Games bid needs broad support
2010 CEO says Calgary’s Olympic vision should include a ll Canadians
You need to first decide on your purpose, your belief, your vision of how the Games can do the most good it can do for the entire country.
As Calgary continues to explore bidding for the 2026 Winter Olympics, the former CEO of the 2010 Vancouver Games says it is critical to develop a compelling vision that celebrates the Games beyond just Calgary and unites all Canadians.
John Furlong, now chairman of Own the Podium and head of a bid advisory group created by the Canadian Olympic Committee, says Calgary’s ongoing concerns about the cost of hosting another Games can be met head-on if they decide on a plan that invites help from other cities, other provinces and corporations across the country.
“You need to first decide on your purpose, your belief, your vision of how the Games can do the most good it can do for the entire country.
“That will affect everything, including the economic strength, branding, your ability to engage all levels of government, senior partners and the corporate community.”
With the 2018 Winter Olympics just days away, Furlong will be travelling to Pyeongchang, South Korea, where he hopes to sit down with officials from the City of Calgary, including Mayor Naheed Nenshi, to share his advice.
Furlong said while he has had meetings with Calgary concerning a potential bid in the past, he has not met with them in over six months and is not sure whether they have developed a unique vision for a potential bid.
The Calgary bid exploration committee, which has until this fall to decide whether the city will bid for the 2026 Games, estimates hosting would cost $4.6 billion, offset by $2.2 billion-plus in economic benefits.
While visiting Calgary last month, the International Olympic Committee said that it would financially support the successful bid to the tune of as much as US$925 million.
But among its new approaches, the IOC is encouraging bid cities to be flexible in venue selection and said that partnerships with other cities could be key in reducing costs.
Furlong said that creates a unique opportunity for the Calgary team to build a bid that unifies Canadians, not only by including all provinces and encouraging investment from across the country, but by also spreading venues to a variety of locations across Western Canada, from Vancouver to Edmonton.
“Here’s the thing— there’s a massive new arena in Edmonton, why not use it,” Furlong said.
As well, Whistler, just outside Vancouver, could provide ski jump facilities since Calgary’s are outdated.
That way, Calgary saves money, Furlong said, but it also allows more communities to make significant contributions as part of a unifying vision.
The concept of some events being held apart from a host city isn’t new, with the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, for example, hosting equestrian events 1,900 kilometres away in Hong Kong.
Fur long argued much of Vancouver’s success resulted in bringing the Games to individual Canadians across the country.
“We literally brought the Games to the front door of every Canadian,” he said, explaining that the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay covered 45,000 kilometres over five months, coming within one hour of every town or city in the country.
He added that each province also shared in the spirit, showcasing their culture and heritage at unique venues throughout Vancouver.
Corporate partners from Bell Canada to the Hudson’s Bay used their partnership with the Games as a chance to rebrand themselves, Furlong added, while reaching out to Canadians coast to coast.
“We gave each Canadian a personal relationship with the Olympics. And we gave govern- ments and corporations a reason to invest in something that would result in the greater good of the country.”
Furlong strongly believes if Calgary can bring all of those elements together in its bid, it will have a great chance of winning.
While he has heard rumours of potential bids coming from Switzerland, Austria, Scandinavia and Italy, he is confident Calgary can come out a winner.
“These are all very tight, compact countries. But in Canada, the sum of all the parts is just so much greater.
“You do the most good you can do during the Games, elevate people by bringing them together, and then build on that legacy.”
City council is expected to be updated on the work of the city’s bid exploration committee by the end of March, well ahead of the IO C bid deadline of October.
According to the mayor’s website, he will be travelling to Pyeongchang as part of an Olympics observer program to learn how Calgary could host a successful Games if it decides on a bid.
Nenshi’s office said Friday he has already met with Furlong, but is always open to entertaining advice.