Vancouver 2010 Critics Want Audit Of Books

Pique News Magazine reports that critics of Vancouver 2010’s quarterly financial plan are renewing calls for the provincial auditor general to look at the organizing committee’s books, and they want the organization to be open to Freedom of Information requests which VANOC can now avoid because it is a non-profit organization.

Sara MacIntyre, B.C. Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation said, “what we are suggesting, and we have been recommending to the provincial government to do this for quite some time…is that they require the Auditor General to look over financial statements and give an opinion on their accuracy and whether or not they are comprehensive.

For now the provincial auditor general is only working on the government’s financial involvement. Calls for the auditor general to be involved in the Games started in 2003 when the office produced a report on the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Meanwhile Olympic historian Professor Kevin Wamsley is reported in Pique as saying “I think compared to past Olympic Games relatively speaking VANOC is at least attempting to be transparent in some respects and more so than other organizing committees in the past”. He pointed out that past Olympic Committees have not shared quarterly reports with taxpayers nor have they produced business plans for external scrutiny. Wamsley said, “you know committees in the past haven’t even bothered with these kinds of updates”, adding that VANOC could be more transparent and only time would tell if their commitment to openness would continue.

Another area of concern raised last week was the budget for security at the Games, now set for $175 million, which some have suggested is not enough. MacIntyre is concerned that VANOC now appears to be distancing itself from that cost despite the fact it was covered in the bid book.

Following the announcement of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) short list for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver 2010 issued a statement congratulating the three finalists.

Vancouver 2010 chief executive John Furlong said, “winning the right to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is one of the most challenging journeys any team could face and we have great respect for the 2014 Candidate Cities who have worked tirelessly to achieve this milestone”. Write or read comments about this article