The Next Canadian Olympics

[Mister F]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

And the torch relay could be excellent - an all-roads-lead-to-Rome type thing

That may not be the best way to sell it when we're up against, you know, Rome.

[WhipperSnapper]

Ssiguy never disappoints. Totally clueless.

There's a ton of RGI units being built in Toronto. It ain't cheap either. Why single out the two buildings that made up the seven building athletes village?

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by Mister F

That may not be the best way to sell it when we're up against, you know, Rome.

Shit.

[Stingray2004]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Olympics are an incredible waste of money.

Look at Vancouver...........all we got was some ever-so-crutial ice skating rinks, a rapid transit line that was poorly designed and is already nearing capacity, and "affordable housing" which ended up costing the city plenty and these affordable units came in at about $1,000,000 a piece.

Yet, BCers take a different completely point of view of Olympics 2010. From an Insights West opinion poll back in January, 2014 (~4 years after the fact):

1. "The Vancouver 2010 Olympics were a success"

Agree - 86%
Disagree - 11%
Not Sure - 4%

2. "The Vancouver 2010 Olympics have left a positive legacy for all British Columbians"

Agree - 79%
Disagree - 15%
Not Sure - 5%

3. "The venues that were used in the Olympics have been put to good use"

Agree - 61%
Disagree - 20%
Not Sure - 19%

4. "The Vancouver 2010 Olympics were worth the financial expenditure"

Agree - 57%
Disagree - 34%
Not Sure -8%

5. "I would like for Vancouver to launch a Summer Olympics bid"

Agree - 49%
Disagree - 42%
Not Sure - 8%

http://www.insightswest.com/wp-conte...ables_BC-1.pdf

As for the last poll question. I would disagree as well. That said, back in 2006 this tidbit materialized but never went anywhere AFAIK:

City Wants 2028 Olympics

Vancouver and Seattle will join forces to try to attract a post-2010 global mega-event, with a wish list that includes co-hosting the 2018 World Cup of soccer, a world's fair around 2020 or the 2028 Summer Olympics.

BY THE VANCOUVER SUN

OCTOBER 8, 2006

The boards of Tourism Vancouver and the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau voted unanimously Thursday to create a study group to examine the viability of bidding for one of those events.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/n...89f80c&k=92737

[HomeInMyShoes]

So, are we really sure that the IOC has really cleaned up their act when it comes to financing, logistics, and rationality in choosing bids?

Snowless Mountains in Beijing will apparently have to rely almost 100% on artificial snow. That's going to work well.

[Berklon]

Did they really have much choice? It was between Beijing and Kazakshtan... neither are really ideal.

[HomeInMyShoes]

^True, they were screwed when Oslo ditched.

I've been looking through Olympic bid history and I didn't know that Banff had a bid for the 1972 Winter Olympics. That seems crazy to me. It also seems weird that the Canadian flag on the Wikipedia page for Olympic bids is sometimes the Maple Leaf and sometimes the old Dominion of Canada flag.

[The Fisher Account]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

It also seems weird that the Canadian flag on the Wikipedia page for Olympic bids is sometimes the Maple Leaf and sometimes the old Dominion of Canada flag.

Why would it be weird when we've had more than one flag??

[HomeInMyShoes]

^I thought about that and realized that they switched it based on the correct years, but it's still odd looking at it because it changes as time goes by. I doubt many people outside Canada read the chart correctly.

For some reason it was making me think we were a Caribbean country at that time as it looks a lot like Bermuda's flag when small.

[J.OT13]

B.C. considering bidding on the 2030 Winter Olympics. The catch? B.C. bid would not include $Billions in new facilities. Instead, the 2010 facilities would be used. The Olympics would be further spread out in B.C. Any new facility or renos would be funded under existing Governmental programs.

This is how it should be, but the IOC might see it differently. They like big and flashy. They don't care if governments go into massive debts and never use the facilities after the Olympics.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/o...uver-1.5991267

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

B.C. considering bidding on the 2030 Winter Olympics. The catch? B.C. bid would not include $Billions in new facilities. Instead, the 2010 facilities would be used. The Olympics would be further spread out in B.C. Any new facility or renos would be funded under existing Governmental programs.

This is how it should be, but the IOC might see it differently. They like big and flashy. They don't care if governments go into massive debts and never use the facilities after the Olympics.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/o...uver-1.5991267

IOC is looking at ways to cut the costs. Reusing facilities is in there operating plan. Older facilities will need to be enhanced for safety and to take into account advancements in some sports. New facilities will be for new sports which by 2030 there should be at least 3 new ones. IOC is trying to cut the numbers of Participants. New quotas are being announced regularly.

If Calgary were to bid. None of there 88 facilities would meet the basic current facility standards.

[MolsonExport]

When I think "Winter", Beijing does not come to mind at all. Harbin (and the rest of Heilongjiang Province), also in China, is one of the snowiest places in the world.

Then again, Vancouver is not exactly synonymous with Winter, being among the most anomalous (mild) winter climates in Canada. Whister, sure, but Vancouver? I would love to see the games return to Canada, but why not some other city? Quebec City would be great for Winter games, aside for a small number of downhill skiing events (and even then, there are at least three great ski centres near QC: Mt. Ste. Anne, Stoneham, and le Massif).

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

When I think "Winter", Beijing does not come to mind at all. Harbin (and the rest of Heilongjiang Province), also in China, is one of the snowiest places in the world.

Many Chinese feel the same way, but alas...all this talk about Vancouver wanting to re-use facilities for 2030 is why Beijing is hosting in 2022 - they can re-use a lot of their facilities from 2008.

Truthfully I don't associate Bosnia with winter, either.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Then again, Vancouver is not exactly synonymous with Winter, being among the most anomalous (mild) winter climates in Canada. Whister, sure, but Vancouver? I would love to see the games return to Canada, but why not some other city? Quebec City would be great for Winter games, aside for a small number of downhill skiing events (and even then, there are at least three great ski centres near QC: Mt. Ste. Anne, Stoneham, and le Massif).

The easy answer there is that Vancouver has the complete set of international-calibre venues from 2010.

A winter Olympics bid from Vancouver is the only Canadian Olympic bid I'd support as it could be done without incurring exorbitant costs. Quite simply, the games have gotten out of hand... look at the incredible situation Tokyo is in. They are staring down the barrel of tens of billions of dollars in losses even if the games happen. It's just too much and it's simply not worth it.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by Airboy

IOC is looking at ways to cut the costs. Reusing facilities is in there operating plan. Older facilities will need to be enhanced for safety and to take into account advancements in some sports. New facilities will be for new sports which by 2030 there should be at least 3 new ones. IOC is trying to cut the numbers of Participants. New quotas are being announced regularly.

If Calgary were to bid. None of there 88 facilities would meet the basic current facility standards.

Yes and Calgary voted against a bid so they are out.

[Denscity]

I would prefer a Summer Olympics in Vancouver but that would require some bigger $$$.

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by Denscity

I would prefer a Summer Olympics in Vancouver but that would require some bigger $$$.

Burnaby Lake would need another dredging for the Rowing Canoeing Facility. Maybe use Delta.

The Richmond Oval could be updated into the Velodrome. You would need a new track stadium. But could you imaging the MTB races on real north shore trails. But Sailing and open water swimming (And soon to be added Rowing Beach Sprints) could be right off Vancouver. Crouse Ships could be used for the village like some other places.

[WarrenC12]

I think 2010 stands as the last reasonably run (and paid for) Olympics. We might never see one again that isn't a complete financial gong show, and therefore waste of money and resources. Sochi? Rio? Good god what a mess.

The Summer Olympics is worse than Winter of course. I love watching the games, but the IOC is a mess. Do we need multi-Billion dollar facilities to watch some people run around really fast in a circle?

This level of extreme human achievement is better enjoyed at home in 4K, with full slow motion capabilities.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I think 2010 stands as the last reasonably run (and paid for) Olympics. We might never see one again that isn't a complete financial gong show, and therefore waste of money and resources. Sochi? Rio? Good god what a mess.

Beijing 2022 is being run for 1/10th the cost of what the 2008 Olympics came in at. Paris, LA, and Cortina d'Ampezzo will be similar.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by Airboy

Burnaby Lake would need another dredging for the Rowing Canoeing Facility. Maybe use Delta.

The Richmond Oval could be updated into the Velodrome. You would need a new track stadium. But could you imaging the MTB races on real north shore trails. But Sailing and open water swimming (And soon to be added Rowing Beach Sprints) could be right off Vancouver. Crouse Ships could be used for the village like some other places.

This all sounds pretty good.