British Columbians can take comfort from Calgary's real experience, former President and CEO of Calgary 88 says

May 7, 2007

Legacies of Calgary 1988 Games Impressive and Extensive

The second volume of a report commissioned by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) indicates that the lasting legacies of the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games are as impressive as they are extensive, including a direct relationship to Canada’s record medal haul at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games and an unprecedented engagement of children and youth in winter sport. Touching many aspects of the community, the legacies of the ’88 Games include sport, education, culture, tourism, volunteerism, economic development and -- perhaps most impressively -- civic pride.

The Calgary report, which was released today at vancouver2010.com, is the second of three volumes of the Legacies of North American Olympic Winter Games report commissioned by VANOC. The first volume (Lake Placid) was released last week, and the final volume (Salt Lake) and executive summary will be released on May 14.

"I found the report to be surprisingly thorough and accurate given that the event took place nearly 20 years ago. The citizens of British Columbia can use the real experience of Calgary to take comfort that the 2010 Games are capable of providing a huge economic impact, a lasting legacy of facilities and an opportunity for individuals to share the experience of a world class event at home," said Frank King, former President and CEO of the Calgary '88 Olympic organizing committee. "The Olympic Winter Games involve a complex set of management issues that must be carefully balanced between the citizens at large, three levels of government, dozens of participating National Olympic Committees, all the Winter Sports Federations and the local and world media and of course, the International Olympic Committee. A successful Games has been described as 'a miracle of shared friendship.' Such Games can become an important social force in a world clearly seeking better ways of getting along. Much effort remains to be expended in the time remaining," he added. "Looking forward, VANOC appears to be well on its way towards setting a new standard for successful Games," King concluded.

“Nearly 20 years later, the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary continue to impact the development of high performance sport in Canada,” said Chris Rudge, Canadian Olympic Committee Chief Executive Officer. “The legacy of world class facilities and a multi-million-dollar endowment fund has contributed significantly to Canada’s dramatic increase in podium results at the Olympic Winter Games over the years.”

Among the many Games legacies for Calgary identified in the report are the following:

• The 1988 Olympic Winter Games turned a profit that fuelled an endowment fund of $70.5 million that is now worth $185 million and continues to develop sport in a multitude of ways.
• The host province, Alberta, benefited from 70 percent of the economic effects of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, including 27,400 person-years of employment.
• Calgary’s Canada Olympic Park is the second largest tourist attraction in Alberta. It draws one million people each year, 300,000 of them skiers and snowboarders.
• Two Olympic sports, curling and short track speed skating, started out as demonstration sports in 1988. Canada has consistently won Olympic medals in these two sports since their introduction as demonstration sports at the 1988 Games.
• Calgary hosted three Paralympic events as demonstration events. After 1988, there was a stronger commitment to creating an independent Paralympic Games to follow the Olympic Games.
• 20 members of the Canadian Olympic team at the Olympic Winter Games in Torino were current or former members of the National Sport School in Calgary. The school was the brainchild of the Calgary Olympic Development Authority (CODA), and is operated jointly by CODA and the Calgary Board of Education; without the Calgary Olympic Winter Games and the facilities it left behind, the school would not exist. Six Olympic medalists have been students at the National Sport School since it was established in 1994.
• The Canadian medal count has grown every Olympic Winter Games since 1988, from five in Calgary to 24 in Torino. At the Torino Games, more than 25 percent of the 196-member Canadian team was from Calgary and the surrounding area. Almost three-quarters of the medal winners in 2006 were either Albertan or had been training in the province at facilities that are a legacy of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games.
• Calgary Olympic Winter Games volunteers still get together socially more than 18 years later. Many of them still own and wear their official volunteer jackets.
• Some 1.5-million people a year attend events at the Pengrowth Saddledome, formerly the Olympic Saddledome and built for the 1988 Games. The building is also home to the Calgary Flames, the Western Hockey League Calgary Hitmen and the National Lacrosse League Roughnecks.
• The Olympic Oval is still considered the fastest ice in the world and is home to Canada’s national speedskating team. It has been the site of 17 of 30 world records.
• Canada Olympic Park (COP) offers a host of school programs, including a unique program under the auspices of Campus Calgary wherein several hundred children a year get a week of education at COP, learning their curriculum in the contexts of competitive sport and striving to be their best.
• Close to 30,000 children, youth and adults participate in organized recreational programs at Canada Olympic Park every year.
• The XV Olympic Arts Festival was the longest running and most comprehensive arts festival ever held in conjunction with an Olympic Winter Games, involving approximately 2,200 artists from 18 separate arts disciplines in more than 600 performances and exhibitions. More than 197,000 tickets to 258 events, were sold, worth $2.6 million. Calgary retains a vibrant and respected arts community and reputation to this day.

The breadth and depth of the Calgary legacies may be due in part to the successful planning and hosting of the Games themselves – Games which are universally regarded as among the most successful ever. “These have been the best-organized Olympic Winter Games in history,” then-president of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch, announced at the conclusion of the Games.

“Calgary has demonstrated that good organization, world class facilities, and -- perhaps beyond all else – a supportive and enthusiastic host community, are the keys to realizing lasting legacies for host cities,” said VANOC CEO John Furlong. “We are inspired by the Calgary example and consider Calgary to be our partner in staging the Games since so many of the Canadian Olympians and Paralympians will do some of their most important training there on the legacy facilities from the ’88 Games. We are excited about the opportunities the 2010 Games present for future generations and Calgary shows us that the Games have the potential of producing so much more than two months of stellar sport performance,” he concluded.

VANOC commissioned the Legacies of North American Winter Games report believing the most appropriate model for understanding the potential legacies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is the experiences of other Winter Games held within the North American context since 1980. The independently-written reports offer detailed look back on the experiences of previous North American Olympic Winter Games hosts.

All reports are based on research obtained from many documents including newspaper and magazine articles, official reports, studies, books, and original interviews to outline the legacies to the host communities. The Legacies reports, separately and combined, show how the host communities of Olympic Winter Games in North America continue to:

• increase tourism in their regions
• remind the world of their attractions at subsequent international competition
• build sports participation
• be national hubs for recreational and competitive sport
• help the country’s top athletes achieve their full potential
• attract major sports companies to locate there
• encourage local children to excel in sport and other areas of life

“The report shows that, on a continent where enthusiasm for and participation in winter sports is widespread, hosting a successful Winter Games can have numerous, multi-faceted benefits, many of which last for generations to come,” said Furlong.

“VANOC is determined to continue this trend, delivering an outstanding Games experience in 2010 and legacies that will continue to benefit the community for many generations to come,” he concluded.

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010.

About the Legacies report

VANOC commissioned the Legacies of North American Winter Games report believing the most appropriate model for understanding the potential legacies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is the experiences of other Winter Games held within the North American context since 1980. The independently written reports offer a detailed look back at the experiences of previous North American Olympic Winter Games hosts.

All reports are based on research obtained from many documents including newspaper and magazine articles, official reports, studies, books, and original interviews to outline the legacies to the host communities of the Games.

About the Legacies Report and Author

Kate Zimmerman has been a journalist in Canada for 27 years, writing for numerous newspapers and magazines. VANOC commissioned her in July 2006 to research and write the Legacies of North American Olympic Winter Games report. She lives in North Vancouver, BC.

Contact

VANOC Communications
mediarelations@vancouver2010.com