes. Instead, the focus is on which city can give us the biggest bang for the taxpayers buck and there’s no better example of this then the ever more extravagant opening and closing ceremonies. Think about it: How many of us can name gold medalists from even eight years back? Four years? I do remember Elvis Stojko but that’s because he was so darned cute in his funky skating outfit. But I had to Google him to find out if he had won a medal (he did—silvers in 1994 and 1998.). And then there are all those steroid scandals—is it possible to believe any participants are simply that talented? Let’s not forget about the expensive Olympic infrastructure, which after the games are over, is often neglected; think Montreal’s decrepit 1976 Olympic stadium and Athens’ baseball diamond. |= thrilled back in July 2003, when Vancouver was You could argue the Olympics promote camaraderie between countries and athleticism (which heaven knows we need with our skyrocketing obesity rates). But it seems today’s Olympics are all about money games and frankly there’s something wrong with this financial picture. Our provincial government has just put the finishing touches on cuts to healthcare. My son’s school (yes, now it is in my backyard) just lost funding for support teachers and a librarian. Ever since the Olympics were awarded, non-profits across B.C. have mysteriously found their government grants cut. Yet, provincial and federal governments have unearthed a spare $650 million (and counting) to fund a two-week sports bonanza. To make it worse, that figure doesn’t include the upgrade of the Sea to Sky Highway or the Canada Line. That money came out of a non-Olympic budget (and costs are well over $600 million). What about the “collateral” financial damages? I’ve mentioned the out-of-business businesses on Cambie Street. How many people know that a one and a half month-long restriction has been imposed on small airlines? In short they won’t be allowed to fly in and out of Vancouver unless they can get their passengers through Olympic-approved security, impossible for many of them. I’m not one to go on about something without providing a solution, not at all. I have the perfect solution. Let’s pick two cities, one for the summer games, one for the winter, to be permanent hosts. So long to wasteful bidding processes, expensive neglected sports facilities, and the possibility that governments will be forced to choose between funding social services or the Olympics. With all of that money saved, perhaps the Olympics could turn into a money-making exercise and provide grants and incentives so athletes from all participating countries have a shot at a medal (if you really think Americans are just naturally better athletes then let’s talk). Now that sounds like a win-win situation. In the meantime, I’! be exercising my right to fly away from Vancouver come Olympic time.