Message from the Chief Executive Officer

Organizing an event that will attract thousands of athletes from more than 80 nations, 10,000 media members and a worldwide television audience of some three billion is a monumental task. For more than 10 years, the venue delivery and staging plans for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have been taking shape. In fact, the dreams of hosting the Games on Canada’s West Coast were born back in the early 1960s. The vision of those early sport and recreation pioneers led to the development of the Whistler ski area – now one of North America’s top winter sport destinations. For decades, bringing the Winter Games to Canada’s West Coast has been supported by all levels of government. As the Flame is lit on February 12, 2010, it will represent the culmination of 50 years of dreaming and planning inspired by Canada’s passion for sport, culture and sustainability.

Since the beginning, in 1996, of Vancouver and Whistler’s venture into the Canadian Olympic Committee’s domestic competition to determine Canada’s applicant for the 2010 Winter Games, one vision has been consistently clear: the Games must be about creating benefits and legacies for sport, for our host communities, the host province, our country and the global Olympic and Paralympic movements.

It was this clear vision combined with a thorough bid development process that resulted in Vancouver being named Host City for the 2010 Winter Games on July 2, 2003. Our bid was a detailed plan based on the best information available in 2002.

With any project that takes seven years to deliver, changes are inevitable. Each day, new information becomes available. We continue to assess and analyze, find innovative ideas and make informed decisions. Our entire team is focused on our mission to touch the soul of this nation and inspire the world by staging outstanding Olympic and Paralympic Games with sustainable legacies. And we keep a close eye on the bottom line – to ensure we are making prudent decisions respecting the financial resources available to us. This applies to both the construction of the 2010 Winter Games venues, funded equally by the Governments of Canada and British Columbia, and to the cost of planning and staging the Games that will be delivered from monies secured from the private sector.

The issue of contingency management is addressed in several parts of this plan. It is of crucial importance to us and to our partners. Our goal is to first ensure that we can host an outstanding Games within our approved budget and then to take whatever measures we can to maximize the financial legacy arising from the Games. Simply put, we will not spend funds we do not have. This budget will remain balanced.

VANOC benefits from a strong working relationship with the International Olympic Committee which is in a unique position to provide counsel and oversight having supervised every Games ever staged. The IOC has provided considerable assistance to VANOC through a formal transfer of knowledge program and through countless meetings with various members of our team. The IOC formally monitors VANOC through its Coordination Commission to ensure deadlines are met and the best possible planning is taking place en route to the Games. The Commission is comprised of senior IOC Members and expert advisors who offer assistance and guidance on all aspects of Games management. This strengthens our project and helps mitigate risks typically associated with a project like ours.

This Business Plan is a living, pliable document. It contains our current assumptions and estimates, based on our best assessment of Games requirements, risks and opportunities. Its structure reflects the requirements of the Multiparty Agreement. It is robust and flexible. We have combined the lessons from previous Games with the expertise from our partners, the tireless efforts and contributions from Board members and committees of VANOC, and perhaps our best resource – our dedicated workforce – to create what we believe is a solid, thoroughly researched and validated program. This plan will guide our decisions as we approach the staging of the 2010 Winter Games in a fiscally disciplined way leaving benefits and legacies that will last long after the Flame is extinguished. With fewer than three years to go until the Games, we are certain there will be changes and adjustments – likely many of them – all aimed at producing the best experience for all Games participants.

The plan is at, least in part, designed to provide our government partners, stakeholders and the Canadian public with a clear sense of the work that is well underway with a focus on the disciplined financial framework we must work within and respect. While the document is of considerable length, it does not, and cannot, possibly address all of the activity and planning that is already completed or is still in front of us. The truth is VANOC’s planning will continue with added layers of detail and refinement right down to Games time. There is an extensive body of work behind this plan – detailed financial estimates, function plans and schedules. These will continue to evolve as the project advances. The plan frames the road to 2010 for VANOC and is a key tool for helping us get there.

At Vancouver 2010, we are one team with clear goals – to stage outstanding Games and to leave lasting legacies. Games that will lift Canadians and inspire the world! By working together, the dreams that have spanned nearly five decades will come alive in February 2010.

Respectfully,
John A. Furlong
Chief Executive Officer
Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
May 8, 2007