Vancouver Olympics – Declared a Debacle?
Not that I didn’t think this was coming….
From the National Post:
Jean Drapeau, the Montreal mayor who brought Expo ’67 and the 1976 Summer Olympics to his city, once famously boasted, “The Olympics can no more have a deficit than a man can have a baby.” How about two babies? Only last year did Montreal pay off the final instalment of its Olympic debt — more than 30 years after the event. And as details of Vancouver’s fiscal fiasco for hosting the 2010 Winter Games trickle out, it’s easy to see how that city’s taxpayers could still be paying in 2040.
Let us state emphatically, from the outset, that we have every confidence Vancouver and Whistler will host a fabulous Games. A little more than a year from now when the sporting world turns its focus on Canada’s West Coast, it will witness a slick, well-run, thoroughly world-class event, the best Winter Olympics since Calgary’s in 1988. None of the financing controversies now swirling around the Vancouver Games will impact the final product.
But after the competition, there will remain the nagging question of who is going to pay for all the cost overruns, shaky financing and grandiose planning.
I won’t state is as emphatically… we’re going to get hit with a huge bill for these games.
photo credit: clevercupcakes
January 15th, 2009 at 6:18 am
Being able to look in the mirror and confidently declare how gorgeous, trendy, with it, happenin, totally world class and of course beautiful, does come with a price tag.
Being on the worlds snob circuit cost’s money. But it is money well spent. Just think about how having all those dead beat, do nothin, good for nuttin snobs hanging around validates your own self worth. Like I said, money well spent.
January 15th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
What city hosting the games doesn’t wind up with millions if not more in debt. Beijing will probably be paying for a long time as well. Some of the costs can be recouped after the games by leasing the venues for private outings and turning the athletes village into apartments, condos or hotels. It doesn’t mean they can pay it off sooner but it will lessen the debt to pay.
January 26th, 2009 at 6:47 am
Oh, there’s one worry about your Olympics. A Canadian friend here just told me that there’s only one small road to get there, and it should be gridlock, at best.
He reminded me that this road is the same one we used to take to Sechelt, which is winding and small…and hopefully has no obstructions to it.
How will people get there, I wonder?