Vancouver Officials, IOC Eye Final 2010 Olympic Preparations

October 8, 2009: With opening ceremonies just four months away, representatives for the 2010 Winter Olympics said that construction and upgrades on all sports venues were completed on time and within the $580 million (Canadian) budget and that Vancouver was "well prepared" to host the Games this February.

“We have achieved many milestones over the past year," John Furlong, CEO for the Vancouver Organizing Committee, said in presenting his final evaluation report on Oct. 7 during the International Olympic Committee's annual meeting in Copenhagen. "As Olympic and Paralympic athletes from around the world set their sights on being prepared to give their very best in Canada in February and March 2010, they can be confident that we, too, are well prepared.”

The 2010 Games will be held in Vancouver and Whistler Feb. 12-28, 2010. The torch relay will start on Oct. 30 in Victoria, BC.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee has faced financial challenges en route to staging the Games, but Furlong said that, in addition to adding another key sponsor, he was confident that a positive ROI would be met. "We know our costs [and] we have a pretty good handle on our revenues," Furlong told members of the media. "And based on what is happening on that side, our view is that we will get to the finish line and have a positive [financial] outcome."

Worldwide IOC partners finalizing activation to support the 2010 Winter Games include Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, General Electric, McDonald's, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung and Visa. National partners include General Motors Canada, Hudson's Bay, Bell, RBC, ROna and Petro-Canada. Official supporters and suppliers include Air Canada, Bombardier, Ricoh, 3M, Molson, Nike and Wrigley Canada.

Among other significant deadlines, Furlong told the IOC that a workforce of more than 55,000 was set to be in place during the Games, including 1,400 paid staff, 3,500 temporary staff, 25,000 volunteers, 10,000 contractors, and 15,000 ceremony participants; that the first phase of ticket selling culminated with requests for more than $345 million (Canadian) in tickets, a second phase saw more than 22,000 orders for 130,000 tickets processed in the first four hours and a third phase offering another 150,000 is coming soon; and that 100% of contractual accommodation requirements in Vancouver and Whistler had been secured.

Furlong also told the IOC that a new 16-station, 19-kilometre Canada Line originally scheduled to open in November started to carry passengers in August, connecting a number of key 2010 Winter Games’ venues, including the Olympic and Paralympic Village Vancouver and the Richmond Olympic Oval. Also in August, Vancouver International Airport added a new link to its transportation network to coincide with the opening of the Canada Line.

"It is a bit like the athlete in the changing room before the competition," Furlong said during a press conference. "Everything that needed to be prepared is finished . . . We feel good not having to worry about infrastructure. We can spend our time now trying to make an exciting, fun event."

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